In fact, it is the sole mediator of human experience. It is our body that climbs the mountain, whispers in another’s ear, trembles with excitement, notices the light change, grips the bag, tenses with fear, laughs with delight. It is our body that actually lives our life. Our mind may plan, and process, and recall, but it is the body that directly experiences the reality of the world.
Marshall, Lorna. The Body Speaks (Performance Books) . Bloomsbury Publishing.
I still remember a moment when my MA tutor led the group into a performance training session. We were standing in a circle (more or less), barefoot on the wooden floor of the studio, instructed to focus on our breath. Then we “breathed” into our body, different parts of it. Then gently as we felt like it we lifted our arms. We inhaled as we opened our arms and then exhaled to bring them close. And then again. And then we gradually started walking…
Another moment I remember was one with a voice training coach. She instructed the group to “move”, whatever the movement might be, as we uttered the voices of the exercise. Then I felt some magic. My voice was not on its own anymore, it integrated with my bodily movement and reminded me it is part of it originally.
When we come into the studio, we begin with our body. The body is a starting point. For performers and theatre artists, we need to really “bring” our body into the studio. Let it wake up, be involved, getting rid of tensions from outside the studio. Then we can, as Lorna says, “prepare” it to react, to express.
Therefore, there allows for a wide range of purposes that participants can bring into a physical movement workshop. It can offer a chance to get to the learning of “physical theatre” techniques. But it is also for people looking for a movement session in the studio to enhance the physical presence and movement language, or for those seeking creative fun in an ensemble.
Maybe the body is the centre of performance naturally. It is the “sole mediator of human experience”. It is the body that experiences the reality of the world. This experiencing then, is what performers/actors/theatre-makers do in rehearsals and sessions. It also speaks to those who want to explore a bit about their body, the reactions/tensions/expression/flexibility/creativity of it, in other contexts.
Quite naturally, the topic of the first workshop by Waterway Workshop, settles on the body. We would also like to start a journey with the body. From the breath, and then some movement…
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