Wow! Applying receiving in specific ways has such incredible results.
First I attempted to receive EVERYTHING at once. It was incredibly overwhelming, sickening really. I lost balance, the ability to see clearly, sounds became hollow and incoherent and yet full and overbearing. It was a field day of polarities that through my entire being off.
Singling my receiving down to a pinpoint on an object had interesting results as well. It was as if my whole world was this thing. At first it was comforting but then I began to experience anxiety and even anger, "are you lying to me?" "do you even care about me?"
Receiving only negative was extremely powerful. Practicing this while opening mail made for an incredible experience. Every word, the way the envelope resisted being opened, the very feeling of the paper, the information they were disclosing--EVERYTHING WAS TERRIBLE. Such intense feelings of frustration, anger, rage... they were immediate and full and I didn't have to try to experience them; I just was.
I ended on a positive note: receiving everything as positive. This made opening the rest of the mail fun and light hearted. Even though some of the information in the gas bill was disconcerting (how are we spending more money on gas at a house in which no one is currently living and no appliances are turned on), my reception of the information as positive transformed this into important information that we wouldn't otherwise know. "We might need to keep an eye on it, the gas bill could be alerting us to problems with our gas line. How wonderful and thoughtful!!!"
Friday, August 15, 2014
POA Receiving (Morning)
This morning as I was driving back home from dropping Haley off at work I was seeking structures that represent Flying, but nothing was satisfying. Suddenly, when I entered my neighborhood I saw a wonderful Moonflower plant with all it's buds open to the morning air and thought, "what a beautiful representation of Receiving." So, I take that as a sign that today is not supposed to be about Flying and will instead focus on the tool, Receiving.
Ideas to play with:
Being so open to everything that it's overwhelming.
Being incredibly focused on a singular point and Receiving only from it.
Only being able to Receive negative (or positive) things.
Ideas to play with:
Being so open to everything that it's overwhelming.
Being incredibly focused on a singular point and Receiving only from it.
Only being able to Receive negative (or positive) things.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Floating POA (Evening)
I returned to Floating this evening, starting off with the idea of a rage so intense that it bursts into bright clarity, but this quickly morphed into a large cat stalking prey. This struck me as very interesting because at first glance I would put a hunting cats slow controlled movements in the molding realm, but the realization that the cat is weightless, moving without the slightest bit of resistance, opened a whole new world of possibility. Suddenly the lack of physical effort allowed for the most acute concentration on the prey. All of my being went out to the object as I moved so incredibly slowly and fluidly. Never have I found it easier to move at such a slow tempo.
I morphed this into floating through a mental fog and found what it must be like to be highly sedated. Images flicker into view, ideas float by and disappear, but it's otherwise a vacuous existence on the mental plane. This floating thought slowed my body, as if forgotten; movements were sparse and meaningless.
I experimented further by applying the tool to the task of picking up the house and found that floating and flowing were combining. Trying to remove them from each other proved difficult, when concentrating on separating the two it became confusing--was a floating or flowing? do the two have similar qualities? What I decided is that perhaps I wasn't combining them, that the feeling of flowing can come in to play while floating. Imagine a feather floating through the air. An object moves by it, disrupting the air around it and the feather flows along the new current. It's still weightless, it still moves without hinderance, it's just effected by the external forces that come in contact with it.
I morphed this into floating through a mental fog and found what it must be like to be highly sedated. Images flicker into view, ideas float by and disappear, but it's otherwise a vacuous existence on the mental plane. This floating thought slowed my body, as if forgotten; movements were sparse and meaningless.
I experimented further by applying the tool to the task of picking up the house and found that floating and flowing were combining. Trying to remove them from each other proved difficult, when concentrating on separating the two it became confusing--was a floating or flowing? do the two have similar qualities? What I decided is that perhaps I wasn't combining them, that the feeling of flowing can come in to play while floating. Imagine a feather floating through the air. An object moves by it, disrupting the air around it and the feather flows along the new current. It's still weightless, it still moves without hinderance, it's just effected by the external forces that come in contact with it.
