Imipashi Workshops
Center for the Arts
Lusaka, Zambia
BUMP, PUSH, PULL, SPIN
exercise sample
PART I
The performers are asked to move easily in the space--their normal everyday walk. Then they are asked to change directions several times and turn around and in general to be aware of becoming predictable in their movement patterns.
Then they are asked to move at half-speed--not slow motion, but at about half the speed they normally walk. T
They must avoid touching one another.
Then the group is asked to walk in a curved way--whatever that means to them.
Allow this movement exploration to establish itself.
Then the group is asked to add to the curved way of walking by occasionally BUMPING into someone else in the group.
They must always maintain motion and their half-speed to assure that no one is injured. Allow the BUMPING to establish and integrate with the curved movement.
Ask the group to add another element to their movement vocabulary. As they are moving half-speed, in a curved way, occasionally BUMPING into someone else, they may now incorporate SPINNING.
As they move in a curved way they may choose to spin whenever they like. If another bumps them, the performer may choose to spin away.
The group now has four movement elements from which to draw from: HALF-SPEED, CURVED, BUMP, and SPINNING.
Once these four elements have been established with the group another movement element is introduced: PUSHING.
Now as the performers are moving in the space they may on occasion push another performer, who may in turn spin, or curve away, or bump into someone else.
The facilitator should remind the group to maintain half-speed and that they must react and free flow to every PUSH or BUMP.
As these elements are established yet another element is added: PULL.
The performers can now pull other performers as they see the opportunity to do so. Allow the group to play and have fun with these six movement elements: HALF-SPEED, CURVE, BUMP, SPIN, PUSH, PULL.
Side coach and remind them to maintain half-speed and remind them of elements by verbally repeating the elements at their disposal. This is their movement language.
PART II
Once the group has established and familiarized themselves with the above movement element vocabulary, it is time to introduce music. I generally choose instrumental music along the lines of Steve Reich, Philip Glass, or the like.
What is important about the music is that it suggests a slower tempo and that it progresses slowly rather than dramatically. But choose according to your own taste and objectives.
Once the music is introduced, ask the group to use the music to move--let the music inform their movements. Once the element movement to the music is established, there are a few options on how to proceed.
One way to proceed is to say that the next scene is called "Modern Dance" and the group should move as inspired by that title.
Other titles may include "Urban Violence," "Bad Acid Trip," "Love at First Sight," "Wild Party," "Drinking Problem," and so on.
Create your own titles based on the issues and ideas that satisfy your overall objectives of performance development or cultural/community work. Another way to proceed is to create a story with sequential scenes.
These scenes may be parallel or somehow relate to overall objectives.
With one group I worked with, the performance we were developing dealt with death and re-birth and we were struggling to find an expression and personal connection for such mysterious abstraction.
The title of the first scene was "A Normal Ordinary Day".
Scene two was titled "Sudden Death".
Then after that, in succession were: "Face of Death", "The Spirit Leaves", "The Spirit Plays", "Time for Re-Birth", "Birth", and "The Dance of Life Returned".
This exercise goes far to free creative expression, sensitivity, and interplay amongst the group. The exercise also manifests and focuses ideas as physical expressions.
NOTES
The facilitator may add or subtract movement vocabulary elements according to objectives, context, space, and situation limits.
If gym mats are available you may want to add "falling" as an element; if you are working on a performance that demands several quick changes you may choose the elements of "stillness" and "jerk".
The exercise may provide some of the basic, possibly metaphoric, elements that underlay your performance and/or cultural development work.
For culturally specific work use either live or recorded cultural - traditional music to motivate and inspire the story section of the exercise. In a like fashion, apply a culturally specific myth, legend or story as the plot reference point to guide the Part II section of the exercise.
OBJECTIVES
Ensemble work; physical control and expression; movement expression.
from Creating Ritual
