Les Ateliers du corps – update

I’ve been running a training studio since early September; we’ve been meeting for about 9 hours per week, spread over three days. This initial 3 weeks I called the Selection Workshop. My goal was to allow people to experience what it would be like to practice various martial and movement arts in an organized and relatively intensive fashion for a short period of time. Participants got a sense of what the sustained training Fall and Winter Studios would be like and whether or not it fit with them; I also got a sense of people’s current ability, availability and potential.

The main thing I discovered is how ‘little’ compared to my plans we actually got done; this last year I realized just how much material I’ve learned over the years and I spent most of the summer turning it into a curriculum. Once in the room I realized how much time will actually be required to learn it!

Practically, this means that our work sessions, which I’d divided into Day 1 (more body) and Day 2 (more voice) are now divided into two parts. The first part of both days concentrates on learning to move the limbs and on strengthening the legs using cailifo and lama pai movement as well as conditioning through squats, different kinds of push ups and stretching. The second part of each day rotates through partner training, voice training and composition of performance material. 

I hope to add more ‘internal’ kinds of activities that work on the coordination of the transverse abs, the intercostal muscles and the articulation of the spine and hips. I’d also like to look at tumbles, falls and other low acrobatics, but for now, the coordination of gross motor function and singing in tune are our major activities!

Off to the studio…

~ by Daniel Mroz on October 5, 2009.