Floating POA (Morning)
This morning I was inspired to explore the tool of floating. While standing in a coffee shop I gazed about, taking in random images, until I settled on a woman's steaming breakfast. The fine mist rose into the air effortlessly, it moved without hinderance in any direction it pleased. For a few moments I watched the beauty of the movement and then adopted my interpretation of the sensation of that quality: floating.
I pondered the question, "Does floating necessarily have to be flowing?" My answer, "Why put a boundary on anything?"
In my practice I allowed the floating tool to move throughout my body, experimenting with different centers to awaken my still groggy limbs. It was interesting to note the difference of feeling when floating emanated from the eyes vs the toes. The same general spirit of the tool existed (unhindered movement in any direction) but when in the eyes it seemed to effect the thoughts more directly, and when in the toes it was more directly tied to the will. Not to say that the will wasn't effected when the tool was in the eyes (or vice versa), simply that the strength of the tool--it's dominance--was more influential when deposited close to the thinking center or willing center.
Walking out of the coffee shop, I addressed my initial conception that floating as an expanded movement by taking on a more contracted form. This did not diminish the effects of floating, rather it seemed to direct the power of the tool vertically rather than in a general sphere. This made me feel thin and tall; it also altered my gate.
The vocal quality of floating was unique, too. Not singsongy per-say... more free to move in any direction on the scale of the voice. Thoughts and feelings seemed weightless; direct or curving depending on the demands of the moment, but always easy, unhindered.
I liked how the floating made me feel emotionally--light, at ease, happy--but this afternoon I fully intend on exploring how floating could exist within a less peaceful feeling. For instance, the moment of complete rage where everything slows down, becomes clear. Or the feeling of extreme envy, when time seems to stop and all you have are your brooding thoughts of "how unfair" and "it should be mine" and "why not me?"
I pondered the question, "Does floating necessarily have to be flowing?" My answer, "Why put a boundary on anything?"
In my practice I allowed the floating tool to move throughout my body, experimenting with different centers to awaken my still groggy limbs. It was interesting to note the difference of feeling when floating emanated from the eyes vs the toes. The same general spirit of the tool existed (unhindered movement in any direction) but when in the eyes it seemed to effect the thoughts more directly, and when in the toes it was more directly tied to the will. Not to say that the will wasn't effected when the tool was in the eyes (or vice versa), simply that the strength of the tool--it's dominance--was more influential when deposited close to the thinking center or willing center.
Walking out of the coffee shop, I addressed my initial conception that floating as an expanded movement by taking on a more contracted form. This did not diminish the effects of floating, rather it seemed to direct the power of the tool vertically rather than in a general sphere. This made me feel thin and tall; it also altered my gate.
The vocal quality of floating was unique, too. Not singsongy per-say... more free to move in any direction on the scale of the voice. Thoughts and feelings seemed weightless; direct or curving depending on the demands of the moment, but always easy, unhindered.
I liked how the floating made me feel emotionally--light, at ease, happy--but this afternoon I fully intend on exploring how floating could exist within a less peaceful feeling. For instance, the moment of complete rage where everything slows down, becomes clear. Or the feeling of extreme envy, when time seems to stop and all you have are your brooding thoughts of "how unfair" and "it should be mine" and "why not me?"
Saturday, February 22, 2014
AG: Imagination is INFINITELY MORE IMPORTANT than Physical Form
My greatest realization: the importance of focusing on the image of the energy body.
When first introduced to AGs, I assumed that the greatest inspiration would come from the physical action performed when exploring/using AGs. 8 years later I finally grasp what I think is the most important way to use these tools: allowing the actor to step aside and give over to the image.
Too much focus on the physical body creates a disconnect with the imagination and can result in tension which blocks the energy pathways. Focus on the physical body means the actor is using the tool to experience rather than experiencing the effects of the tool. This is an important distinction because it completely alters the foundation of the tool and all subsequent explorations in acting. It is the difference between dictatorship and freedom.
I am now of the opinion that the mind-body connection will be most effective if the actor employs a neutral attitude toward the body's action and focuses more on the imagination. The imagination allows the actor to experience the energy body which will then inform the actor's body. Giving over to the imagination will allow the actor to experience a higher state of creativity where the analytic mind is absent and he no longer attempts to govern the actions of the body.
