DAY 3 — FLOCKING, 3 + 2 + 1 & COMPOSITION

DAY 3 — FLOCKING, 3 + 2 + 1 AND COMPOSITION

STICK-THROWING GAME

Participants walked while passing sticks.

The exercise developed from:

• one stick;
• to three sticks;
• shared peripheral awareness;
• throwing;
• receiving;
• accepting failure.

When a stick fell, thrower and receiver lay down and called:

“MY FAULT.”

The protocol records the exercise as a playful way of integrating error into the group.

FLOCKING

Two groups moved in unison.

The audience should not clearly perceive a fixed leader.

Leadership shifted according to:

• orientation;
• position;
• peripheral vision;
• breath;
• direction.

Participants were instructed not to stare directly at the leader.

FLOCK / SOLO

One performer left the flock for a solo.

When that person returned, another performer left.

The solo and collective functioned as connected magnetic positions.

3 + 2 + 1

Six performers maintained a composition consisting of:

• one trio;
• one duet;
• one solo.

These groupings did not need to be physically isolated.

The exercise examined:

• spatial relationship;
• focus;
• distribution;
• voice;
• collective awareness;
• legibility without literal illustration.

SEVEN-MINUTE COMPOSITION

Groups received one hour to create a seven-minute composition.

Required ingredients included:

• a thirty-second solo monologue;
• a duet from Day 2;
• one performer presenting part of the duet alone;
• movement building toward high intensity;
• an image repeated three times;
• broken expectation;
• group singing in contrast with stage action;
• an emotional group moment;
• revelation of space;
• development of something observed in another performer.

LAUNDRY LIST

The list functioned as a compositional container.

The group had to:

• distribute responsibility;
• generate material;
• combine elements;
• manage time;
• avoid solving the complete story before entering the space.

REHEARSAL RATIO

The facilitators recommended approximately:

20% TALKING

80% DOING.

FEEDBACK

Feedback addressed:

• the function of particular objects;
• spatial clarity;
• beginnings, middles and endings;
• duration;
• focus;
• simultaneous actions;
• direction;
• realism and abstraction;
• relation between sections.

IMMEDIATE RERUN

After feedback, each group performed another run before holding a long discussion.

The performer was asked to observe the composition from inside while doing it.

GENERATING STORY

Meaning did not need to be decided before the composition.

The structure allowed materials to produce:

• themes;
• relations;
• possible stories;
• contradictions.

The story could be named after material had appeared.

LIMITATIONS

The protocol records:

“Limitations help.”