Great POA from a fellow Chekhov colleague of mine! He's also a wonderful actor:
Chekhov Exploration: Floating POA (Morning): This morning I was inspired to explore the tool of floating. While standing in a coffee shop I gazed about, taking in random images, until ...
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
The Three Sisters Sensations (Floating, Falling, Balancing)
The Michael Chekhov Acting technique is a Psycho-physical approach to acting that uses the imagination, the body, energy and movement as the source of creativity and inspired acting.
Today we will explore the technique Chekhov called Three Sisters Sensations (Falling, Floating, & Balancing. It is exploring Chekhov's approach to the emotional life of the actor/character. It is a simple, reliable and transformative alternative to the commonly known method of affective memory. Chekhov encourages his students to uptake the natural and intuitive gifts that movement brings to us.
The Three Sisters Sensations:
Falling, Floating and Balancing can create almost any emotional state, physical or psychological condition. Mastering this tool, especially through the IAC (Individual Artistic Center), can be a fast and reliable way to connect to feelings and to radiate the sense of a deep connection.
The basic concept behind the Three Sisters Sensations describes the relationship of an object's stability due to gravity or levity (weightlessness). This speaks about the principle of equilibrium, the search for stability. In our world, anything can be identified as either Falling, Floating, or Balancing. Consequently, this includes our bodies, breath, and our eyes. However, not only physical objects are subject to these principles - but our thoughts, feelings, desires, spirit, centers, and personal atmospheres (auras) have their own degree of stability and can also be described as either falling, floating, or balancing. If we simply focus on our breathing patterns we will see immediately that our breath floats (inhale), falls (exhale), and balances (a slight hold of the breath - gasp for air, etc).
What is Falling?
Falling is yielding to a gravitational pull in all six directions, there is a sensation of falling. The breath falls in an exhale from the lungs.The important thing to remember here is a yielding to the gravitational pull in any direction. Falling has to do with the law of gravity in all six directions.
What is Floating?
Floating is a sense of freedom from the gravitational pull. Floating refers to the sensation of suspension, detachment, levity or neutral buoyancy. We can float in all six directions, as we keep the sensation of weightlessness in mind while practicing this tool.
What is Balancing?
Balancing the sensation or urge to sustain or attain equilibrium. It is the struggle against levity and gravity - to not float, to not fall.
Flyback:
Always remember to fly back over your work and allow your higher creative self to appreciate the work you are doing and will continue to do-
Oreo Cookie Flyback/Self Evaluation:
1) Overall, what did I like about what I just did?
2) What can I add to make it better?
3) What was my favorite moment?
***What did falling, floating or balancing awaken within me?***
Today we will explore the technique Chekhov called Three Sisters Sensations (Falling, Floating, & Balancing. It is exploring Chekhov's approach to the emotional life of the actor/character. It is a simple, reliable and transformative alternative to the commonly known method of affective memory. Chekhov encourages his students to uptake the natural and intuitive gifts that movement brings to us.
The Three Sisters Sensations:
Falling, Floating and Balancing can create almost any emotional state, physical or psychological condition. Mastering this tool, especially through the IAC (Individual Artistic Center), can be a fast and reliable way to connect to feelings and to radiate the sense of a deep connection.
The basic concept behind the Three Sisters Sensations describes the relationship of an object's stability due to gravity or levity (weightlessness). This speaks about the principle of equilibrium, the search for stability. In our world, anything can be identified as either Falling, Floating, or Balancing. Consequently, this includes our bodies, breath, and our eyes. However, not only physical objects are subject to these principles - but our thoughts, feelings, desires, spirit, centers, and personal atmospheres (auras) have their own degree of stability and can also be described as either falling, floating, or balancing. If we simply focus on our breathing patterns we will see immediately that our breath floats (inhale), falls (exhale), and balances (a slight hold of the breath - gasp for air, etc).
What is Falling?
Falling is yielding to a gravitational pull in all six directions, there is a sensation of falling. The breath falls in an exhale from the lungs.The important thing to remember here is a yielding to the gravitational pull in any direction. Falling has to do with the law of gravity in all six directions.
