16C. Ensemble: Walk/Run/"Ah"

• You'll do a sound and movement ensemble event. Here's how it goes. First, everyone find a place on the floor and stand in relation to one another. In this improvisation, you only have three movement choices: walk, run or stand still. That's all. Nothing fancy. Stay simple

• Here's where the sound comes in: your movement must always be accompanied with an "ah" sound. The "ah" sound corresponds energetically with the movement and lasts as long as the movement does. They happen simu faneously. So, if you're taking a short relaxed step, the accompanying "ah sound is the same short duration, and the same relaxed energy.

• You're playing off each other. You will acutely listen and watch each off ers' sounds and moves. Designing the spatial and choral patterns togethe Every sound and every movement you make is relevant to what's alread going on.

• Each "ah" sound you make starts and ends the same, on one pitch. Bi you can make it different. If, for instance, you're walking, each step ani breath may be a different pitch.

Pome examples of directorial comments:

Stop. Begin again. Too much is going on. Listen more.

Stop. Start over. Too much is going on. This is not the time for you to individually trip off into creativity. Remember, you're in an ensemble.

Stop. Begin again. Make sure you know how the "ah" tones you contribute clearly relate and fit into the whole sound.

Stop. Begin again. Sparsely this time. Allow for silence and stillness.

Stop. Begin again. You can't really have more than two rhythms going on. Not yet. Not until you've mastered listening skills more completely. Then, you'll be able to interweave many different rhythms. If you're "ah-ing" and others come in with a different pattern, either join them, adjust so that the patterns coexist (you should enjoy hearing them together) or stop. Allow yourself to be interrupted. And likewise, if there are patterns going on and you want to introduce a new pattern, know that it will either interrupt what is going on or will coexist with it. Of course, you may wait for an opportune moment, but, by then, you'll probably have a different impulse anyway. Don't hold on to any ideas. They're probably relevant only at the first moment of you have them.

Stop. Begin again. Clarify your spatial patterns. As with the sound, you may have to limit yourself to two or fewer patterns. Of course, those patterns will change. Your collective awareness will determine how many different patterns the improvisation may contain at any moment. You all need to know what the complete action and sound is at all times.

With all these warnings, a student might be afraid to make any kind of move, let alone crash through a safe, secure, neat and orderly improvisation, where everybody's joining, supporting, and listening. Safe, secure, neat and orderly improvisations may or may not cushion challenges, or even catastrophes. But it's always worth a try. Without catastrophes, what was safe, secure, neat, and orderly becomes too safe, secure, neat and orderly and threatens the liveliness of the improvisation.

Of course, the person who brings in a catastrophe (a primary shift of extraordinarily different content that grabs the focus of the scene) must discern the proper moment to make his mark. His action must fall into space with listening. Then, he's free to turn the improvisation around, shift it, stand by his action and relate to the consequences.