Creative questions

Range of movement:  Range in movement physically, mentally and emotionally can be unlimited. Anything can be done with one’s ability. It can be limited by an image as to one can see one can only see so much. Some ways to be available are to know what it is that can be done in terms of movement.

Seeing others: Movement can be interpreted by others in a different way. What may be normal others may be unique to others. Movement is free anytime that there are no restrictions. It may not be appropriate during work unless it must do with acting.

Relating to others: I can move like a normal person and show that I’m serious and productive. Having straight posture can show confidence. Some ways of moving that show distance are moving away from someone fast. Some ways to produce communication are eye contact and simply moving close to the person.

Body awareness: The parts of the body I’m familiar with are hands and arms. Some I’m not familiar with are stomach neck and spine. Body movement can relate to feelings and awareness and emotions and possibly intentions.

Flexibility: In my mind, I’m flexible by thinking about what I’m I going to do now and how will it affect me latter. In my body, I’m flexible by stretching out my muscles.

Spatial awareness: For the most part I’m able to be comfortable in space but maybe not externally. I can say that I’m able to make space when appropriate and when necessary. It can sometimes be hard to make choices with space when others are around.

Sensitivity: It is easy to know when to stop doing something by looking at others. It can be hard to know when to back off in certain situations.

Openness and availability: I like to open my mind to new ideas and try them out. When I find out the new idea works I may tell others about it and open a world of opportunities.

Engagement and follow through: Depending on the activity it can be a little hard to focus if I have distractions. As far as committing to an activity depending on it it will be hard to stay on top of it but it will get done eventually.

Creative problem solving and imagination: I look at scenarios of what can happen and envision what I can do along with following the rules. I use my brain and look in my mind with some possibilities that can potentially work.

Creative play: I like learning about myself as well as learning about others. Sometimes it is interesting learning about what people go through in life.

Spontaneity: I’m stuck in acting like a normal person. It is kind of hard to act like someone else if I’m not in their shoes.

Adventurous and daring: I do what I have to do to get what it is needed and will do new things. I’m somewhat of a risk taker and learn what I have done to get there.

Expressiveness: I probably express myself in a negative way and it is not good. The way I walk can kind of tell what mood I’m in.

Musicality and rhythm: My rhythm is mono. If I adapt to a different tempo I will study it to better mimic it.

Tension and release: I’m holding and it has gotten me in trouble.  In my mind, it can be hard or tight to know why it happen and how to move on with life.

Breath: I’m pleased to say that I do breathe freely. When I get angry though it is very hard to breath and control myself.

Application: Learning about my bod is a great way to tell where I’m heading in life it can tell others my story. Arts can help better tell a story and help me stay in line with life and keep me out of trouble.

Who is Captain Jack?

Except I could NOT resist, as a Doctor Who fan, posting this pic of David Tennant as Captain Jack Absolute. I mean.... SQUEE!

Period Clothing Reminder

Hi all,

Two reminders actually:
1) your reading responses need to all be posted here. Catch up with those by this Friday, please and thank you.

2) Period Clothing rehearsal clothes:
MEN:
bathrobe

tight pants/tights
shoes w heels
button-up shirt
vest
(hanky)
belt than can handle a sword
scarf/tie/ruffles

WOMEN

as many and as long skirts as you can bring
(corset)<--I will bring some the department owns, too
low heels/character shoes
athletic bra
shawl
fan/hanky

Here are some examples of previous class' approximations.

Don't forget to concoct your character image collage w/ a brief explanation here on the blog by Friday's class. The year is 1775. Know the social standing, class, age, etc. of your character and search from there. Again, try not to use production photos or costume designs from other productions of The Rivals.

~Prof. Jenn

Image 1
Image 2

Creative writing question

Kelcee Covert

Stage Movement

Creative Writing Questions

1. Range of Movement: I think range of movement really depends of our openness to change, exploration, and creativity. Opening up to more possibilities of movement and boundaries allow us to explore the possibilities of our own bodies and potential.

2. At this point in our class, I feel like any time we are all observing each other, we are still holding back. I don’t think our movement is entirely free yet because we are still getting used to each other and the idea that we are in a space where exploration will happen and to not feel strange about it. I think we are getting a little freer and open when the activity is more fun and light.