What is Floating?
Floating is a sense of freedom from the gravitational pull. Floating refers to the sensation of suspension, detachment, levity or neutral buoyancy. We can float in all six directions, as we keep the sensation of weightlessness in mind while practicing this tool.
What is Balancing?
Balancing the sensation or urge to sustain or attain equilibrium. It is the struggle against levity and gravity - to not float, to not fall.
Flyback:
Always remember to fly back over your work and allow your higher creative self to appreciate the work you are doing and will continue to do-
Oreo Cookie Flyback/Self Evaluation:
1) Overall, what did I like about what I just did?
2) What can I add to make it better?
3) What was my favorite moment?
***What did falling, floating or balancing awaken within me?***
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Archetypal Gestures: Discovering the WHY of a Character (Push, Pull, Lift, Smash, Gather, Throw, Penetrate, Tear, Drag, Reach)
The Michael Chekhov Acting technique is a Psycho-physical approach to acting that uses the imagination, the body, energy and movement as the source of creativity and inspired acting.
Where we explore the technique Chekhov called Archetypal Gestures (AG). It is exploring "why" the energy is expanding/contracting. If we imagine that expansion/contraction is the primary WHAT of energy's movement patterns, and Qualities of Movement are the HOW that energy moves, then the AG's are WHY energy expands and contracts. For example, the energy expands to push or contracts to pull. There are 10 basic AG's: pull, pull, lift, smash, gather, throw, penetrate, tear, drag and reach. The first six are considered primary AG's and the last four are secondary AG's. It is a list based on functionality. Every gesture imaginable can ultimately be pared down to these 10. An Archetypal gesture is the largest possible gesture of a primal intention. It is pure WILL with no justification and no emotional value placed to it. It should charge the whole body with the urge/desire to push, pull, etc with a universal neutral attitude. However, when you add a reason or emotion it can become a Psychological gesture (PG - well known technique in the Chekhov process). The AG becomes a training tool to develop the PG's in a scene or monologue. These are named after the elements of the earth, water, air and light which are used as a metaphor to express the full potential "HOW" of the expansion/contraction.
How do we do an AG:
Begin in an Ideal Universal Stance. Imagine your energy body is a large sheath or aura surrounding your physical body in the same shape yet larger and is activated by impulses coming from your Individual Artistic Center. Concentrate on the image of your energy body initiating the gesture. Add the movement of your physical body. Make a full-bodied gesture as big as you can without losing your balance. Continue the gesture in your imagination for three beats after your physical body reaches its fullest expression. Then release all energy as you return to Ideal Universal Self. Then do Oreo cookie Flyback.
Ways to play with this tool:
Guidelines to doing AG's -
BBEEP: Breath, Body, Extreme Polarity, Effort, and PASS. This is designed to help you remember five questions to lead your imagination if your AG is not inspiring you or charging your will forces up. "Did I BBEEP my AG?
Breath - One inhale and exhale
Body - Full use of the form, especially pelvis, legs and heel of the hands.
Extreme Polarity - The movement begins in the polar opposite direction of its ending
Effort - 100% commitment of the will with real tension easily done.
PASS - Preparation, Action, Sustain and Stop with clear beginning, middle and end to gesture.
Do it fully physically as possible with strong concentration on the tool. Make notes of feelings, sensations, images that are evoked.
Add random sound, eventually text, monologues, improvs, and scenes. Make notes of feelings, sensations, etc.
Gradually veil the tool as you apply it to text and blocking. Make notes...
Use scale of 0-10 or percentages (0%-100%) when practicing tool using veiling in increments. Add varying tempos to expansion/contraction and QOM, call out random scale numbers and/or elements to see what happens. (Do it unveiled first and then gradually veil it).
Oreo Cookie Flyback/Self Evaluation:
1) Overall, what did I like about what I just did?
2) What can I add to make it better?
3) What was my favorite moment?
