Hello Everyone!
Let's review our first session together. Please post your recollections of the work we did and insights gained.
As a reminder: For the next session, you will bring in a story to tell in which you will demonstrate the use of space, endowment of the "Story World," and effective composition of a Moment-of-Silence.
Greeting All,
ReplyDeleteRepeats, pauses, use of floor space, helping each other see from the audience's view.
He swings and punches the bully (pause: shake bruised hand), "That felt good." Pauses, variables in volume,use of floor space from back wall to center.
She is contemplating...when suddenly...a forceful tug of her arm...he saw the squirrel first.
Gotta run to class. more to come
Good examples
DeleteHe saw the squirrel first! This gets me right in the feels!
DeleteHello from Bangalore - it's cool outside, only 90 degrees today!
ReplyDeleteI am more or less recognized as a practitioner of exaggerated and even farcical movements and gestures. I have found this to work very well with high energy performances (which mine tend to be).
I found the idea and practice of the "micro-gestures' techniques to be fascinating, and which might be useful in expanding my command of other materials which might not be as successful at this time, as the over-the-top methods might actually detract from the transmission of the story.
This technique has not, until now, been the first thing to jump into my mind while creating the visual part of a story. I have been in situations, however, where it is necessary to use "reflected" motions (which hint at the existence of another object/subject rather than showing it) and I think this might be extremely useful in this process.
I remain with a major question: audience appropriateness. In our program, we spend a large amount of time in front of audiences of single-digit age; I think there must be something exaggerated if we are working with these people, especially in this mediated society where all is larger than life. I move a lot around the stage, and I wonder how they would respond to minimalist movements. Face expression could compensate if you're own close and personal, but not if you're up on a stage and far away.
Over-the-top voice???
Lots of variables!
But, as the Buddha said, "Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence."
CK
interesting ? Chuck... I have never told to children so I don't have any experience from which to draw but I do have a thought...it would be a challenge but perhaps a worthwhile endeavor to try and find just the right combination of word, voice and minimalist movement to illustrate for kids today that things don't have to be larger than life to capture their attention... that less can be more...like a said just a thought....
DeleteThanks Chuck. In re: young audiences and performance "size" I find that it is best to work in a flexible range when telling to youth: think of a balloon that can expand and contract. Generally, the smaller and more intimate the setting (a small classroom with 6yr olds for example) the smaller and more contained the storytelling at the onset. As the story develops, I can expand (move from seated to standing, soft to loud) to extend the listener further into the story. But to blast off at full volume and size risks intimidating or over-stimulating the listener.
DeleteChuck,
DeleteYou know working with kids is also not my professional focus, and I have found it so much more difficult than I thought to switch up my style to fit with their needs. The first few times I told to children I was like....what??? And then I became more comfortable, and now I think I'm not bad at it, and I'm certainly less scare of them than I used to be!
Greetings from Hamblen County. Below are some random thoughts from our first class. Please bear in mind I don't type well. Perhaps someday I will tell you the story behind that statement.
ReplyDeleteQuestions open the conversational dialogue...need to approach listeners with a question not with answers...lead them to the answer...performance looks to diminish the aesthetic distance between the teller and the listener... need to find a way to diminish the aesthetic distance between stories of faith and those that doe not identify with faith.... We are all changed by THIS moment... performance is the art of managing the experience of the listener....never thought of it that way... seems controlling....yet I do have a destination where I want the listener to go so it is beneficial to get them there...
only in academia do you find the expectation of acceptances to absolute, so matter of fact... put this group in any other environment and the dynamics of interaction would be so different...could be an interesting experiment...
reading cues is a challenge...need to upgrade my listening skills...more practice
story nugget.. how does environment affect relationships...college, work, church.. why are we so disconnected from those we once called friends...
feels odd to "perform"....so out of my element....hard to let go of the perception that there is a "right way"...yet exhilarating to open the endless box of possibility....challenging to consider what will best connect to the listener instead of what is most comfortable for me.....as a writer I have been very dependent upon words to paint the picture... a new experience to use movement, or lack of it, voice to set the stage...would be an interesting exercise to try and tell a story using minimal words... not mime but close...or to try to tell the same "story" using the same words but different movement and try to reach two opposing ends of a spectrum with the listener....
oh the exhilaration of being WWAAAYYY outside my comfort zone...but then I have developed a certain affinity for risk....in the words of Martin Luther.. Sin boldly!! must be willing to be the non-conformist....seems good to be challenged to see things differently...
homework should be fun....need to find just the right story...find a balance between demonstrating the "stage" manipulation and use of silence...have two in mind but one leans toward setting and the other toward silence... need to find the compromise....
Not sure what yo mean by "only in academia do you find the expectation of acceptances to absolute, so matter of fact..."
DeleteListening is sooooo hard! That's part of my job as a producer, and it's taken a long time to be able to do it successfully. And it's a skill that needs constant development.
Delete"Silence happens when it becomes impossible to speak" -Harold Pinter
ReplyDeleteThis quote from the end of the first class really hit home with me. It's those moments of silence during a performance that add depth to what one is attempting to say. Non-verbal communication is essential to effective storytelling.