3. I think exercises where we are using different character features allow us to attract people who are doing similar movements to us. In turn, I think they distance us from those who are doing opposing movements and character styles. It creates a really interesting contrast. 4. I feel like I am more comfortable with the lower half of my body. I use my legs more solidly than my arms and upper torso. I’m a little still and unyielding to expression in those areas. I feel like I’m maybe not as emotionally open in those areas as well. 5. I’m reasonably flexible in my body, and working to increase that. I’m also working to increase flexibility of the mind so I can allow myself to explore more boundaries and movements. 6. I feel like I am pretty comfortable with my special awareness and use in relation to others. 7. I think I am very acute to the appropriate timing of movement and expression. 8. Right now, I am working to be more open and available to new experiences and possibilities. My insecurities get in the way at times. But I think I will be able to move past that successfully in time. 9. Creative play- I love being able to find new boundaries for myself. I also get frustrated when I can’t do the things as well as I anticipated, but I like find different ways to do things.

10. I think I am a little locked in habit for sure, but I am wanting to be able to explore more. 11. I usually feel okay about looking for new opportunities in movement and exploration. 12. Being expressive in my movements is something I am working very hard to do. I thinks it’s one of my biggest struggles and I hope to find a way to overcome it by the end of this class. 13. I am very good at finding musicality and rhythm in my movements. 14. I am usually very stiff and unsure in movement. I need to work on being more free flowing and loose. 15. I think I tend to hold my breathe with the tension in my body. If I release my body more, my breathe will follow in a way that allows me to move more freely. 16. I think that being able to be more flexible in my movement and confident in my gesture and style will really open up more potential acting opportunities and expression I have been suppressing in the past. I want to be able to move without as many insecurities and second guessing.

Nicole Carlson's Creative Questions

Range of Movement: Physical range of movement is how far you are able to actually move your body parts.  Emotional range of movement to me would be how far your emotions will allow you to move your body parts.  For example, you might have a fear of something that is keeping you from moving your arm a certain way because of a past injury.  I’m not really sure what mental range of motion is but I’m going to guess that it is the ability to think you can or can’t do something with your body.  Range of motion in all areas can definitely be blocked by fear or emotional concerns that related to the movement. 

Seeing Others:  I believe that societal pressures bind human movement.  Most of us move in the same ways and are afraid to look different and do different things with our bodies because we are afraid of acceptance.  Movement would be free when we are alone or around people we feel most comfortable with and trust.  Being out in public would be where we are not allowed to have free expression over our movements.  I think words can definitely hinder our movement, words such as stop, no, you look silly, and even laughter.  Even just simple walking is done like everyone else, we may have a few slight differences but overall we all walk in a certain pattern going forward, and facing forward.

Relating to Others: Staying away from others and keeping eye contact away from others definitely will keep distance.  If you are looking to communicate with others, eye contact and movement toward the individual will work.  You can also use gestures to catch someone’s attention, like snapping and waving.

Body Awareness: I feel most familiar with my upper torso.  Even though I’m a dancer, I tend to use less of my lower body during day to day relations.  My legs definitely are less expressive than my arms and upper body.  Body awareness can relate to feelings, emotions and intentions by expressing certain emotions.  When we are sad we may hunch our shoulders down and hang our heads and when we are happy or excited about something we may be upright and moving in at a fast pace.

Flexibility:  I believe I am extremely flexible with my body, mind and spirit.  I practice relaxation techniques and yoga.  I’m also a dancer, which helps with body flexibility.  But mind and spirit flexibility come from trust and openness and the ability to believe that you can do more than you think you can.

Spatial Awareness:  I am completely comfortable with space externally and internally.  I do believe that I can arrange my body in a way that feels safe, appropriate and conscious to me.  I am not afraid to use the space around me and inside me to create what I want.  I am not afraid to make choices with others and with objects and have no problem sharing those choices.

Sensitivity: I feel that I have a great intuitive self and can quickly make decisions on when to be close or back off.  I listen to the sounds around me and I also read others faces and body language for indications that I might need to make a change.

