There’s that phrase people say, “Trust the process.” I think it’s more like, “trust your capacity to process.” Move with confidence and fluidity. Pour the water from one jar to the next. Visualize. Trust your creative intuition. Say yes. All of that. It’s been a good time. It’s been exactly what this 10AM thing is. This week involved building a nest, taking 22 shots, connecting with the trickster spirit, turning into frogs from formless beings, and looking through the hole of discovery to find small and soft sounds and ways of being.
Monday August 22nd
Title: “Song of the Western Meadowlark" feat. Batya Macadam Somer
Instructions: Play on the speaker the song of the western meadowlark. Improvise sounds with voice and violin. Lexi builds a nest encircling Batya.
Why? Batya is embracing and studying birds and their songs for her latest compositions. Bird songs are complex, filled with history, skill, information, and sheer beauty. To build something like a nest is to set forth ne
sting intentions which can suggest restfulness, preparedness, trusting the process, and looking forward.
Rehearsal discoveries: No rehearsal. Just an intention to connect with the song of the western meadowlark.
Performance write up: One of the comments I shared with Batya was how much I can trust her to ground into the performance. We did not rehearse or discuss what to do beyond make sound and stand in certain location. I admired how planted her feet were.
For me, this performance was simple and complex because it was open to anything. The instructions were simple. Practicing certainty in the realm of improvisational undecided direction is challenging. I definitely experienced doubt multiple times, and that's something usually easier to get around when the mind and body are prepped well.
The task of making a circle/nest around Batya created levels. One could attribute many meanings to these nuances.
View on Youtube ----> https://youtu.be/vHuPWoVIcls
Tuesday August 23rd
Title: “22 Shots”
Instructions: Make 22 shots. Drink them. Vibe out.
Why? On a special day off, I did everything I wanted to with someone I don't know very well. We joked about how many different drinks I had that day and was continuing to have. Coffee, kombucha, turmeric shakes, cbd drinks, tea, water, sake, and who knows what else. I don't believe I actually took any shots, but we joked about taking 22 shots. Pretty much need to make a performance out of any concept that pushes into the territory of "LOL."
Rehearsal discoveries: Make shots take shots groove say make shots take shots in your head
Performance write up: Holy cow, I should've would've set a time for 5 min before the end, but I was mega rushing to set up everything again. This poor planning combined with my intense devotion to hype and shot making over timeliness made it so I didn't pace the performance well. The bell went off, and I deeply wanted to take those shots. I tried. I got to 19, and the oregano oil hit me too hard. All the tinctures bubbled up in my belly, and I genuinely couldn't do anything but fall to the floor. Some of this fall can be attributed to a lack of sleep again. I expected that kind of reaction would have been a dramatization, but that much liquid will do it to ya.
If i
t were week 1, I might not have taken the shots. I had a different philosophy about cutting performances right at the bell. However, I also drank a full glass of wine in week one or two because I had convinced myself I needed to finish it. I did that with these shots. There's something to say now about going "all in" and the mindset behind such a thing. Letting go being the opposite. I love the cling. I wanted the shots.
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Wednesday Aug 24th
Title: "Watch Out For Coercion"
Instructions: Wear the red and yellow fringe face by April of rainbowkimono.com, and channel the coercive spirit of a trickster
Why? To experiment with April's fringe face pieces. To embody trickster energy. To connect with the force of allurement and all its power.
Rehearsal discoveries: Putting the wig on covers the sides of the face, further disguising the wearer. Stretching
Performance write up: This one felt very different than the other fringe face piece from the week prior. The wig and more boxy, less fitted clothing catered to a different style of movement. This character was aggressive and snarling. I found myself putting on voices like a creature of the night. I wanted to eat the audience, take their souls, scratch them, and burn away at the glass doors caging me in.
Movement improvisation based on an energy or character is such a rad practice that completely opens up the practitioner to vocabulary they otherwise would not have tapped into in their daily routine. It liberates an individual's perspective for the day and becomes a trigger for memories of emotions. I found places in my mind where those emotions have sat in memory. Part of the art is that contextualization across the lifetime.
Pacing, intensity, and phrasing all come into play. I employ balance of weight as the primary tool for movement, and I am so grateful to engage with movement practice as a whole. Become a patron to view! ------> https://www.patreon.com/TenAmStudio
Thursday August 25th
Title: “I’d rather be a frog" feat. Fancy Nancy and Lucy Loop
Audio Reflection from Nancy Ross -----> https://www.patreon.com/posts/id-rather-be-by-71483192?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator
View on YOUTUBE!! ---> https://youtu.be/h8xexT8Qiz8
Friday August 26th
Title: “small soft" feat. Sean Francis Conway
Feat. Sean Francis Conway
Audio Reflection from the day -------> https://www.patreon.com/posts/small-soft-post-71483349?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator
Become a patron to view! ------> https://www.patreon.com/TenAmStudio