During Practice Day I tried to bring my mind to stillness throughout the day and just enjoy the unfolding world. My intention was to practice all day in different ways: on the cushion, eating a cookie in the lounge, driving, visiting, whatever. In Desolate Delight I felt like I walked into some strange town populated by people with roughly the same intention.
I liked the way you played with sound- dragging the lamps across the floor, the stones in a box, the tape, a note or two on the piano. It was just enough and it was delightful. In my town, this is the way people play/music/move/dance.
I was less satisfied with the spoken words. I've experimented with improvised text and it always seems to me to be the most difficult aspect of improvised performance. Things break down so easily. I wonder if we might develop a specific training or set of practices around improvised language. Does anyone do that? Seems like theater people probably do. I'd be interested in ideas about how to develop skills in this area.
deSoLAte/deLigHT project initiates a year-long investigation into the creation of performance art based in the establishment of a culture. The culture will commit to creative processes that are enhanced by contemplative art practices, such as sitting meditation practice, instructions from the Dharma Art teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and images from general systems theory. From this culture will arise an expression that represents the combined myths and stories of this moment-in-time. We will re-member, re-create and un-fold surprise.
The project was first explored during the ‘dance.art.lab’ in May 2007 on the Nalanda campus of Naropa U. During these 5 days/6 hours a day, disciplines and values came into focus. The new performance art form ‘AUNTS’, which invites immediate, direct, and complete expression from those present is the instigator. Waiting for the space to tell us what to do sets the tone both for embodied disciplines and mutual engagement with our shared conversations through movement, text, sound and silence.
1 comment:
During Practice Day I tried to bring my mind to stillness throughout the day and just enjoy the unfolding world. My intention was to practice all day in different ways: on the cushion, eating a cookie in the lounge, driving, visiting, whatever. In Desolate Delight I felt like I walked into some strange town populated by people with roughly the same intention.
I liked the way you played with sound- dragging the lamps across the floor, the stones in a box, the tape, a note or two on the piano. It was just enough and it was delightful. In my town, this is the way people play/music/move/dance.
I was less satisfied with the spoken words. I've experimented with improvised text and it always seems to me to be the most difficult aspect of improvised performance. Things break down so easily. I wonder if we might develop a specific training or set of practices around improvised language. Does anyone do that? Seems like theater people probably do. I'd be interested in ideas about how to develop skills in this area.
Thanks for the "show."
Love,
Mark
Post a Comment