This realization fundamentally changes my experience of the Chekhov Technique. I think it is of paramount importance that this concept of giving over the actor body to the imagination be firmly established at the beginning of any actor training. Too long have I tried to govern the tools rather than allowing them to work for me. Yes, the tools still have power when the actor directs their use, but it is no where near the power of experiencing the tool through imagination. All you have to do is focus on the image and you will experience a level of freedom better described as Inspired Acting.
This is not to say that one should neglect the physical body. No, this is simply a shift in focus. The body will be informed by the imagination, it will continue to develop but from a creative state rather than an analytic one.
When first introduced to AGs, I assumed that the greatest inspiration would come from the physical action performed when exploring/using AGs. 8 years later I finally grasp what I think is the most important way to use these tools: allowing the actor to step aside and give over to the image.
Too much focus on the physical body creates a disconnect with the imagination and can result in tension which blocks the energy pathways. Focus on the physical body means the actor is using the tool to experience rather than experiencing the effects of the tool. This is an important distinction because it completely alters the foundation of the tool and all subsequent explorations in acting. It is the difference between dictatorship and freedom.
I am now of the opinion that the mind-body connection will be most effective if the actor employs a neutral attitude toward the body's action and focuses more on the imagination. The imagination allows the actor to experience the energy body which will then inform the actor's body. Giving over to the imagination will allow the actor to experience a higher state of creativity where the analytic mind is absent and he no longer attempts to govern the actions of the body.
This realization fundamentally changes my experience of the Chekhov Technique. I think it is of paramount importance that this concept of giving over the actor body to the imagination be firmly established at the beginning of any actor training. Too long have I tried to govern the tools rather than allowing them to work for me. Yes, the tools still have power when the actor directs their use, but it is no where near the power of experiencing the tool through imagination. All you have to do is focus on the image and you will experience a level of freedom better described as Inspired Acting.
This is not to say that one should neglect the physical body. No, this is simply a shift in focus. The body will be informed by the imagination, it will continue to develop but from a creative state rather than an analytic one.
Teaching Archetypal Gesture: preparing an exploration
I've been on hiatus the last several days, but am excited to be diving back in to the wonderful world of creativity today!
In a few days I'll be leading a 20 minute exploration of Archetypal Gestures for some friends of mine and I'd love to spend the time leading up to the session exploring all of the options for sharing this great tool.
I think the most important thing is how a tool is introduced. If the participants can experience the tool before it's even explained to them the great power of "knowing" frees them from trying to analytically grasp the tool's existence and function.
When I first experience AG with Lisa Dalton in our Chekhov class at TCU, she divided the class in two groups and gave each group separate instructions on an improv game we would play together.
Standing on opposite sides of the room were "children" and "parents," both groups were told there was a busy street passing between them and that stepping into it would result in death. The scenario was the first day of school and (even more important) the first bus trip the children would make without their parents. The bus was on the same side of the street as the children and it was the parents job to urger their children to get on the bus before it left. The children were instructed to disobey their parents by any means they saw fit, short of actually stepping in traffic.
The improv itself was a lot of fun, charging the class with a sense of creativity and unity.
What we discussed afterward was incredibly revealing. Unbeknownst to us, each group was using AGs to communicate with one another. Parents were frequently attempting to Push their children toward the bus or Pull at them to pay attention or Smash when they were frustrated, etc. Same with the children, all employing AGs subconsciously to achieve their goal of not getting on the bus.
Seeing that these gestures were already a part of our everyday human interactions automatically removed at least some of the apprehension that we could fail at performing a gesture. We were comforted by the understanding that we inherently knew these gestures, and that they were readily available to us.
I think this approach to introduction is invaluable, so I will absolutely use this teaching tool to introduce AG.
My concern, however, is mostly with the lead-in to discussing and exploring AG--I feel that a general understanding of the the Chekhov Technique's philosophy is necessary to better grasp the spirit of these tools and the technique as a whole. An overview of psycho-physical acting, the energy body, the role of creativity and the importance of a sense of play, what tools are, inspired acting, etc. So, in this post I hope to explore the many faculties I could discuss and to narrow them down so that I reach those most effective for teaching AG without spending a ton of time just lecturing.