Click on videos to view an overview and demonstration of the tool, Archetypal Gestures:
Where we explore the technique Chekhov called Archetypal Gestures (AG). It is exploring "why" the energy is expanding/contracting. If we imagine that expansion/contraction is the primary WHAT of energy's movement patterns, and Qualities of Movement are the HOW that energy moves, then the AG's are WHY energy expands and contracts. For example, the energy expands to push or contracts to pull. There are 10 basic AG's: pull, pull, lift, smash, gather, throw, penetrate, tear, drag and reach. The first six are considered primary AG's and the last four are secondary AG's. It is a list based on functionality. Every gesture imaginable can ultimately be pared down to these 10. An Archetypal gesture is the largest possible gesture of a primal intention. It is pure WILL with no justification and no emotional value placed to it. It should charge the whole body with the urge/desire to push, pull, etc with a universal neutral attitude. However, when you add a reason or emotion it can become a Psychological gesture (PG - well known technique in the Chekhov process). The AG becomes a training tool to develop the PG's in a scene or monologue. These are named after the elements of the earth, water, air and light which are used as a metaphor to express the full potential "HOW" of the expansion/contraction.
How do we do an AG:
Begin in an Ideal Universal Stance. Imagine your energy body is a large sheath or aura surrounding your physical body in the same shape yet larger and is activated by impulses coming from your Individual Artistic Center. Concentrate on the image of your energy body initiating the gesture. Add the movement of your physical body. Make a full-bodied gesture as big as you can without losing your balance. Continue the gesture in your imagination for three beats after your physical body reaches its fullest expression. Then release all energy as you return to Ideal Universal Self. Then do Oreo cookie Flyback.
Ways to play with this tool:
Guidelines to doing AG's -
BBEEP: Breath, Body, Extreme Polarity, Effort, and PASS. This is designed to help you remember five questions to lead your imagination if your AG is not inspiring you or charging your will forces up. "Did I BBEEP my AG?
Breath - One inhale and exhale
Body - Full use of the form, especially pelvis, legs and heel of the hands.
Extreme Polarity - The movement begins in the polar opposite direction of its ending
Effort - 100% commitment of the will with real tension easily done.
PASS - Preparation, Action, Sustain and Stop with clear beginning, middle and end to gesture.
Do it fully physically as possible with strong concentration on the tool. Make notes of feelings, sensations, images that are evoked.
Add random sound, eventually text, monologues, improvs, and scenes. Make notes of feelings, sensations, etc.
Gradually veil the tool as you apply it to text and blocking. Make notes...
Use scale of 0-10 or percentages (0%-100%) when practicing tool using veiling in increments. Add varying tempos to expansion/contraction and QOM, call out random scale numbers and/or elements to see what happens. (Do it unveiled first and then gradually veil it).
Oreo Cookie Flyback/Self Evaluation:
1) Overall, what did I like about what I just did?
2) What can I add to make it better?
3) What was my favorite moment?
Click on videos to view an overview and demonstration of the tool, Archetypal Gestures:
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Art of the Actor - Lenard Petit on the Chekhov Technique
I've been reading and studying a screenplay for my next film project. Hence, why I haven't posted any other explorations and journals from my daily acting workout. I've been simply jotting down my first impressions, as I allow my imagination to soak in all the images from every reading of my next film project. I was encouraged to discover Chekhov enthusiast, Anthony Hopkins reads his screenplays 500 times before he even sets foot on the set! Jotting down all sorts of impressions! A tool that Chekhov promotes all actors to do as part of their process. Now that's discipline...continuous acting!
In the meantime, I wanted to share a video with you from Lenard Petit on the Art of the Actor. He expounds on the Chekhov technique in a very succinct way! Take a look and allow your Higher Creative Self soak it in! Enjoy!
http://vimeo.com/peydro/actor
In the meantime, I wanted to share a video with you from Lenard Petit on the Art of the Actor. He expounds on the Chekhov technique in a very succinct way! Take a look and allow your Higher Creative Self soak it in! Enjoy!
http://vimeo.com/peydro/actor
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Qualities of Movement: Degrees of Resistance - Molding, Flowing, Flying, Radiating
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!
**Late Addition to Blog:
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!
**Late Addition to Blog:
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Expansion/Contraction: The Pulse of Life
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:
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:
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