#AdventuresWithE

I'm a theatre practitioner who travels around the United States, as well as abroad, teaching physical theatre, creating devised work and performing as a professional actor. Enjoy the photos and lessons from my adventures!

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Within the arts exists a way to connect across countries, cultures and backgrounds. We only need the desire to understand and the drive to create!

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Insight to IUGTE-Tuscany Ensemble

Passions/Interests/Influences of my fellow Arts Oasis participants: Aslam (Sydney, Australia): An actor/writer/performance maker that uses intermedia & multimedia in performances and rehearsals. Interested in creating work that currently explores the intersection between reality and imagination. Joanna (Pembrokeshire, Wales): Fundamentally creates work that is dance, whether that's the movement of materials through processes, or film imagery, or the dancer's body. Hsing-ya (Taípei, Taiwan): A dancer/choreographer who uses various contemporary dance forms in her work which is overall inspired by the natural world around us. Uses the flow of energy to find, observe and renew in the belief that all can stimulate the body and imagination. Primarily choreographs using time & memory. Asdis (Reykjavik, Iceland): A performance artist who is passionate about creating work that only happens once. Inspired by chance and improvised magic, and primarily prepares her work with text and extensive planning. Cynthia (Bern, Switzerland): A dancer/choreographer/director/performer who uses all experiences as a human, such as moving to various countries throughout her life and family history, to inspire her work. Influenced by tribal dance, Hitchcock's cinematic rhythm and filmmaker Andrew Morrish's constant movement improv. Gaby (Capetown, South Africa): A director/choreographer/performer interested in changing/evolving contemporary dance. Passionate about creating theatre that can never leave a specific space so she enjoys develops pieces in a site, with a site and from a site. Mait (Tallann, Estonia): Process is influenced by animal work and using centering physical practices which create invisible technique work. Interested in working from text first and then inserting the needed energy at the final moment. Joy (Pasadena, CA; USA): A dancer/choreographer who utilizes Fletcher's Pilates, for crosstraining/longevity of body use, as well as Laban and stage mapping. Influenced by holistic modern dance, commercial jazz/hip hop and Trisha Brown's work of accumulation. Leena (Nazareth, Palestine): A dancer/dance teacher/choreographer who is influenced by Picasso's geometrical shapes, Israeli contemporary movement as well as the observation of gestures in space with weight. Passionate about creating movement as music that comes from emotions in the moment rather than those fabricated by planning. Alex (NY, NY; USA): A dancer/choreographer heavily influenced by Gaga technique in fine tune awareness of movement. Passionate about creating work that involves a connection between different forms of art and beyond. Luca (New Castle, UK): Interested in creating devised work as well as developing pieces in the voice style of Ros Steen. Passionate about viewing text as a physical thing to manipulate. Gisella (Rio, Brazil): A dancer/choreographer/performance maker interested in work that teaches one to pay attention to the body. Passionate about the process to speak only through physical contact. Marta (Salvador, Brazil): Influenced by poetry, photography, cinema as well as human rights and enjoys combining all of these artistic mediums. Her work is inspired by the movement of planes and animal. Passionate about following through with an idea no matter the obstacles. Sinéad (Waterford, Ireland): A theatre maker who works with applied theatre & play-back theatre. Passionate about the deconstruction of text, creating sight-specific work and playing with the relationship between audience and performer. Katie (Brighton, UK): A dancer/choreographer who works with contemporary style dance combining Cunningham with Release. Passionate about taking a theoretical approach using intention first to create and focusing on a task-based process. Works to create a world on stage in a potentially unconventional manner. Emily (London, UK): Interested in creating devised work, specifically with an ensemble. Works by taking an idea/concept and approaching it from movement, music and text so to bring it all together. Kate (Munich, Germany/Detroit, Michigan, USA): A performer/director interested in creating art which includes a multi-cultural ensemble. Influenced by Stanislavski, the movement of music and stage combat, she sees the equal combination of all art as a mountain to continously work towards. Bruna (Sorocaba, Brazil): A performer/director influenced by Lecoq's style & Stanislavski's thinking. Passionate about the journey into physical theatre, discovering similarities between artistic mediums, & using muscle memory as a tool to create simple character creations. Claire (Sheffield, UK): A circus performer interested in exploring the circus theatre spectrum and breaking the "fix" in circus movement research. Creates circus movement work by being open to all artistic conversations and engaging with the little objects that make up our every day life. Mina (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): As a dancer/choreographer/director is influenced by hybriding the arts & rhythmic theatre. As a comedian, works with long-form improvisation by observing, documenting & exaggerating. Works with refugees in all genres to create work influenced by Dabka so to honor and preserve the story at hand. Oceana (Maui, CA, USA): Influenced by music & political science in art. Interested in drawing an abstract concept out through a scene in a movement-oriented way to help communicate. Sheraye (Los Angeles, USA): Passionate about bringing process to the audience and using a crossover of arts to do so. Kalyanee (Mumbai, India): Interested in approaching a piece from playwright's perspective first. Passionate about the transmission of energy in performance art context as well as developing a devised collaborative multi-cultural setting. Patricia (Lisbon, Portugal): An actor heavily influenced by Chekhov who believes the most important aspect of art is to be a person first and actor second. Passionate about combining the mind/body/spirit in art as well as sharing cultures to create. Veronika (Uzhgorod, Ukraine): Creates art by combining Latin American dance, Ukrainian dance and the work of light. Luca (Tuscany, Italy): An organizer/artist who is interested in exploring spectator vs. center of action. Inspired by dynamics and pulling things apart to find the core issue at hand. Inga (Tuscany, Italy): Passionate about a fusion of art in a multi-cultural setting & creating work to express that we are nature. Interested in exploring the relationship between artists as well as the root of traditional techniques. E (Cincinnati, OH; USA): A physical theatre practitioner influenced by the movement of nature & shadow work in found spaces. Interested in creating sight-specific devised work as well as deconstructing texts that explore society's perception of gender vs. character.