Openness and Availability:  I love when others give me new ideas.  I like to people watch and get many ideas from that.  I am open to other points of view and have no problem letting them share their ideas.  I usually don’t believe that there is a wrong or right way in movement, we are all just different.

Engagement and Follow Through:  I am fully engaged with any activity and will take risks and allow others to take risks as well.  Theatre should always be a safe place for us to try new things.  I will always commit to an activity and see it through. 

Creative Problem Solving and Imagination:  When a problem arises, I am usually able to create a new movement or change the way I am doing something.  If I struggle with it, I will do research and that will help me to create new ways of moving my body.

Creative Play: I loved class last week.  Learning about the different planes was so interesting to me and I have no problem experimenting with different movements and also encouraging others to do the same.

Spontaneity: Most of the time I react freely but sometimes I do get stuck in the same movements and shapes with my body.  I think Dance has helped me with freeing my body but sometimes-old habits are hard to break.

Adventurousness and Daring:   I have no problem moving where I need to.  I am not afraid to share with others or do what I need to do.  Sometimes I even dance while I’m walking to class or in the grocery store.  My kids get embarrassed by I don’t.

Expressiveness: Once again, I think dance really helps with expressive movement.  Being able to express your feelings in how you move or relate to others can be very helpful in acting and in human contact.  I am extremely expressive in movement and most of the time people can tell how I’m feeling without even talking to me, just based on my body language.

Musicality and Rhythm:  My rhythm is habitually quick.  I move fast, but I can change it based on need.  I have no problem adapting my rhythm with pulses, phrasing and tempos.

Tension and Release: I typically hold tension in my neck and shoulders, however, I have been consciously working on this and it has been helping.  I used to get headaches based on this tension but since I’ve been conscious of it, and trying to keep my upper body more relaxed, I haven’t been having headaches.  I think in all movement we must make a conscious effort to be relaxed, even when dancing.

Breath:  My breath is very low and my breathing rarely troubles me.  I imagine breathing into certain muscles and body parts when I feel them tense or start to hurt.  That really works well.  I don’t feel that my breath negatively affects the way I move.

Application:  Knowing my body and the way I move is extremely important in my personal and professional life.  Body language is a real thing and being able to cover how you’re feeling from others is sometimes necessary.  It’s also important to be able to share and not cover that body language as well.  Movement is so important in performance because it’s what differs between a good actor and a great actor.  Great actors use their entire body and you can feel how they feel just based on their movements.  Sometimes we don’t have spoken language to share our feelings and we must use our bodies.  Being able to be flexible with your movement and try new things is also important in performance.  It’s as important as experimenting vocally with a character.  I think sometimes actors forget that their body is also a way to channel that character.

Maximus's Movement Questions

CREATIVE MOVmfENT

Questions to Consider

            Range of Movemenc What is range in movement, physical, emoüonal, and mental? Is it limited by personal image, fear, physical or energistic blockage or ignorance? What are ways of moving or "being" that allow for greater diversity and availability? – Range is limited by all negativity that one lets in to their energy; however it is stretched immensely when one lets go of fear and blockage in their life. Movement that is relaxed, but focused is good. One needs to “be” centered and channeling their energy in the correct way.

            Seeing Others: What does movement feel like and look like in others? Where is the movement free; where is it not being allowed to have full expression? Which words, exercises, or activities in.hibit and which free the physical and nonphysical systems? Is the pain necessarily where the problem is? – People control their movement more closely when they know someone is watching, if they are not fully relaxed. After becoming comfortable with the situation, or with the people one is around then they begin to move more freely. Meditation and/or yoga are good for inhibiting freedom and comfortability.

            Relating to Others: How can I move in a way that affects others constructively? How can we "meet"? What ways of moving produce distance? What ways of moving produce communication? –Moving with precision and strong intention allow messages of the mover to be communicated better. Quick/fast/broad movements create distance.