It will be good to open with the ball toss. This helps to establish the body-mind connection while introducing PASS (the foundation for working with AG) and the mantra "it's perfect" (an invitation to relieve the actor of preconceived notions of success).
Following this, a brief discussion of Chekhov's vision for art, the concept of psycho-physical acting, and why developing the mind-body connection is essential for the creative artist.
I will be co-teaching this exploration with yoga instructor, Michael Newman. Michael and I feel that it would be interesting to explore the use of yoga as a means to warm up the actors body, focusing the poses and instruction in such a way as to bring awareness to the energy centers of the body which will be most used with the Chekhov tools we'll explore on that day. Being that AGs are used to ignite the actor's Will Force, after the ball toss and brief introduction to Chekhov and psycho-physical acting, Michael will lead us in a yoga warm-up focused on grounding the actors in their feet, legs and hips (the Will center).
Following this invigorating, grounding exercise I think we'll jump right in to the School Bus improv. For the sake of time, this should last about 3-5 minutes. Then we'll discuss what happened, but how?
Leading questions are the best to help the participants discover, but would that take up too much time? I need to be able to discuss what they experienced and introduce AGs along with how to perform them in the next 5-10 minutes. The essentials components of AG are PASS, TPT, and the Energy Body. Maybe I can combine explanations of AG with exercises...
I think it would be good to introduce AG with Push. Being one of the most universal and (in my opinion) easiest to perform, it will allow the participants to jump right in to the use of an AG while keeping in mind PASS and TPT. I can demonstrate how to perform Push using PASS/TPT and then get volunteers to perform the next exercise: the physical realization of the Energy Body while performing Push. This exercise has actors perform an AG as part of a group: one person plays the part of the actor performing a completely unveiled Push, while the others act as the Energy Body Pushing through the space.
Maybe this would be a good time to introduce Veiling as well. After we see a fully unveiled group Push I can discuss the use of Veiling, show an example, and then ask the person presenting the actor to Veil their Push, but have the Energy Body still perform the complete movement.
Then we can break off and each actor can practice Push on their own. I can walk around the room and address areas of PASS that need more attention, use of the full body, etc. I can also invite the actors to add dialogue to experience how use of an AG informs the voice.
Looking over all that's here, I see a lot of opportunity, but I'm also concerned there isn't enough time. I want the participants to get the most out of this experience, to walk away feeling like they have added something new to their understanding of their actor bodies and how they can inform them with certain exercises. I see a lot of missing information, too. An entire meeting could be spent on the ball-toss, PASS and TPT alone.
At this time I think it would be wise to step away from these thoughts and allow my subconscious to do some work for me. In the mean time I'll play with the AGs to further inform the Higher Ego of my purpose and invigorate my personal understanding.
----- After some practice and an epiphany ----
Okay, if you view this post you'll see I've had a breakthrough that fundamentally changes my approach to Chekhov and I think it will greatly inform how I should lead the exploration of AG.
First, when giving introduction to Chekhov and the psycho-physical connection we hope to strengthen through the inclusion of Yoga, I'll talk about the problem many actors face when approaching a role--the fear based reaction to control and direct the character which blocks the ultimate goal of transformation and inspired acting. I'll talk about how Chekhov's goal was to help the actor to step outside of himself and his experiences and allow the spirit of creativity to inform his physical body and mind. The job of the actor from this moment on is not to act, but to give over control to the power of the imagination. I'll introduce the concept of the Energy Body as the conduit through which the actor experiences the moment, other characters, the atmosphere of the setting, and the unseen, yet tangible connection to the audience.
Perhaps an exercise where the participants stand and imagine their Energy Body would be beneficial here...
Leading in to the yoga practice, I'll encourage the participants to let go of any desire for their physical body to perfect any given pose, and to instead visualize where the energy is flowing in their bodies and to imagine the Energy Body performing the poses in perfect form.
In a few days I'll be leading a 20 minute exploration of Archetypal Gestures for some friends of mine and I'd love to spend the time leading up to the session exploring all of the options for sharing this great tool.
I think the most important thing is how a tool is introduced. If the participants can experience the tool before it's even explained to them the great power of "knowing" frees them from trying to analytically grasp the tool's existence and function.
