I engaged with some of Tadashi Suzuki's actor training/method techniques and exercises on Tuesday night and got to try out the Stomp I had heard so much about. I also got to revisit some Viewpoints and boy... It hasn't lost it's charm on me at all.
So, I hate to generalize it and simplify it, but I have to.
From what I know, Mr. Suzuki had seen a generation of young actors heavily relying on their faces and facial expressions to act (the world of film), and wanted to bring back an awareness to the body, and the centre (the core from my understanding 3 fingers below the belly button, inside the basin of the pelvis. I guess our voice teacher D'Arcy Smith used to liken it to the image of a pool of bubbles of marbles that hold your impulses and such - if you read this, hope you're rocking it in the US with the Fambam). Basically Actors using the whole tool they have, which is their body to Act, letting the whole body be affected etc etc.
We started with intense as warmups, anarobic stuff to the max, i almost stretched to the splits!!! Anyway, then we moved onto some basic Stomp choreo. It involved using a set number of movements, using the lower body mainly.
(Quick interlude, the Stomp is a lift from the knee and not the foot. and the whole foot must touch the ground at the same time).
The movements were simple to pickup, yet once the next component was added, I just kept forgetting the sequence, I guess I have some work to do to... The impulses to move come from the centre, the torso, essentially the image that worked for me was that it's the first thing the move (I guess the leading centre).
We then moved into a 2:30 minute Stomp with music, "Stay low" "Push through the Crisis point" (When I wanted to quit, too hard - it's all in the mind baby!) All around we moved, through the space. There were moments when we were all in sync, supporting each other to create something.
After the music reached a resolve we moved to one side of the room, fell to the ground safely and smoothly, and rose again when we had our breath under control, and did the slow 10 exercise together (Moving through the whole of the foot on a horizontal plane like a rope was pulling our centre towards the audience - some cushions.)
Then we finished and moved onto some Viewpoints. Sick times this was.
I will explain the viewpoints in the morning, because it's 3 am and I can barely keep my eyes open...
Sleep soundly NZ, Australia (Acknowledge our Cricket effort already...)
the rest of the world that is asleep too.
Everyone awake, have a good day.
Respond, challenge, correct me if you want, I'm not perfect.
I probably got something wrong.
Learn with me,
Follow,
Comment.
Rock it.
Kenga
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