Today in Company we are completing a review that combines the “Authentic Self” project that we did earlier in the year with the Viewpoints that we have been working on for the past several weeks. They were given a completely clear Blackbox (well, as clear as that room will ever get) and they were given a single music stand. They were asked to divide up their life into a 3 or 5 chapter book – dividing into the sections that defined their big moments.That was it. No sound, no music, no props, no nothing. Their body had to tell the entire story. They were to tell the chapters and more importantly the transition between the chapters. The only tools at hand were Tempo, Duration, Repetition, Spatial Relationship, Topography, and the remainder of the movement tools of Viewpoints.
The results were most unusual and amazing. No two presentations were the same. Everyone interpreted the book, the chapters, and the storytelling in their own unique way. Most covered the entire room: crawling, jumping, wiggling, running, and standing still. Their pieces filled the room with energy. New to most of the work they have done in their training, they were told NOT to use music. I did not want them dancing to some pre-recorded music – I wanted them dancing to their own music – and music they did make. Their breath and the sound of their barefoot on the dirty floor became actual music to underscore their life story.
Of particular notice on the last day was a girl whose piece went no further than a 3’ square – but in that square the toes, fingers, chin and elbow all became the tools that others found in their full bodies. This girl was different. She painted her life’s story with small brushes. The story was oddly quite large. It was interesting for me to discover that the largest paintings are shown most clearly on the smallest canvas.