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// Teacher
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PATHWAY IN THE STUDIO
-Each participant draws a map of the studio.
-Then draws a pathway/route to the studio map. It can be any shape, still simple enough that one can remember easily and that the beginning and the end are in the same spot.
-Participants move they own route in any way they want to. First round in 20 min. Second in 7 min, third 2 min. (You can change the timeline). Last round in own timing (can do many times around if one is quicker than the others).
-Sharing or writing a journal about the observations.
It is interesting to see the crossing pathways of the participants, timing, repetition, movement exploration, when it is done long enough also meditative or performative qualities can happen. I have done different variations of this with different teachers, also composed some of my own, but I have no idea who is the original mother/father of the class. It suits for many kind of people and offers a nice tool to concentrated development of movement.
// Teacher2015.05.15
Thank you for sharing!
This exercise is so great because I Think you can do it very easy and also very advanced!
Im glad you mentioned how to work with it with different time limits. I would like to try this out and play with this exercise!
// Teacher2015.10.17
Dear Elina
I teach a very similar class based on a composition exercise from JoAnna Mendl Shaw which she called "Mapping".
I start asking the students to draw a simple "doodle" on a piece of paper, marking the beginning and the end. Then they add 2-3 crosses on the path (which later need to be marked with a movement task like jumping, falling). Only then they are told that this is the map for a path through the studio. While learning the path, meetings happen with other participants which are remembered so that eventually we have a score for a repeatable sequence.
Your way of using it as an improvisation with different durations sounds interesting. I wonder how you lead them into this exercise so that they don't feel lost on the way. I mainly teach Technique now but always include about 30 Min. of Improvisation - probably a different frame than your class.
Thanks for the inspiration!
// Teacher2015.10.19
Hi Tina and Linda! I'm afraid Tina, that I have no quick solution to "how to not get lost". I teach mostly adults with some experience about dance and somatics. So my students already have skills not to feel lost with the long journey. But i think it helps if you do something similar before. Like try how it feels like when you travel just once through the room (l mean the basic cross, not their own map) in 10seconds, in 30s, 1min etc. So they can start to find meaning in various timing. On do a short fraze in 20s, 2min etc. If the students gradually get used to use their own time, they propably do not feel lost so easily?
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.