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Tranquility: a disposition free from stress (i.e. how I feel when I'm resting by/or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea during breaks between workshops!)

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Views of/from the Monastero Santa Croce, the location for the Arts Oasis here in Italy.

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Life Energy Cultivation

Throughout the beginning of this week we have started the morning warm-up with the practice of Tai Chi Qigong, in 18 forms. The overall goals of this practice are to assist in accessing the higher levels of awareness, to kindle one's inner fire, and to help expand human potential. The exact translation of Chi Gong is "Life Energy Cultivation" and in relation to theatre it is certainly a work of energy preparation. In general, Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and calm meditative state of mind. And here in Italy, during this Arts Oasis, this is assisted by the astounding surroundings! You create the circulation of the chi', a vital force that drives the body, by breathing naturally and relaxing the whole body through movement. Breathing in from your nose as you contract and breathing out of your nose as you expand. This helps to gather the energy from all around you, including the mountains and the sea, and draw it into yourself. Then release the unnecessary: the resistance we carry & the negative. There are many practices of Tai Chi Qigong, but our current focus is on internal qigong, which centers on self-care and self-cultivation. We need to prepare our core before we can connect with another's core. Several other concepts from Qigong that apply directly to artistic physical creation include intentional movement, awareness and balance/counterbalance. These Qigong 18 forms are quite mesmerizing to watch and hypnotizing to execute. It is an exploration of balance and duality. Just as we need to prepare our core for physical movement, and our minds for the force/yield challenge that exists in objectives/obstacles, we also need to be aware of the active/passive duality in ourselves. Specifically when are we giving versus when are we receiving. So this morning warm-up practice not only prepares us for the physical creation and practical application through the day, but also for the open discussion in the evening. Since we all vary between artistic mediums and cultures, it's more important than ever to remember to be open to receiving!

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Rich Reminders: Pride in Current Life Path

(This series, "Rich Reminders," revolves around lessons learned/refreshed as a result from conversations with fellow artists. As always, feel free to respond with own opinion on subject at hand.) We are the only ones who judge what we are currently doing in life. When someone asks the question: "what are you working on?," your brain starts questioning your current path if you don't have a concrete answer. We can feel hesitant to say "oh I'm JUST working at a café" or "oh I'm JUST teaching here and there." However, if you are working at a café in Ireland that might be fascinatingly wonderful to someone from South Africa. Or if you are occasionally teaching in South Africa that might be equally as fascinating to someone from Poland! Let us not jump to conclusions about someone else's opinion of our current life journey. Key point to remember: external judgment comes from a lack of understanding. So if someone decides to place judgment on your personal path, then that judgment simply means they are not allowing themselves to understand a fellow human being and it is their loss. So rather than hesitating, when asked about the state of your current life path, you should respond with pride! Not only should you be proud of where you are in this time and space, but this confident response will create an desire in others to know more about you.

[adventures-with-e-blog]

View during the morning Tai Chi warm-up!

[adventures-with-e-blog]

From One Little Spark...

… may burst a flame, at least according to Dante Alighieri.

