Previously I blogged on expansion/contraction, known as "what" the energy is doing. Today I'm working on exploring Qualities of Movement (QOM) also known as Molding, Flowing, Flying, Radiating (MFFR). These are known as "how" the energy is moving (physiologically and psychologically); expressing the how of expansion/contraction. MFFR have to do with the different degrees of resistance that the movement is met with. According to the NMCA Playbook, images of the four elements are used to aid the actor in imagery: Molding (earth), Flowing (water), Flying (air), and Radiating (light/fire). Each level of resistance can also have a gradient scale. For example, molding can start as rock and morph into clay or mud. This allows a wider range of actable qualities of movement. It's also important to note that not only movement can be viewed in the qualities, but ones thoughts, emotions, desires, characterizations, and gesture can be also viewed as either molding, flowing, flying or radiating.
Today I experimented with the use of MFFR and application of this tool on a classical monologue.
Oreo Cookie Flyback - Overall, what did I like about using the tool? What would I add next time to make it better? What was my favorite moment?
MFFR (QOM):
Overall, I deeply enjoyed the ease and playfulness that MFFR provided me as an artist. My higher creative ego was immediately engaged and I began to feel this sense of creative work radiating my exercise. This sensation allowed me to be more aware of my energy body today, as I layered today's work with the foundation of my discoveries from expansion/contraction. By focusing more consciously on the energy body I was able to experience "how" the expansion/contraction energy moves. As a result, holding onto the image of expansion/contraction while applying MFFR aided in my ability to be more cognizant of the energy body and all other impulses, imagery, sensations and thoughts that were resonating within me. Moreover, it was thrilling to not only move physically but applying the tools to my inner life - molding my thoughts, emotions flowing, desires flying, and radiating any other quality elongating within me at the time. Veiling this tool was very helpful in creating characters that simply evolved from simple use of the tool.
Even though my focus on the energy body was better today than yesterday, I still sense that adding more focus on the energy body would deepen the exercise for me. There were times where I was focused on whatever thoughts or images popped that I subconsciously disengaged with the energy body. Adding more voice work to the exercises to see how this tool would influence the voice and speech patterns, in my mind, would make the exercise tastier/better for me. Moreover, playing with various tempos and rhythms, I think, would surely provide a level of surprise and possibly evoke emotional nuances that I would not have imagined just by doing the QOM in purest form.
My favorite moment was in the use of the tool on a monologue. I found the application amusing and thrilling! There were several discoveries I found that brought a level of playfulness and excitement to my work. Consequently, I used Hamlet's "To be, or not to be..." speech and discovered many emotional nuances by simply veiling the tool and choosing to apply it on a psychological level. The results were staggering as I, for example, chose to mold various sections of Hamlet's speech and the image of the tool created a sense of power and definitiveness that radiated from me. Furthermore, when I shifted to flowing, the character of Hamlet became more airy, a little lighter - which was quite humourous! Needless to say, the results for Flying and Radiating were also amusing and exciting to play.
In a nutshell, finding the discovery of being able to use the MFFR tool psychologically brought favorable moments. Prior to this find I merely used the tool on a more physiological level and only applied the tool to a scene or monologue as to how the character would physically move. I will continue to use this tool in both ways and dig deeper for richer ways to express the "HOW" of a character's energy - physically and emotionally! Great day of exploration!
Today I chose to start blogging my 'Michael Chekhov Actors Training at Home' journal. Where I would jot down various discoveries made while practicing any of the tools from the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique. I anticipate that by blogging I will organize my thoughts a little better and at the same time offer aid in my self evaluation as I apply the Flyback technique taught to me by Lisa Dalton, from the National Michael Chekhov Association. Lisa Dalton calls this daily process POA (Practice, Observation, Application) journaling. A great way to discipline oneself as an artist toward mastery of their craft.
To start fresh, I chose to commence my workout with Michael Chekhov's tools on expansion and contraction. These are considered one of the most basic psycho-physical exercises in the Chekhov technique. In fact, according to Lisa every character can be identified as either expanded or contracted. Lisa calls them the "Pulse of Life." Moreover, we can even see these principles in our everyday life, take for example one's own breathing - we inhale (expand) and we exhale (contract). Or you can see it also in life (expand) and death (contract). Using this tool with the body we start to explore the idea of "what" the energy is doing exactly within the body. Therefore, being that this principle is everywhere we go and in everything we see, it would be apropos to start my blog with this tool. Below are my notes and observations from practicing the tool and observing myself while doing the tool. For the purpose of clarity I will be using the Oreo Cookie Flyback, as taught to me by Lisa Dalton as the bulk of my blog.
