Theatre as a way to meet up with others and recognize oneself

Hello to everyone!
I’d like to post the description of my workshop in Florence, so if someone have something to ask, can do it here.

The workshop is completely applied because I think the direct practice is, in this case, the best way to experience and learn something.

Since I’m working, I always been interested in the behaviors of the people (including me) in all the possible shadings.
To better understand it, it’s really important to observe our gestures, our expression, our facial mimicry our physical attitude etc…

The games and exercises that I’ll propose during the workshop follow this natural curiosity for human beings and the expressivity of their bodies and their voices.

Most of the work concern also the topic of my speech in the conference: the imitation as a way to recognize and include everyone as a part of us.

I hope it will be useful.

Regards from me!

THE EXPRESSIVE BODY

A practical workshop about the expressive dimension of our body and voice

ARTES CONFERENCE – Florence, Italy

Description of the workshop:

A work about the presence of our bodies and voices, about what they express and create in a relationship with ourselves and the surrounding world.

Every human being is a melting pot of ever changing gestures, sounds, expressions; we are connected to the world and are constantly communicating with it, accompanied by our common human condition and by our personal history.

Together we’re going to explore the theatricality and expressiveness of our bodies, to recognize part of ourselves in every other person, and to feel the uniqueness expressed by everyone, all of us being part of a common project: to be human.

Beginning: Inside the circle, a sharing space for meeting

Imitation games, rhythmic games, listening games

Group improvisation (or in a pair) through gestures

I am arriving in Florence. An evening full of brightness and richness of the arts welcomes me in this beautiful city. I am taking in the diversity of the place. In every little street I find something surprising. I don`t know where to look, I admire every detail of the sight. It is stunning!

The Conference. Here we are meeting the new. I am so happy. I have already had a chance to see some parts of the interior and I can feel the great power of history. So many surprises. I keep my eyes open and I exchange glances with other participants. Someone is laughing. We are here to get to know each other and to learn. Multidimensional art. Expression, education, creation. Relief, search, support. There are so many aspects of activity and here I am also to search and learn, together with the others. We discover new means of expression, we look for solutions. It`s fun, joy and new experience.

Enchanted, filled with the new, beautiful and good, I am coming back to my place in the world.

A beautiful meeting room, full of splendid signs of the times. Big decorative mirrors and us – the group ready for a new challenge. We are standing in a circle, barefoot, shoulder to shoulder. Very close to each other, since nationality, skin color, nationality, sex, age, social position do not matter. Slowly, as the atmosphere of playing with movement and sounds grows, we become a united voice of the new. We all belong to the community, still remaining independent and being free in our own expression_, our own way of experiencing reality. Joy, solemnity, surprise – every exercise helps us to discover a new aspect of our inner life. I am leaving the workshop feeling satisfied and fulfilled. Thank you Sandra 🙂

Thanks a lot for the wonderful workshop in Florence. This was very useful for me. Simple study, helped me to express emotions, weigh to the statement before the whole group. I have found that the expression of the body is the basic communication between people. Your great and fast method united group community. The personality of the leader of the group was friendly and open. You showed me a large empathy in conducting the workshop with strangers.
After returning from Florence conference, I used your method of working with young people. Usually I use the expression exercises body and voice only in my theatre, but after your workshop I moved it to school. I teach graphics and advertising. My lessons have become better when I used your exercises. Now I am looking for a similar exercise for the workshop.
I hope that I will have the opportunity to see you next time.
Best regards
Anna

Thanks Anna for your words. I’m glad that the short time of the workshop in Florence was useful for you and that you are going on, in this direction.
It was also for me a nice experience to meet a very international group; I always love working with new people and with different cultures and every time it’s interesting to observe the comunication of the bodies and the voices.
Another step that you may try is with the help of the music (different kind of music) or doing the same exercise but just with voice and than connecting body and voice (but without meanings or words, only sounds)… After this kind of practice than can you ‘risk’ an improvisation exercise with two or more people.
It would be nice to have an opportunity to study in depth this way.
I hope to meet you again.
And thanks again for writing about the work in Florence.
Have a nice time!
Sandra

First of all many thanks Agnieszka for writing about the meeting in Florence and the workshop “the expressive body”. It’s really important for me to know that the people felt satisfied and at ease during and after working.
Another important point it’s to feel joined all together even if we are from so different experiences and lives and if we don’t know each other.
From your words i gather that it was so, feel free but joined in the comunication game.
What a nice moment; I’m just sorry that it was so short…
Thanks to you and to everybody, to Maria and Jola that invited me and to all the people like you that have signed up to the “expressive body” workshop.
Greetings from Italy.
Sandra