Annotate and describe the process of Devising in a restricted space OR Devising from the movement of an element and evaluate what it is beneficial for.

Devising in a restricted space:
This can both benefit and hinder the devising process. The small space can make you as performers be more creative with you're space, but it may also make you have to weary when doing lifts . It forces you to be always spatially aware and cautious. This may be a problem if you are only devising in that space and are performing in a larger space, as it may seem like you are not fully utilising the space. To prevent this you may have to rehearse a couple times in the larger space, expanding your piece if needed. However if you are performing in the limited space, you may want to incorporate it into you're piece, this would make the piece more interesting and engaging for the audience.

Once you find your space, make sure you understand it and know where the audience will be and how it will be staged when performing. This is crucial as you must devise so the audience can see and understand what you are presenting to them.

Research the theatre company Complicite Make comments and evaluate their performance work, subject material and rehearsal methods. (Minimum 600 words).

BACKGROUND:
When asked whether he could  describe Complicite in five words Simon McBurney, the owner, said "no I cant." He goes on to say that Complicite is formed of actors who are not only performing but producing work for the show. Each piece is created from a piece of subject matter, the subject matter is what drives the piece forward says McBurney. They create wildly different pieces in 2010 they had created three differing performances, the first was A Disappearing Number about an American Mathematician, the next Shun-Kin which is entirely in Japanese and the final piece  this piece was created in Russian with a Russian composer. Good theatre to McBurney is "not even what you see on stage but is all about the audience and what they imagine."

PERFORMANCE WORK:
A Dogs Heart: In the performance, A Dogs Heart they use puppetry to create a live dog. They have three actors controlling the dog, in this twisted interpretation of Frankenstein. The combination of sound effects and realistic puppetry fixates your attention and makes you look past and forget the actors controlling the dog despite them being very visually prominent. As well as that, the person creating the live sound effects with a megaphone is also on stage, despite these quite distracting figures on stage, you are still engrossed in the dog and its movements, this is because as a member of the audience the dog is more interesting than those controlling it, proving its effectiveness. There is also clever use of lighting, this is used to disguise the changing set, as the play takes place in several locations. This is effective as the play is seamless and fluid rather than stagnant from blunt transitions.

I can  also tell how much each of their performances vary, Beware Of Pity includes a quite a large cast whereas The Encounter is a solo performance, demonstrating that Complicite are always experimenting and evolving. Complicite also use lighting very creatively, often projecting images on to actors to communicate an emotion or atmosphere to the audience.

They do not create  naturalistic plays, instead frequently using physical theatre and gestus to stimulate and engage the audience. They do this very effectively creating pieces that utilise proxemics to communicate relationships between characters, the staging is equally important to complicite's shows, having tightly choreographed sequences that are beautifully orchestrated.

SUBJECT MATERIAL:
Currently the are showing a piece Beware Of Pity, a show that is based on a German novel called Ungeduld des Herzens and is performed completely in German. They almost always create a piece from text, the material naturally differs completely from piece to piece, they created a more family friendley piece based on the novel Lion Boy.  It is evident that Complicite never do the same thing twice.

Complicite choose subjects that will lead them naturally to the appropriate style and form, however they stay open to surprises and reject things that feel forced or aren't working. They choose subject matter sooner rather than later, and allow to see where it takes them instead of waiting for the perfect subject to sprout from their minds.

When researching subject material the Complicite will visit museums, listen to music, find text and pictures and share this research as a group. This helps everyone gain a deeper understanding of the subject material, understanding is essential. When they have hit a creative block, or need material quickly they will improvise something within a defined amount of time, this also builds understanding of subject matter and creates potential show material.

REHEARSAL METHODS:
The rehearsal process of Complicite is devised largely through trial and error, exploring with those your working with using their imaginations as your creating the piece, engaging with peers. Often performers may swap roles in a scene, this may help them understand their character more and at its best may even be revolutionary.

