1a clase con Athena- NYSOM 2009/10

Clase de reencuentro con la pedagogía.
Nuevos compañeros. Nueva profesora. Nuevo espacio.

Ondulation as a point of departure, we repeat the movement we learn some time ago and let it develop into a step in the space letting.

The idea is to get back to the original ondulation and see if it can develop naturally, if it can flow seamless trying to identify where that impulse comes from. From there we let the movement lead us into a first step into the space, and after the first -a second step.

Next Athena asks us to explore the range of that movement and see how it can develop progressively into an increasingly big movement. We are also asked to let sound appear if it comes. What generates is a movement that has the beginning of a state, it provokes a sort of pre-character state: sometimes angry, sometimes afraid, sometimes franctic.

With this in mind we are asked to explore that state that sort of appears shyly and let it find its full expression. Now we see a very raw material in expansion, great amount of energy being deployed.

But after a while, with most of us panting and sweating we are reminded that we might not need to spend so much energy in the recreation of that state. We should be able to 'play' those big range of movements and sounds in a more constracted way. In a way that would allow us to play for a three hours show. One way to construct might be reducing the length of the strides or steps but giving them more importance, constructing them so that they carry the same weight as a big step. Another way to construct all that raw material, that bulk of clay, might be to make contact with the space, as some of us are very lost in that crazy movement and do not take the time to take the space in. The timing, the rythm and the pauses allow for a more constructed movement.

With this in mind we are told to find one movement within this state, with a beginning and an end. With this we parade in twos so that the rest of the class can see our movement and we can see theirs.

After this we pair up and we explore interaction we another creature. The idea is to respond to each other's action so... A acts, B reacts which becomes a source for A new reaction and so on. The only thing to bear in mind is that you can a) move and then make a sound, b) move while making a sound, c) make a sound and them move. After trying we are reminded of the importance of breaking a rythm whenever one is established. I find interesting also how to move the other person by pulling apart, seeing how you can make the other circle around you...

Then we lie on the floor and we are giving a pair of magic underwear which moves our pelvis in a franctic way, we need to accompany these movements with a sound, the sound will be a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) and we need to give it different intonations and intentions that will go with the movement. After this we pair up again and start playing with the 1) original movement, 2) moving and making a sound in their different combinations, 3) action reaction, 4) different intentions with the sound.

Stories start to develop.

Finally Athena plays some music (first tango, then some sort of flamenco) which becomes a mask for our movement interactions with sounds. We must establish with our partner whether we're flirting or fighting and then let the music inform our choices.

We do a couple of improvs in front of the class