Lecoq: Des Elements

 This week is on fire!

Monday:

We walked and watched each other walk. Same thing we did in LEM actually. 10 steps to each step, go figure. I don't think I got them all. Here's an exercise if you're bored, go look at the world walk upside down. Guaranteed laughter.

In improvisation we did la mer. We first visualized the sea and watched it from afar, then slowly we begin to embody it. As we become, we find the waves, the currents, the undercurrents, the calm, and then we find ourselves as the sea that lands on the rocks and splashes high into the sky.

Agrandir. Eric keeps telling me, and I do know what he is talking about. It is difficult to push myself to exit this body, and consequently, la salle verte. With his words, though, I managed to push beyond my limits, exit my self-imposed rules and tap into water. Coaches are pretty useful. My breath flowed easier this time. Splashing on the intake, and retreating on the outtake. The rocks helped me with changes of directions, and the currents pulled me into turmoil and turns. There is a lot of visualisation in this work, and I could see the cliffs, the undercurrents, the path the water would go before barging against the battlements. Hanging suspended before the audience, like the waves that splash up, eternally. Oui, c'est ca. Quel mot arrive? Fuck was on the tip of my tongue, but for some reason it became offf, and then yes. Jie later said that my body contradicted the words. Pierre is a joy to watch as water. So is Mykola. He sees the situation before he does it. Visualisation is definitely a sportsman's forte.

We have to find our own limits and exit it. That's when it begins.

Autocour is more relaxing this week. We'll be 90% elements in a human situation. I'm working with all the people I like working with. Really looking forward to this.

In LEM, we moved plastic. It was the beginning of materials, and Yasuyo wanted to start with relaxed materials. In my 30 years of living, I can't say I've spent any day watching thrash bags move. I've generally enjoyed watching nature and people move more, less so man-made objects. This opened a whole new world of movement for me. Also, two of the more experienced girls in the class attempted puppetry with the bags, and it was exquisite. We had a dinosaur-like creature on all fours, and the lazy bumbling robot. Something about their relaxed quality of movement made them very endearing.

Tuesday:

How does wind breathe? How does it enter a room? And sits? How does fire enter? Sits, orders whiskey, and drinks it? How does the tree search for a key in a sack? I've discovered that fire 🔥 is extremely useful to break through my limit. Breathing really quickly and connecting my movements makes me feel that any imagination is possible. My tree 🌳 is too soft.

11 bodies in the space to explore water. Different kinds of natural water, then water in the house. Opposite to what we chose. Here a kettle, there a soup, then streams, cascades and the sea. Many people had crashed, either from post-hurricane (neutral mask) or from sickness. The class felt strangely empty, but also more joyful. We were done exploring serious shit. During improvisation, Sasha went up to do the sea, and couldn't keep a straight face. Someone else did a stream. After, some mud, or water on an aluminium foil. Water from a jug onto the floor. We worked on the source of the river, it leaves the source, reaches the river, traverses it, always going forward, skipping along the riverbanks, 3 people moving water with the space in between them, falling down a waterfall, finding a calm, before heading to a bigger river. What word arrives? Then 3 people were water in the toilet, being flushed to nowhere.

In Autocour we shuffled through different situations, but we eventually settled on the beach and volleyball. It's difficult to find a situation that's un-funny, since all the elements execute their moves with such different qualities. All that's left is to pick, and construct the piece.

Wednesday:

Nothing like surprise acrobatics to start the day! Acrobatics on a microdose is pretty sweet.

32 bodies in the salle verte being fires. We are losing people, but those that are left hold the space. We more than hold the space, we burn it!

We envision a fire in front of us, and slowly we embody it. First with the feet, then the knees, then the hips, then the rest of the body. How do we connect the breath to the explosive movements in and out? We have to go to the ground to rise up. Are there undulations? Quick one perhaps, or a quick few, but not one big one. Perhaps a slow undulation to a quick end? The voice comes, it frays. Marilena is able to scream really loudly, doesn't it hurt her?? Again, the voice, what word? Angry words. As the fire reaches its peak, we reduce it into the eyes, guarding the movement and the rhythm. It simmers, right beneath the surface, we're ready to explode at any moment. And we explode, and we contain it again. Eyes burning bright.