In the beginning of the process they often make use of games. One of these games involves playing ball, the game involves embracing an atmosphere of aggression and competitiveness. This is done to naturally release any negative emotions that actors may have brought in before rehearsals, this energy can also be used to create shows.
An example of a game they play is Cat And Mouse, a game we played in class.
1. Divide the group in two. One group stands in a large circle to mark the edge of the playing area, and to stop the blindfolded players from leaving the space. The other group put on blindfolds.
2. One of the blindfolded players is named the cat and the rest are mice.
3. This game is about maintaining perfect silence and listening. The cat must listen very carefully and attempt to catch all the mice. The players are not allowed to stop moving for more than a few seconds. If a player is attempting to walk out of the circle somebody in the wall must turn them gently
This game forces you to rely on your other senses, making you more aware and in the present moment.  It forces you to be spatially aware without seeing the space allowing you to get a genuine connection and feel of the space,

Discuss the value of actors studying contact improvisation and justify all your comments.

Contact improvisation is valuable because it develops a lot of essential skills actors need to be a good actor. Like trust within your peers, this is needed as unless you're performing a monologue, to create a powerful scene you need to trust your fellow actors will pick up their cues and feed off the energy you bring to them. If they are struggling you also need to be able to help them out, something that contact jams develop, as it builds awareness of your peers and if you are inside your own head while performing you won't be able to interact with your peers or help them if they need it, ultimately hindering the piece.

It builds your ability to depend and fall back on the sub conscious, as when in a contact improvisation, you should only be operating within this space, not consciously thinking of what you are going to next but letting your sub conscious mind take control. This allows you to tune into your natural instincts something that can improve a naturalistic performance greatly. By letting your sub conscious mind take control you are fully in the present moment, not thinking of what happens next, when your cue is, you can totally interact and immerse yourself within your peers and your performance.

Describe the process and application of combining text with contact.

Usually in my experience the contact part of the process comes first. The contact creates opportunities to implement text and inspires the kind of text that will be used. In our devising process we have an underlying theme and from that we develop choreography with the help of contact improvisation. The theme also helps guide us to finding suitable text for the piece. You also want make sure that the text isn't shoe horned into the piece and that it doesn't feel forced. If it benefits the segment then keep it if you are unsure try the segment with and then without the text and see how the two compare.

If your having trouble choosing where to  add text, perform what you have and think about which part feels the most boring or the most bland. When finding text bear in mind what movements you have in your piece and if they need to be adapted for the text. You could also devise a section from a piece of text instead of adapting a segment to involve text. When doing this it helps to have the text being read out while rehearsing to make sure you have timing right.

What sensibilities to you need to develop to be successful in a Contact Jam?

trust: you need to be able to allow yourself to relax and be guided by the group. If you feel anxious or nervous your body will tense up, this could be harmful to you and your peers as you wont be able to take as much weight as you could when your body is soft.

awareness: you must be aware of what is going on in your jam. Do not mistake awareness for thinking about what movements your are going to do as this will only hinder the exercise. Awareness is simply being conscious of those around you so that your are able to respond to their movements. If you are inside you own head, you wont be able to respond and your movements will likely clash and the exercise will be pointless.

fluid: your body has to be soft and flexible, Able to take the weight of your peers. If your body is rigid it will be harder for you and your peers to create natural and flowing movements. Be soft and gentle whilst being a strong support when needed.

switch off: you have to just go with it, don't filter any of your movements and just feel your way through the exercise. The only way to do the exercise wrong is by thinking about what to do. You have to just turn off your brain and be completely immersed in moving with others naturally, fluidly and softly.

Why is it important for you do be able to listen and be honest during contact improvisation work?

