In the Studio

Performer with a Capital letter is a man of action. He is not somebody who plays another. He is a doer, a priest, a warrior. He is outside aesthetic genres. Ritual is performance, an accomplished action, an act. Performer is a state of being. To performer, knowledge stands as duty and knowledge is a matter of doing.
(Jerzy Grotowski, 1990)

Barefoot On the back. Beginning again for the first time. Rhythm and circulation of breathing. Emptying the cackling head in the body. Engaged relaxation, meeting the floor, eyes open, waking in time and over time, seeing the work space, seeing the others.

The body meets itself through engaged relaxation, self-awareness without selfinvolvement. The dynamic of give and take begins. The body meets itself by establishing its presence in the workspace and direct contact with others.

See them. Feel them with and without touching. Full circulating breath and freedom to explore through physical contact, serious play. Give and take.

Working alone or in relation to others, there is always a partner.The way is through authenticity rather than role playing. Yet through play we can find that which reveals and is genuine.

An energy is generated through dynamic movement of the body, natural breathing, moving out, knowing the floor and exploring the room and everything in it. The circulating breath brings greater physical and perceptual stamina.

Much is possible in this energized state. Doing and reacting. To prance, gallop, take flight. The energy is a springboard in search of that which is personal or private while maintaining contact through give and take, present and conscious. The associations flow
when you are engaged with commitment, working with your whole self.

The physical and vocal training is grounded in Stanislawski’s perception of the organic basis of all physical actions and Grotowski’s practice of unblocking the body resonators on the way to finding one’s voice.

All training is unlearning and discovering again. To go forward one must go back - to begin for the first time. Thus, the work requires commitment to build strength and stamina of body and mind. One meets laziness. Ineffective habits and techniques. The process is one of eliminating blocks on the path to fulfilling one’s creative potential.

The workspace is a landscape. Floor. Earth. Beach. Safe for the body, breathe, heartbeat, rhythm, sweat, play, sense and sensuality. Present. Attentive, Still. Seeing, waiting, standing. Holding and letting go. Falling in the river. The rush and mix of spontaneous memories, new experiences. Exhaustion. Fresh inspiration...
(Peter Rose, 1999)