The fire arrives at le Gare, waiting for a loved one. Next, a lover. What's the difference? Perhaps we're worried about how we look? Where does my hand go, how does my hair look, how's my suit. We look at the time. Shit! Too late!!! React!! After, the fire prepares for a rendezvous with a lover. How does he dress? How does he clean up? How does he wear his shoes? Maybe a flourish here and there as he finishes his suit. Opens the space. Opening the closet with hands of flame. A spray of breath mint or perfume, and the fire rises. The fire reacts really quickly, and to everything that touches it. Anne's flame, when it rises, is immense.

The fires go to the rendezvous, and it's their first. One waits, and the other arrives. Barbara waited for me to arrive. I could see her flames dancing on the bench. Plus loin. When I arrived, it was a game of space between us, reacting to a touch, flames rising as one hand snuck around. Of course we played with the clichés. Bien. A compliment from Anne!! =O I'm getting it for today. Remi arrives with a fiery flourish, opening her body. Ivet is able to mix fire with all her womanly waiting positions. And Pierre.. Super hilarious with his face as he danced his way towards Morteza. He's not fully fire, but his mix and his timing was perfect for laughter.

In autocour, we fixed the beats in the beach volleyball. It's going to be awesome. And as I say that, I know Paola will destroy us. At least it's funny.

In LEM, we watched cardboards move in the space. Rigid but flexible. We threw it from the second floor and watch it float down, and then we crumbled it up and watched it open. Then we moved the crumpled form. Apparently using it as a mask is different from moving it in the space. Something something.

Thursday:

The scenarios have arrived! Today we did the waiter as wind, how proud and delicate is he. Then an event happens, for example, he spills tea on a person. The whirlwind arrives! Or the tempest? Or does he change into a breeze, blowing over everything? Now we're water, meeting someone we like. In my head, I'm a watery Mr. Bean, trying to impress the girls. Smooth water is the best water. It would be so cool to work as water or fire opposite girls; the personalities could be really amazing or really funny. After, we were water who hates. Now we're fire, showering, cooking, cleaning, drinking tea, when someone knocks on the door - and when we open the door, nobody's there. This was exactly the kind of theatre I came for. Anger til explosion. Now we were la terre, or tree, and the wind arrives to take our spot. How do we react to each other? How do we stand up, or sit down. How do we react to standing up and sitting down? The last scenario was basically one person having a heart attack, and 5 elements arriving and reacting to her. How does Earth or Fire do resuscitation? Wind flutters around aimlessly, perhaps water is calming, or perhaps water is a soup of mess. You are all too nice, explore human cruelty.

In improv, even funnier. We had 2 Winds setting a table, 2 Fires waiting for results of an audition, 2 Earths playing a sport in a stadium, 3 elements moving, and then 5 elements at a striptease party. Eric clearly knows how a striptease party works.

Autocour is short and sweet. And dare I say, genial? Everyone is fun to work with, the only barrier being language, and making sure everyone is clear what they need to do. I'm happy with this team. It's Mykola's last week before he goes back to Ukraine to struggle with visa issues. I hope he gets to come back. For now, though, we'll smash this autocour.

Friday:

How many moves does it take to be chased theatrically? As it turns out, 57. I won't pretend to know all 57, or even if I did, you should definitely figure it out for yourself.

We first disequilibrate, recovering our balance in 9 steps. A grand stance, and then a turnaround to look at our pursuer. He's right there! QUICK, a place to hide, where? Ah we'd just seen it, hurry! On to the back leg, like a Chaplin-cartoon-esque figure, and then a dash to the nook in the wall. The pursuer walks by, and we share our faces. Just as we begin to step forward, he looks back, and we hide again. That was close! He leaves, for real this time. We look opposite us, we can climb that for sure, and so on we go. Up, with a fixed point, a pull-up into a push-up, and then landing on the top. Then jumping down on the other road. Ah! We're done with the pursuer. A grand stance, and a dusting of our hands, perhaps our butt, we're pleased with ourselves. Wait! The pursuer is right behind us! Counter-time. Run!!

Autocour was funny. Everyone had too much element (it's 90%), and the professors wanted more human. I'm not a communications person, but if I wanted more human, I would've said 30%, not 10. But that's me. Some of the more memorable ones were the bowling situation, an acting situation with a director, and even a murder mystery. Pretty cool.

Time to go watch Tape Face!!