You have to listen to your partner as responding is crucial to creating an effective contact improvisation. Contact impro only works when all parties are working together and is not a solo exercise. You cannot only focus on yourself because you will miss what your partner is telling you, you will miss opportunities your partner is offering you. You also have to listen because you have to make sure your not hurting your partner. There may be instances where they are taking your whole body weight and if their body is not soft, they may not be able to take the weight. If you are not listening to their reaction you may harm them without realising.

You have to be honest with your movements. Do not filter your impulses and just allow yourself to go with what happens. If you think about your movements they will not be natural or organic. This will lead to a frigid, static and ineffective contact improvisation.

Evaluate the benefits of the Ball of Energy exercise. What is your opinion to it?

This process prepares you for contact improvisation as you begin to stop relying on your brain and start using instincts, and letting impulse control your movements, not your brain. You spontaneously devise interesting and unique ways to move about the space, these can be used as material in physical theatre performances. It allows you to explore your body and find interesting and bizarre points to move from, as I started to move from my shoulder blades, which left me slightly confused in the beginning but this then led to me finding a new way to move.

I enjoyed it because your become immersed within your own bubble of consciousness and start to focus purely on movement, making the exercise almost therapeutic. Its a good warm up and makes your body naturally fluid and soft.

Describe the process of conducting the Ball of Energy exercise.

The ball of energy exercise requires you to imagine that there is an energy ball moving around the inside of your body. This ball guides you around the space, pulling you along.  It can move to any part of the body or any direction, the pace is supposed to vary, speeding up and slowing down spontaneously.  You can explore levels also, using the floor whilst being pulled by the ball of energy.

Over a period of time, once I gotten used to the exercise, I was able to find a balance between being aware and acting impulsively. When you focus purely on imagining the ball of energy it almost becomes a reality and you can rely on your instincts to guide you and not have to think about the action. You begin to forget its an exercise.  Through improvising this you also find really interesting ways to move in a space, things I would have not have thought of if I had planned the activity. The process is very good for creating material for solo pieces.

What qualities do you need to be successful at Contact Impro?

To be successful at contact impro you need to be focused and immersed. You need to ignore your mental awareness and criticisms and allow yourself to be completely in the moment. When you do that you will be able to make your body soft and your movements fluid. When find yourself in the present and letting your instincts take control you will be able move with your partner with originality and spontaneity. You will need to be fluid with your movements and transitions, done be rigid. Need to be open with your partner and relaxed with your partner. Honestly responding to their movements, dynamics and tempo. A connection between you as partners that incorporates trust and playfulness. 

You need to be aware of your partner and able to respond to them, you must be fully focused to do this as if you aren't you wont be able to pick up and absorb their energy into your own movements.

Who invented it and why?

The form was created in 1972 by Steve Paxton. Steve developed Contact Improv through explorations with his students and colleagues at the time. It was invented because Paxton wanted to create it 

What is Contact Improvisation?

Dance improvisation form is based on energy and weight exchange. Physical contact is the starting point for exploration of movement, it is all improvised and nothing is planned. The form is very much in the moment and almost sub conscious. The performers must ignore their mental commentary and focus purely on the instictual movements that occur. Both partners respond to eachother and transfer eachothers energy into their movements. Its used as a proffesional dance form, most commonly used to find material for choreographies. It can also be used as a social art form, strengthening relationships. There is no winner or loser its a mutual relationship between two people in which they create an improvised form of expression. Steve developed Contact Improv through explorations with his students and colleagues at the time.  

Research the theatre company DV8 Make comments and evaluate their performance work, subject material and rehearsal methods. (Minimum 600 words).

DV8 theatre was created in 1986 and has since been led by Lloyd Newson. The company has produced 19 highly acclaimed dance pieces, which have toured internationally, and four award-winning films for television.
DV8 usually create work about current affairs, posing question the audience, stimulating the mind. They cover very sensitive subjects, such as Islam and freedom of speech these are very complex topics and DV8 want you to think and generate your own opinions about these topics through physical theatre. These topics are also quite taboo, not being spoken about this openly by many other production companies, if any. Saying "religions, like any group of ideas are open for debate. Especially where those beliefs oppress others." They try to ease tensions that have arisen between cultures worldwide. All of these questions and complex topics challenge the audience not simply providing an entertaining performance but changing the way you perhaps see the world. I think to try and create this kind of theatre is very courageous, and I believe that this choice payed off,  as it challenged the audience about something that is happening currently. 