Method of Self Evaluation: Oreo Cookie Flyback Self Evaluation Questions-
Bottom layer - Overall, what did you like about what you did using this or that tool? Double stuff - What would you add next time to make it tastier/better? Top layer - What was your favorite moment?
Expansion - Unveiled/Veiled using scales 0-10 (0=the most contracted, 10=the most expanded)
When practiced within the Chekhov technique, Expansion/Contraction tool can have intrinsic positive and negative reactions to it, such light and dark. However, the aim is to do the tool with no plus or minus reaction to it, but allowing our imaginations to color it according to a specific character or given circumstance.
Today I experimented with the use of Expansion
Flyback
Overall, I liked the feeling of greatness, power, and freedom this tool offered me. I also enjoyed the general sensations of feeling grandiose and electrifying. There were moments where I was definitely sensing my energy body, especially as I veiled the tool with different qualities such as rage and/or joy. The feeling of expansion made my body feel awakened, as if I were bigger than life.
The challenge I did have with this tool was in discovering how to move my body fully without moving in a dance type of way. I also will need to add more vocal expression next time to see how this tool would influence my voice and speech patterns. I will also add more stage business/activity especially while expanded veiled to see if I am able to hold onto the image of my energy body, while doing mundane activities. Holding onto the image of the energy body was at times challenging; however, when I moved in a more legato manner I found it easier to sense/see/hold onto the energy body.
My favorite moments were those time where I did actually sense the energy body physically. I felt these electrical currents going up and down my arms, hands, and fingers. It was thrilling and electrifying. There was a sense of power and amplification that I felt throughout the exercise (unveiled, veiled). I recall Lenard Petit saying in his book, "experiencing the life body growing or shrinking fills us with the ebb and flow of vitality," I wonder if this electrical impulses is what he was referring to.
Contraction - Unveiled/Veiled using scales 0-10 (0=the most contracted, 10=the most expanded)
Today I experimented with the use of Contraction
Flyback
Overall, I really enjoyed experiencing and discovering how polar opposite contraction is from expansion. From a very simple look at their definitions one can see how different they are, but experiencing their differences was quite fun and imaginative. I enjoyed how quickly a character evolved just by purely exercising contraction. There was a sense of a character who was closed off, not necessarily shy, being evoked by the use of this tool. Adding qualities to the contraction also became a great source for a freeing of the instrument in discovering unique characters that would essentially be contracting characters...very interesting!
Next time I would add some expansion to the contraction to get a deeper sense of the act of contraction from a more expansive state. Also the use of the voice would be another addition to the exercise. I would also play with varying degrees of contraction (ie- scales 0-10). I wonder how would using the scales along with tempos and rhythms with contraction influence my body, voice, inner life, images, etc.
My favorite moment was in the actual discovery of various characters as qualities were applied to the tool. It was evident to me of the transformation that took place, because I noticed how even my voice and speech patterns were also evoked by the imagery and qualities applied onto the tool. The exercises I found quite humorous and fun to play with. There was a sense of ease with this type of work which I thoroughly enjoyed!
Additional notes: I read Lenard Petit's chapter on expansion and contraction in his Chekhov Handbook and there was a section where he applied the tool to the 5 senses. For the purpose of exploration, I went ahead and practiced the tool by expanding and contracting the sense of taste and smell. I found this application quite interesting and amusing. Characters were surely evoked by simply using the tool in this specific manner. With taste using expansion, there was an overall sense of thirsting or hungering after things that was awakened - someone desiring an object obsessively. With taste using contraction, there was a sense of a person who lacked will, a sense of apathy was evoked. With the sense of smell there were also varying characteristics traits that influenced my inner life and brought about images and characters that I would probably use for future work. Great discoveries overall!
**Late Addition to blog - I recently created a YouTube channel where I offer an overview of a Chekhov tool. Take a look and see:
