The Friday Review

Movement was great, we started with a game of handball that seemed to turn into rugby at points, the lions versus the tigers and it was great fun. Another veiled lesson to teach us about teamwork, complicity, eye~contact, impulse and fun.
It's always interesting doing this type of work with students back at Clown Lab H.Q.
You have to wonder if they see it as just a warm up or whether they see it as a vital part of the work.
The movement teachers here aren't explicit about the daily lessons, no aims and objectives that are the blight of academic education no, the lessons are seemingly absorbed by osmosis in the hope that they become an instinctive part of the performers nature and they are always looking for the game, where is it? Who will play with me?? Ah yes they look like they have fun in their eyes, how can we play together?
For the fun.
Everything for the fun.
On thursday we sucked and blew one another, yes it does sound a bit pervy but then that was Loridana's amusing terminology. We tested the sensitivity between us, I blow on my partners shoulder, they respond taking that impulse and movig with it, blowing them like a leaf around the space.
Very helpful for neutral mask later in the day and excellent for responding to a given impulse, the sucking was the same but instead of being blown from your partner you were sucked towards them. All good fun.

Back to Friday, as the session progressed we started to move together and at times it was beautiful, reminding me how much my body likes to swim in space, kept buoyant by music and the contact with another human being.
We worked with several partners, my most fun was had with Katie, who had obviously consumed a lot of booze the night before and now the sweat was helping her get rid of it.
As she pointed out later there was a contrast between what we were doing physically which was light, playful and graceful and the fact that I was saying "fucking hell you reek like a brewery"
She did.
A very strong brewery.
On a hot humid day.
Loridanna came over and told us to focus more as we were laughing, we did and we found more risk between us. Its fun to take risks.
The session ended with a foot massage by that i mean we had to massage each other with our feet, Loridanna said that there is a lot of energy in the feet, she's right.

Neutral Mask
Today we looked again at water, the rhythm of a tsunami, as I was saying my text I could feel my voice deep and harsh and I knew i was pushing but couldn't stop, actually thats a lie, I could have but i didn't want to.
When we finished Philippe said "Mak, you use too much force", shit i knew that, its the second or third time he's pulled me up for that, good that i notice it but how to do something about it?
Yazid is great with the tsunami, he's from Singapore, only a small guy but on stage he is massive, i can't quite explain it, he looks 3 times his everyday size and his voice is strong, powerful and heroic.
After the round of water we moved on to air as Philippe said we can't see air but we can see it in the smoke it moves or tha leaves it shifts on the ground.
So to air, I was enjoying myself, breathy little gasps escaping from my open mouth as i danced and flitted across along the floor, not bad I thought.
Philippe "Av any of you ever been to a chinese restaurant? you know the fish tank in the chinese restaurant and as you eat your meal you watch the big white fish with its mouth going (does a fish impression), you know what i mean, the fish, it puts you off your meal a bit with its (fish impression). Did Mak remind you of this fish the way his mouth was moving? oo shall I ask? Yazid!"

"I liked the movement but yes his mouth did remind me of the fish in a chinese restaurant"

Note to self; keep your mouth shut.

Sometimes my ego gets in the way, I realise its constantly assessing how I am doing, "yes this is going well, oh my god what are you doing, this is awful, oh yes philippe will think this is great, oh yes"
It rides a line between smug self satisfaction and paranoid Oh my god that was awfull~ness.
I need to kill it, gag it or learn to ignore it.
Its not helpful neither in life, stage nor the day to day.
Instead ride the pleasure, enjoy the ride and see what happens.