The performance, Can we talk about this, has clearly made very bold choices about how realistic it intended to be. Fusing dance and physical theatre, the choreography was extremely expressive. This constantly engaged the audience as there was never a dull moment, neither in physicality or in the mind stimulating dialogue. This almost overwhelming information provided for both the eyes and ears was complimented by the minimalistic set, as a bustling background would have been too much and completely overwhelmed the audience. As an actor to approach this play would take a thorough understanding of the topics, as well as all the physical and vocal work also.

This trend of challenging the audience and giving the audience a certain perspective they may have not experienced is a on going trend with DV8. They either do it quite obviously as they have in can we talk about this, or tell a story and let the audience gain their own interpretation. 

The rehearsal process is very experimental. They explore countless different ideas and take the ones that work into the rehearsal of the actual production. In preparation for Enter Achilles the explored how they could look at experiences of men in our world and how they could reflect that into their work. They would generate a storyline during the workshops and then begin  creating it in rehearsals. 

DV8 is a very controversial theatre company, which is a good thing. DV8 is here to challenge how we feel, think and perceive through extremely impressive and creative physical theatre

How do you perform Impulse work and what is it beneficial for?

Impulse work makes you rely on your instincts as an actor. You have to trust your initial decisions and make them work. We performed impulse work by stopping whenever we had the urge, this helped us allow our instincts to take the wheel and control how we act. This will be beneficial because as actors, especially when performing naturalistic plays, we need to act as if it were the first time experiencing it, not something that has been rehearsed. Instincts can bring a performance to life, and can also help the actor immerse themselves within the character and the subconscious.
If you have a thorough understanding of the play you will be able to lose yourself within the character, Impulse work helps you get there.

Explain why devising through organic improvisations is different to mentally planning and mention the former’s benefits.

To do this you and your partner must trust eachother immensley. You also need to stay conscious of eachother, reacting to one and others movements, eye contact is usually very helpfull. If you are not completley focused you may misunderstand and clash with your partner. When mentally planning a sequence of movements for your performance you need to remember what you planned, perhaps having you think a couple steps ahead and not being in the moment with your movements, not having your mind fully dedicated to a movement can have negative effects. Organic improv can spontaenously create unique moves you never would have thought if you had created a planned sequence. This will then make you feel more comfortable and condfident with your partner and hopefully you would continue to create unique lifts.

Duet Performance Evaluation

The performance was okay. It could have been much more fluid, we should have practised the transitions more regularly and been more imaginative when thinking of transitions. Our theme was two children playing together, we portrayed this well in our movements, including a jokey handshake at the beginning of the piece and a high five at the end. We used the objective to play, and tried to communicate this threw facial expression and physical movements. However there were times in the piece when I forgot to maintain my facial expression as I was focusing on performing a lift. I could have prevented this by, again, rehearsing our piece more as I would be comfortable in the lift and able to maintain the expression. This lack of expression most likely slightly disengaged the audience.
We should have been more in control of our pace. Pace can also be used to imply emotions, giving the piece a narrative and direction. We should have used it more to our advantage.  I also had little control when performing the shoulder rolls as the landing were not soft making the piece feel rigid instead of fluid. When researching how toddlers would play together i watched my little brother and sister for inspiration. Their movements were spontaneous and pure. I tried to replicate this is our performance. We took most of our ideas from things we had learnt in lessons, the beginning of our piece was taken from milling, the two separate rhythms of clapping, fast and slow, and the two different paces, one bouncey and quick the other static. 
Overall our performance could have been much better and was moderate.