           

Body Awareness: Which parts of my body do I feel familiar with? Which parts are unknown, uncomfortable, less expressive, particularly alive or vital? How does body awareness and movement relate to awareness of feeling, emoüons and intentions? – I feel as if I understand my body. I am ready to use this understanding in order to learn my most expressive features. Understanding body movement in relation to emotion, intention, etc, is to understand the natural flow of human nature. We cannot be truly authentic to human life without using all mediums of expression which we are given.

            Flexibility: To what extent am I flexible in body, mind and spirit? My body is decently flexible, my mind and spirit are immensely flexible.

            Spatial Awareness: Am I comfortable %ith space externally and internally? Am I able to arrange my body in space in a nay that feels safe, appropriate, conscious? Am I able to make choices väth objecs and other people's bodies and feelings üat are spatially aware? – I feel an acute sense of the people and objects around me in life and when I am focused on stage. I feel safe when close to edges or fellow actors. There are times when another actor can take things too far and create an unsafe environment for the others. I do my best to not be “that guy.”

             Can I feel when to move, stop, wait, act, go fast, go slow, apply pressure, back off? – I feel and recognize these instincts within my body, acting on them is much more difficult and I cannot yet keep it consistent.

             Am I able to be open to unexpected possibilities, unknown territory, new ideas, other points of view and other ways of being and to allow my movement to express many options? – Most definitely!

            Engagement and Follow Through: Am I fully present with self, other, and the activity at hand? Will I stay with an activity and commit to a rightful and complete resolution? --     I am very engaged when I understand my character’s intentions in the scene. Putting my focus into reading the movement and intention of the other in the scene helps to keep me engaged as well

Creative Problem Solving and Imagination: Do I see my many movement options and possibilities in the face of problems? Am I able to use my body and mind in new ways and old ways with tie greatest efficiency possible considering the task at hand? -- When in the moment I am not great at considering my movement options.

·       Am I able to have fun moving and investigating who I am, who others are, and how relate to each other? -- Most definitely able to have fun.

             Am I locked in categorical habit patterns of movement or am I able to react freely? -- I feel that I am moving away from being locked in to habits, but old habits do die hard.

            Adventurousness and Daring: Can I go where I need to go to find what I need to find and do what has to be done, or am I afraid to move in directions that are appropriate?-- I believe I am able to go where I need to go to do the things I need to do.

            Expressiveness: Am I able to clearly and appropriately express in movement my feelings, philosophy, and inner creative forces? Does my movement speak of who I am? -- Not clearly, yet. I also feel that my movement does speak of who I am because I am still moving towards being clear of who I am.

            Musicality and Rhythm: What is my rhythm habitually? Can I adapt to other pulses, phrasings, tempos? I feel that I am good at adapting to other rhythms, however my natural rhythm is a quick/fast one.

            Tension and Release: Am I holding? Am I letting go? Where am I too tight or too loose to move with integrity and clarity? How do I let go or be more precise? -- I am much too tight in my shoulders, neck, lower back, and abdomen. I need to come up with a routine of stretching every day and meditating in order to focus on the release and balance of my instrument.

            Breath Am I breathing in a manner that is free and allows motion of energy, feeling, and body? How does the way I affect the way I move and the I move affect the way I breathe? -- I am very close to breathing strictly into the lower part of my body. My breath sometimes likes to escape into the upper part of my body rather than staying low and expanding into the diaphragm. My breath is becoming a tool of focus for me, so I feel that it is starting to move along with my actions.

— Application: How is what I or learn about my own body and my way of moving relevant and/or useful to my professional and personal life? How does investigating movement apply specifically and generally to the art and craft of performance and to my way of practicing it? -- Without movement one cannot stay true to life and create a full character. What I learn will be directly applicable to my professional life as well as helping me to be more whole in my personal life. I have been so focused on the development of my vocal instrument that I have not been able to explore movement deeper than what I naturally have.

We're Back (and better than ever)!

The evolution of Stage Movement...

Welcome to Stage Movement, 2017! I am ecstatic to see a chock-full class full of people, and am looking forward to meeting and working with each of you! Exclamation points!!!

Don't forget to set yourself up as an AUTHOR on this blog, so's you can post whenever you need to (we'll set that up in class Day One). I'll see you all on Friday!

~Prof. Jenn