Movement is very difficult for me. I have a tendency to stand in one place during my telling, which is a weakness. I feel very awkward when I am moving in a space while performing. I don't know why this is true, but I'm sure it has something to do with being bullied for being a weird kid growing up, but doesn't everything? I feel confident in what I have to say, and (mostly) in my voice, but physically moving freaks me out. I have a hard time not thinking about my movements the entire time I am moving, which doesn't aid the goal of successful storytelling! The movement exercises we did in class were hard for me, which is good. It's not that I want to care about what other people are doing, but I do. And how they think about how I perform is always on my mind. I guess this is why I am most comfortable behind a microphone. I am able to tell a story without having to use much of the physical space, and that is comforting to me.
The micro-movement work we did was very helpful for me. This helps me to understand how to use movement from behind a mic. I can develop techniques that build on my strengths. I have been told I have strong eye contact and a very expressive face. That is positive. Using micro-movements is something I look forward to continuing to learn more about and to develop as a part of my personal style.
I know movement is super important. And it scares me. And I know I need to work on it. But it's that moment of silence, that crucial dynamic to storytelling, that I hope to continue to develop into a powerful element to have in my toolbox.
I really enjoyed doing the breathing exercises, stretching, and tongue twisters for active exertion of creative/intellect connections.
ReplyDeleteBut, Wow,wow, the options for use of space from set design to mime and chair-based narrative to empty stage with mic in stand was eye-opening. There seem to be unending levels for creating and using space and framing emotional context depending on my audience, my focus, and intent.
One of the things I find beneficial in participating with familiar peers and mentor/instructor is that in knowing each others' work we can make connections such as Patti was able to do with stories I have told and what I'm developing now. I also enjoy observing and becoming familiar with each teller's styles of creation and presentation. This broadens my own experience and creative vision.
Thank you for:
Patti's notice to small significant details & connections
Charis' examples of dramatic, purposeful movements
Menahen's practicality and insightful observations
Joe's sensitivities and heart-felt comments
Tama's examples of tight story creation with meaning
David's well-trained eye and fun/productive experimental suggestions which build our physically creative experiences and expand our imaginative abilities
Thank YOU, Wenny, for sharing yourself and allowing yourself to grow so much over these last four semesters! It's been a joy to be a part of it.
DeleteTo be heard pay attention:
ReplyDeletePlosives - Articulation - ice cube words
Tongue Twister Stories:
Do you remember that big black bug
That bit the big black bear?
Then roaring, that big black bear
Bled bitter blood.
David talked about story prep while driving to a performance. Have you ever noticed the occupants of other vehicles and their expressions as you contorted your neck, chin, and mouth in stretching exercises and vocal warm-ups? I have felt eyes on me sometimes as I sat at traffic lights doing my warm-ups. The expressions on peoples' faces as I turned and looked have sent me into peels of laughter for the rest of my journey. Perhaps they laughed too. Funny stuff....
I should have used bellowing instead of roaring. Huh!
ReplyDeleteDavid are we still blogging. Having to leave early meant I didn't get to hear the assignment for our next class. Please inform me.
ReplyDeleteUtilizing Space and Time throughout your story:
ReplyDeleteThe space you occupy when telling a story is "your" space. You are only borrowing the space for a time and making it your own. This idea is illustrated clearly with the role of the Master of Ceremony. The MC can use anecdotes as a threshold between spaces, tellers and energetic levels.
Storytelling is an art of performance that manages the experience of the audience. I made a interesting note for myself, that reads "if you get nervous, stare at the audience and make them nervous."
A storyteller can use the space in various ways from start to finish. You can start as the teller and move into the story as you dive into the story. While in the story, the teller can use eye gazes to move from inside the story, to observer and to teller directly to the audience. This is an element I have not used often.
As a beginner storyteller, I have tended to approach storytelling as I do performing a song. . . with only two points of gaze; directly to the audience as if we were in a one on one conversation and then far out in the distance. I have used the far off distance as a space for the audience to take itself into whatever interpretations they are led to go, themselves. I have used the direct and close intimate gaze with audiences in order to make them feel connected with me and the information I am delivering. There are many different gazes and spaces to guide the audience through the various places the story may take them.
Slight of hand and other miming gestures can be used in addition to words: as we discussed in our first session, the use of words can be used to clarify specifically the picture we wish to convey.
The space used by the storyteller does not always have to be BIG and wide, it can also be an invisible space you create with intention, energetic levels, gaze, words, volume, breath, and silence. A teller can sit or stand mostly still, and choose to utilize the elements above to create space and movement.
This is my biggest challenge so far. I am accustomed to using lots of space, facial expressions, body language and hand gestures to bring the audience into the story. At this point in the class, I wondered if perhaps these have been tools of cheating for me. Can I craft a story that moves an audience over mountains and through valleys or from innocence to jaded old-age without taking a step forward?
Yes, I believe I can. Onward!!!