When I first experience AG with Lisa Dalton in our Chekhov class at TCU, she divided the class in two groups and gave each group separate instructions on an improv game we would play together.
Standing on opposite sides of the room were "children" and "parents," both groups were told there was a busy street passing between them and that stepping into it would result in death. The scenario was the first day of school and (even more important) the first bus trip the children would make without their parents. The bus was on the same side of the street as the children and it was the parents job to urger their children to get on the bus before it left. The children were instructed to disobey their parents by any means they saw fit, short of actually stepping in traffic.
The improv itself was a lot of fun, charging the class with a sense of creativity and unity.
What we discussed afterward was incredibly revealing. Unbeknownst to us, each group was using AGs to communicate with one another. Parents were frequently attempting to Push their children toward the bus or Pull at them to pay attention or Smash when they were frustrated, etc. Same with the children, all employing AGs subconsciously to achieve their goal of not getting on the bus.
Seeing that these gestures were already a part of our everyday human interactions automatically removed at least some of the apprehension that we could fail at performing a gesture. We were comforted by the understanding that we inherently knew these gestures, and that they were readily available to us.
I think this approach to introduction is invaluable, so I will absolutely use this teaching tool to introduce AG.
My concern, however, is mostly with the lead-in to discussing and exploring AG--I feel that a general understanding of the the Chekhov Technique's philosophy is necessary to better grasp the spirit of these tools and the technique as a whole. An overview of psycho-physical acting, the energy body, the role of creativity and the importance of a sense of play, what tools are, inspired acting, etc. So, in this post I hope to explore the many faculties I could discuss and to narrow them down so that I reach those most effective for teaching AG without spending a ton of time just lecturing.
It will be good to open with the ball toss. This helps to establish the body-mind connection while introducing PASS (the foundation for working with AG) and the mantra "it's perfect" (an invitation to relieve the actor of preconceived notions of success).
Following this, a brief discussion of Chekhov's vision for art, the concept of psycho-physical acting, and why developing the mind-body connection is essential for the creative artist.
I will be co-teaching this exploration with yoga instructor, Michael Newman. Michael and I feel that it would be interesting to explore the use of yoga as a means to warm up the actors body, focusing the poses and instruction in such a way as to bring awareness to the energy centers of the body which will be most used with the Chekhov tools we'll explore on that day. Being that AGs are used to ignite the actor's Will Force, after the ball toss and brief introduction to Chekhov and psycho-physical acting, Michael will lead us in a yoga warm-up focused on grounding the actors in their feet, legs and hips (the Will center).
Following this invigorating, grounding exercise I think we'll jump right in to the School Bus improv. For the sake of time, this should last about 3-5 minutes. Then we'll discuss what happened, but how?
Leading questions are the best to help the participants discover, but would that take up too much time? I need to be able to discuss what they experienced and introduce AGs along with how to perform them in the next 5-10 minutes. The essentials components of AG are PASS, TPT, and the Energy Body. Maybe I can combine explanations of AG with exercises...
I think it would be good to introduce AG with Push. Being one of the most universal and (in my opinion) easiest to perform, it will allow the participants to jump right in to the use of an AG while keeping in mind PASS and TPT. I can demonstrate how to perform Push using PASS/TPT and then get volunteers to perform the next exercise: the physical realization of the Energy Body while performing Push. This exercise has actors perform an AG as part of a group: one person plays the part of the actor performing a completely unveiled Push, while the others act as the Energy Body Pushing through the space.
Maybe this would be a good time to introduce Veiling as well. After we see a fully unveiled group Push I can discuss the use of Veiling, show an example, and then ask the person presenting the actor to Veil their Push, but have the Energy Body still perform the complete movement.
Then we can break off and each actor can practice Push on their own. I can walk around the room and address areas of PASS that need more attention, use of the full body, etc. I can also invite the actors to add dialogue to experience how use of an AG informs the voice.
Looking over all that's here, I see a lot of opportunity, but I'm also concerned there isn't enough time. I want the participants to get the most out of this experience, to walk away feeling like they have added something new to their understanding of their actor bodies and how they can inform them with certain exercises. I see a lot of missing information, too. An entire meeting could be spent on the ball-toss, PASS and TPT alone.