Duet Rehearsal Notes

I was rehearsing with Kai. Kai was the base for most lifts, as he was taller than me making it more convenient. I lift him also, however one attempt failed, I couldnt take his weight and collapsed underneath him. This was because he was to stiff and not soft, I also leaned to far forward and wasnt a strong and stable enough base. I attempted the lift again, remembering to lower my core below his, stay strong as a base and not rush the lift.
When choreographing the performance we often had a hard time remembering lifts, We had a small selection of lifts to access and thus struggled to make the piece feel fresh, varied and engaging. To prevent this we should do our own research outside of lessons learning how to perform different lifts, this will also differentiate our piece from the rest of the class because it includes unique lifts.

Why do some physical theatre practitioners work with physical objectives?

Physical theatre pieces without objectives can leave the audience feeling unsatisfied, thinking "what was the point." Physical objectives can give a piece meaning and a purpose, things as simple as facial expressions can give the audience a much deeper meaningful, experience. Things like pace, whether movements are soft or controlled can connote so many different things. There are countless opportunities. This all gives the piece purpose and gives the audience a satisfying feeling. Giving the piece a narrative, gives it a sense of direction, where as a series of lifts may make the audience feel as if they are going round in circles.

Explain the need to develop your lifting techniques

Lifts can look very complex but in actual fact be very simple to perform, it is threw understanding of lifts that you achieve effective lifts without physical strain.. By developing lift techniques you will become more comfortable performing lifts and be able to perform more advanced lifts that will enhance your piece. You will also have a wider vocabulary of lifts that you can access, giving you more options when planning your performance.

Annotate and describe the process of performing a lift. (Mention breath, crossing of centres, timing etc.).

To perform a lift effectively you need to be fully committed and focused. Timing is often crucial and you cannot be precise when you are distracted. This focus also allows you to sync with your partner, at a very advance level you can even sync your breath this increases the control you have when performing lifts, allowing you to effortlessly change the pace of the lift. This can connote emotions making the lift even more effective and giving it meaning. A lift usually involves the more capable of the two lifting the other in some way, it can add meaning, a new dynamic and  can engage the audience when done correctly. When picking up your partner, the position fof your central core is usually important, eg: when lifting your partner on to your back you should lower your core below theirs, so you can support the person.

Annotate and describe the process of the Surfing Banana Rolls exercise and describe what it is beneficial for.

BANANA ROLLS

Lay on our back and lift your arms and legs above the ground, shift your weight to the side and let it roll you over onto your front. Using the momentum you've accumulated you can rollover  onto your back again. You can keep repeating this and keep on rolling forever.

Its beneficial for straightening your core.  This is good exercise for warming up as it helped me perform the table exercise as I had more control of my core and was able to make the transition fluid. This was because my core had been strengthened from doing banana rolls.

SURFING BANANA ROLLS 
Everyone lies in a line with their hands stretched above their head and their legs stretched out too. The surfer slowly places themselves on the first person in the line, that person then begins to roll over moving the surfer. When the surfer is getting close to you you start to roll over, you must be conscious of when people before and after you are about to roll. You cannot start to roll at the wrong time as it will ruin the wave.
The surfer must be as soft as possible allowing the rollers to easily transport them along the wave. They can do this be tensing their core and straightening their arms and legs. They also shouldn't move or fidget as this will make it harder for the rollers to move the surfer.

What sensibilities to you need to develop to be successful at the Partnering exercise?

To be an effective couple, both partners must be focused, they must maintain this focus this will make whatever it is that the two students are doing much smoother and easier.  If both partners aren't distracted and completely focused it will be easier for them to trust each other. This is crucial for the two to create anything successfully as when attempting physically challenging things like lifts, it may be unhelpfull if you are stiff and uncomfortable. Trusting your partner will help you relax, be soft and in turn be in control.