Arriving here at Monastero Sante Croce, once a place of seclusion to this renowned man, I was taken back by the serenity in the surroundings. The combination of the marble mountains with the Mediterranean Sea was almost too beautiful to believe. No matter where each person was from, we were all immediately united in our awe of the nature around us.

Each Arts Oasis participant has arrived with different training, culture, beliefs, process & expectations. This is a magical meeting and it has created a spark of curiosity in me regarding art/theatre as the true universal language.

Participants have come from all around the world: UK, Australia, Iceland, Estonia, South Africa, Brazil, USA, Poland, Germany, Israel, Emirates, India, Taiwan, & Russia. Participants have also come from all artistic mediums: physical theatre, avant-garde, traditional, repertory, dance, movement-based devised work, choreography, directing, circus work, etc. It’s both humbling and inspiring to be communicating about art across cultures! It reminds you that although your ideas may be unique, the ‘how’ and the 'what’ have existed long before you and will continue to exist after you. However it’s also inspiring since it reminds you that you are not alone in your desire to create. Everyone here is process-based, versus product-based, so it’s quite refreshing to share a similar creative vocabulary!

It’s also intriguing to hear about theatre support in various countries - such as Iceland, the #1 country to produce the highest percentage of theatre makers and also Estonia, where 1 million out of 1.3 million people go onto the arts. But yet in areas of the Middle East theatre degrees are just now being developed!

In general it’s wonderful to discuss these differences between each country, from varying arts cultures to insects - such as fireflies (which are smaller here in Italy!) After seeing fireflies for her first time this week, an Eastern European colleague said: “I feel like a little girl again and finally seeing fairies. I would follow those little lights anywhere.”

Similarly, I would follow this new light or spark being discovered here anywhere and certainly hope it DOES burst a flame!

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Florence continues to inspire new artists as well as remind us to never forget the talent of those who've come before us.

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Florence: Inspiration

It's not surprising that the city that gave birth to the Renaissance is still inspiring artists from all around the world, myself included. This being my first city in Italy I was looking forward to just observing the culture from the outside, however immediately I was embraced as family. For those of you who have not tried AirBnB I highly recommend it! Not only is it less expensive than a hotel, it's also more relaxing and welcoming. In addition there is the plus side of having the ability to unpack a bit, unlike the typical hostel. My first location was south of the Arno River, in Olrarno, an area surrounded by artisans and local-filled restaurants. My host was an artist herself and was more than happy to show some of her pieces to me! She shared with me that although she's been living in Florence for over 20yrs, she is still inspired by this thriving city. There are always new views to take in and uncover - such as the possibility of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Battle of Anghiari" lying hidden behind one of Vasari's frescoes in the Palazzo Vecchio! A great reminder that there are new discoveries to be made, even in the familiar, you simply need to change your point of view and your approach. This is a city that built the Duomo, Florence's cathedral, without the technology to finish the grand dome. But the Florentines knew that someone would soon come to take on that challenge. Build it and not only will they come, but they will achieve the impossible and create wonders that will stand the test of time! It's a city of grand dreams, of confidence, of inspiration. Just as the Renaissance gave this city the confidence it needed to prosper, Florence certainly reminded me that I'm in control of my destiny and my art.

[adventures-with-e-blog]

Arts Oasis - International Residency for Performers

This coming June I will be studying Physical Theatre by the Mediterranean Sea, conversing and creating with fellow artists from across the globe and taking in the breathtaking Italian sights as I educate my artistic spirit! This opportunity is through the International University Global Theatre Experience (IUGTE):

IUGTE was founded with the purpose of exploring the bridge between world theatre traditions and contemporary performing arts. The goal is to support the freedom of creative expression and tolerance through exploring the diversity of world artistic traditions. So far this Global Theatre Experience has reached over 1500 International Participants in over 40 countries! One step at a time in creating unity through art.

While studying with this program, my day will go as followed:

MORNING WARM-UPS: Traditional Chinese Qi Gong practice & Alexander Technique

MORNING PRACTICAL SESSION: Contact & Structural Improvisation, Jerzy Grotowski technique and Meyerhold's Biomechanics

CREATIVE LAB: Method of Eugenio Barba, Kinetic Environment & Viewpoints EVENING CLUB: Creative exchange between international physical actors, directors, dancers and movement artists

I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone, and passing on these physical acting techniques, once I return!! I will be writing about my experiences, as much as I am able to, while I'm studying in Tuscany so please check back for updates! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed and helped me reach this goal!!!