Using Text

As a practitioner who always leans towards using words before exploring the other physical options, I have found exploring text extremely useful.

When I first made Ove, the text wasn't needed. I was telling the audience what they could already see through my body language.
When I performed my solo interim assessment I added text at the start to, what I thought, contextualize the piece, but in actual fact I just confused the whole thing and took more away than I added. 
When improvising with Sam, and adding text on top of a duet AFTER seeing what messages were conveyed through the movement I started to understand how text can be used as an addition to movement as opposed to a start point. 

WHO is speaking?
WHAT is being said?
HOW is it being said?
WHY is is being spoken?
WHO is it being said too?
WHAT words need emphasis?

1. Work on saying the text in different moods

• cold/freezing
• hot
• scared
• paranoid
• eating lemon
• underwater
• itchy
• like a politician
• selling your t-shirt
• holding weights

Good to get used to saying the text and also helps explore links between body language and voice.

2. Identify VERBS in the text in order to give them focus

3. Split the text into different parts

• Physically show what is being said
• Distinguish the ups and downs

​For example...

The first video of Sam and I looks at the stage in our process where we had created movement initially based on some key words - concentration, imagination, scale, tumble, jeering and rise. We began by splitting the text equally and having the movements in unison but it wasn't clear who we were, where we were or what we were doing! So after some feedback we went down the route of 2 sides of consciousness and instead of splitting the text equally instead split it positive vs negative and made my movement quality and therefore my vocal quality sharp, constricted and frustrated.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChunCi1FjZY

The next video, shows a progression and development stage into me having a clearer disgust towards Sam and his words and movements having much more of an effect on me. It gives the duet a sense of oppression, putting yourself down and struggle which the rest of the class seemed to like. From here we would work on making the relationship between Sam and I even clearer.

• Is he a real person?
• Is he another part of my mind?
• Is he manipulating me or am I doing it to myself?
• How can the use of text and repetition and eye contact make this clear?

​www.youtube.com/watch?v=DObU4iiAND4​

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​I would like to use the text from the well known song 'If you are happy and you know it' as part of my final assessment. 
​
I have started of by exploring HOW it can be said, experimenting with the quality of my voice due to the physicality of my body and how this changes the rhythm. To be slow and punctuate every 3rd word gives a dark, sinister feeling; to smile and be full of air creates a childish, playful quality and naturally goes faster; to speak in a monotone voice with a stillness in the body gives a depressed state and therefore a bold contrast between the text and voice/physicality. ​