Explain The Needs To Develop Your Routes To the Floor

You need to do this because the floor supports all of your movements and its crucial you understand how to to balance the weight across your feet to support the rest of your body.You need to develop routes to the floor because you can use the floor as support to transition into lifts or other moves. The more routes you have and the more developed the routes are the more fluid your movements will be, and you will get better marks. You can develop routes to the floor by exploring and being playful and imaginative with your movements. You should always keep in mind that not every thing you try out will work or be good but you should attempt to learn from why that wasn't as good as it could have been.

Annotate and describe the process of the Place, Press, Push exercise and describe what it is beneficial for.

In this exercise your partner would press, place or push down anywhere on your body. The partner could put as much pressure as needed. They could use whatever part the body they wanted, elbow, knee hand whatever. This is beneficial as it got rid of any tension in the muscles. You could understand where your joints met and what parts of your body is sensitive to touch. It could be uncomfortable and personally I didnt find the exercise usefull at all.  It felt unessary compared to other exercises, I wasnt focused so most likely missed whatever point was trying to be put across.

Annotate and describe the process of the Push me/Pull you exercise.

In this exercise two people would perform the monkey grip. One person would then step back on their back leg while the other stepped forward holding their weight so they did not fall over. The person stepping forward would step back and pull the person crouched up again. This would be repeated with the other person.

The key is to use as little steps as possible and have a fluid motion. You also have to be in sync with your partner as a weight imbalance would cause you to fall over or lose balance.

What is milling and what is it beneficial for?

 After a while of consistent focus from everyone in the class almost made the exercise self-concious, they relationships formed with others was also organic spontaneously occurring. This is partly because the sun salutation exercise cleared my mind allowing me devote all my focus to the exercise and think of nothing else. This pure focus brought on the self concious element that  allowed me to act without thinking and it all unplanned and organic.

The physical movements were also organic, being created spontaneously. This is extremely useful as when acting in a naturalistic play its crucial it doesnt look rehearsed. Each performance is re lived not rehearsed. The clapping rythm gave evryone beat to move to. It was like audible perifiral vision as I knew at what tempo people where moving at, and also as a way to know when to stop moving as a group. Yet again the extreme consistent focus from everyone in the class created a living organism that responded and reacted to eachother.

Annotate and describe the process of performing a Sun Salutation

Step One: Stretch towards ceiling with both hands together.
Step Two: Reach down to tour feet and bend over.
Step Three: Go into Downward dog and exhale.
Step Four: Lunge your left leg forward and stretch towards the ceiling, similar to step one except you are in a lunge position
Step Five: Step back into Downward dog and the move into cobra. Then exhale.
Step Six: Back into downward dog and lunge your right leg forward.
Step Seven:  Stretch towards the ceiling, like Step Four.
Step Eight: Step back into downward dog and then bend down into cobra.
Step Nine: Go into child position and wait until the everyone else is done.

This yoga exercise was effective because it relaxed and brought me to an active neutral state that was ideal for performing. The stretches straightened my spine, not making it rigid, it instead was flexible and relaxed. The same happened to my legs, they were not locked at the knees but bouncy and fluid.

At the start of the exercise I felt quite stiff, but after a while I warmed up and got used to the positions, it felt more natural and fluid this prepared me for the physically demanding milling exercise.  It also helped me be clear minded, focusing purely on the task. This benefited me during the milling exercise greatly.

Explain the need to develop your sense of alignment (finding neutral)

Finding alignment as posture is incredibly important, soft knees and flexible spine prepare you for any performance. A squashed posture not only limits your breath capacity and control but significantly lowers the richness of your voice. When in alignment your head should feel like its being gently pulled up by a balloon.

Being in neutral is similar to being a blank canvas, you are able to transform clearly to present whatever you intent portray. Whereas if you arent in neutral perhaps in your natural stance you have bias and will find it harder to immerse yourself in the physicality of the character as you will already have your own physicality in the way.