At this time I think it would be wise to step away from these thoughts and allow my subconscious to do some work for me. In the mean time I'll play with the AGs to further inform the Higher Ego of my purpose and invigorate my personal understanding.
----- After some practice and an epiphany ----
Okay, if you view this post you'll see I've had a breakthrough that fundamentally changes my approach to Chekhov and I think it will greatly inform how I should lead the exploration of AG.
First, when giving introduction to Chekhov and the psycho-physical connection we hope to strengthen through the inclusion of Yoga, I'll talk about the problem many actors face when approaching a role--the fear based reaction to control and direct the character which blocks the ultimate goal of transformation and inspired acting. I'll talk about how Chekhov's goal was to help the actor to step outside of himself and his experiences and allow the spirit of creativity to inform his physical body and mind. The job of the actor from this moment on is not to act, but to give over control to the power of the imagination. I'll introduce the concept of the Energy Body as the conduit through which the actor experiences the moment, other characters, the atmosphere of the setting, and the unseen, yet tangible connection to the audience.
Perhaps an exercise where the participants stand and imagine their Energy Body would be beneficial here...
Leading in to the yoga practice, I'll encourage the participants to let go of any desire for their physical body to perfect any given pose, and to instead visualize where the energy is flowing in their bodies and to imagine the Energy Body performing the poses in perfect form.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Lesson's from watching a play
Sunday afternoon I saw Carson Lake, an adaptation of Euripides' Hyppolytus.
What struck me most about the performance was the embodiment of my actor habits played out before me. It was very apparent that the actors had prepared diligently, that they were pouring themselves into the work, that they were striving to feel and experience the moments, and that they were struggling against themselves to do it. They were trying to show us what was happening in the play--something that I for the longest time believed was my job to do. Actors act, right? They lead the audience through the plot and come out on the other side with them.
No. Well, they shouldn't anyway.
For the last several weeks I've been working against this desire to "show" what I'm thinking, feeling, experiencing, what's important, what people should take away from watching this production; the audience does not require me to do this, in fact, it hinders them from experiencing the story and the characters in it. Would you absorb a novel being read to you if the person reading it was constantly bumping you with the book, prodding you to see if you were paying attention or to emphasize passages? No, it's more likely you'd be distracted by the efforts of the reader. That's what "showing" does in acting; it assumes the audience can't experience for themselves and takes away the opportunity for them to be enveloped in the world of the play/movie/etc.
But how do we do this? How do I let go of the moment and trust that it will come out in a way that reaches the audience?
The truth is I don't know, and that's scary... but it's also exciting.
Tonight we step in to rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream and my greatest ambition is to leave the fear behind, to allow the character to come forward, to live in the moment, and to forget any notion of needing people to see or hear what's happening in the moment.
Wish me luck!
What struck me most about the performance was the embodiment of my actor habits played out before me. It was very apparent that the actors had prepared diligently, that they were pouring themselves into the work, that they were striving to feel and experience the moments, and that they were struggling against themselves to do it. They were trying to show us what was happening in the play--something that I for the longest time believed was my job to do. Actors act, right? They lead the audience through the plot and come out on the other side with them.
No. Well, they shouldn't anyway.
For the last several weeks I've been working against this desire to "show" what I'm thinking, feeling, experiencing, what's important, what people should take away from watching this production; the audience does not require me to do this, in fact, it hinders them from experiencing the story and the characters in it. Would you absorb a novel being read to you if the person reading it was constantly bumping you with the book, prodding you to see if you were paying attention or to emphasize passages? No, it's more likely you'd be distracted by the efforts of the reader. That's what "showing" does in acting; it assumes the audience can't experience for themselves and takes away the opportunity for them to be enveloped in the world of the play/movie/etc.
But how do we do this? How do I let go of the moment and trust that it will come out in a way that reaches the audience?
The truth is I don't know, and that's scary... but it's also exciting.
Tonight we step in to rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream and my greatest ambition is to leave the fear behind, to allow the character to come forward, to live in the moment, and to forget any notion of needing people to see or hear what's happening in the moment.
Wish me luck!
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