13D. Solo: Separate Sound, Movement and Language

• Now, let's work with this in solo. Everyone, find a place for yourself on the floor (it may be where you already are). You're not confined to that place. It's a place for you to begin from consciously. You are, of course, free to move throughout the room.

• You may either move, sound, or speak. In keeping with the day, you may only do one mode of expression at a time.

• Play with time and order, particularly. For example, you might shift rapidly from one mode to another. A sound could lead to language, then back into sound which, then, suggests to you a movement, which calls for another bit of language. Let movement, speech, and sound interact. One will lead to another, but they all work separately.

At first, this may seem like an extraordinarily awkward situation: dividing up expression into discreet parts and still trying to get a flow out of it. It feels self-contradicting. But with practice, it works. Just as moving water in a stream bounces off a rock to cascade down to a still pond to get mixed up in an eddy to whip out over a falls to tumble over some river pebbles to make a break for it through a narrow channel, even this peculiar behavior we are doing has an ongoing flow. Experience is going on and on, sometimes expressing through movement, sometimes sound, sometimes language. It's always moving water. It's always self-expressing. Content is going on and on, too. Sometimes expressed with gesture, sometimes sound, sometimes speech. The content doesn't begin anew each time the mode of expression changes. Rather, the modes of expression, each in turn, take the content one notch further. One mode calls the next, calling, wanting, asking for it.

Adherence to this strict separation of expressive modes forces the students to work differently. They are propelled into expanded awareness. Surprises happen. A small idea, image or story, may lift to become a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted narrative.

Switching modes while continuing the content flow changes the preconceived relationship between movement, sounds and words. Each element can depict an image differently. Each draws from different aspects of mind.

Continue practicing until you can smooth this out and it makes bodily sense to you. Then, we'll bring this technique back into relationship.

13E. Trios: Separate Sound, Movement and Language

• Everyone, find the partners that you worked with before, or just get into trios.

• Following our progression today, each of you may either move, sound or speak. Just as before, you may only do one at a time. Within these restraints, you collaborate to build a scene.

• At any time, you may be in the same mode or different modes. You may pause, be still and silent, whenever appropriate.

• Sometimes do what one, or both, of your partners is doing. Join them. Add bulk to the image. If a strong situation occurs, stay with it. Stay involved.

• Remember, you must be completely still when you are speaking or sounding.

Now, that's a lot to keep track of. Not only do you have to be a fluent sounder, mover and speaker, you have to keep the modes discreetly separate while, at the same time, building a scene with your partners.

You have to pay attention to everything they're doing while you're paying attention to everything you're doing.

Every action, no matter who makes it, enters and leaves the flow of others action and is an ordering of energy. If you don't get involved in ownership issues ("This is my action and that is yours"), but accept every contribution into the improvisation as "what is," then there's really very little difference between partnering and solo work. Either solo or with partner(s), you're part of the river participating in its flow.

Every time a student adds action into the scene, whether it be movement, sound or speech, they, of course, want the action to be noticed by their partners. So, their action must be noticeable. Their intention must interact with their awareness of what others are doing. They must gauge the scene and then make adjustments to make sure their input is receiv able and received. Contrast helps. Their action, even if it's a logical step in the progression of events, may have to be different from what's going on in rhythm, shape, space, or dynamic. Through contrast, they feel themselves in relation to the others. And the audience receives clear, sharp images. They also have to be able to tolerate the scrutiny and attention which will be the result of entering/interrupting others' work. The more they think of themselves as "an element" rather than "me, trying to get attention" the more they'll be able to enter smoothly.

Within the flow of an improvisation, situations and patterns always arise. Suppose a trio finds themselves in a two-and-one situation, or, suppose they're all doing the same thing, moving in the same way, or sounding the same motif, or developing a monologue collaboratively. As in previous exercises, they're encouraged to stay with situations, not as shallow experiences, but with full commitment, full belief. This commitment, this staying, will give the scene depth and take it beyond normalcy, beyond safety into impact. It will push everybody, the performers and the audience, into an altered reality.