SENSITIVE
BODIES
A performance to explain how we are clustered into
groups which make us homogeneous and, despite our efforts to become free and
creative people, we always end up being part of some of these groups.
First movement: Entering the Square
The entrance into the Square will be from the Town
Hall, at different times, at different speeds and in different groups of
people. The idea is the following:
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3 or 4 people come
out leisurely, and they stand in a variety of places on the Square.
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2 or 3 people (or
more) enter running and they stand on the Square too, or among the audience.
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A big group of
people enters the Square walking, the ones who will stop first have to be the
first to begin walking, and the last ones to enter will be the last to stop.
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Those remaining
enter too.
Second movement: Listening
Everyone has to detect the sounds in that place,
become familiar with them and turn towards the sources of sound with their eyes
open or closed. They can turn towards the sound by using
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just their head
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their head and
upper body
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their entire body
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or just pointing
with a finger or entire hand
Third Movement: Forming a group
Those who are outside the Square begin to walk into
the square, collecting the others they come across as they go. A group is
formed in the centre of the Square.
Fourth movement: Marching in Squares
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Everyone is in
their place in the group and waits for the order to begin to march.
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Here we make 2
squares marching, four steps every time, like soldiers but without moving our
arms.
Here we divide the people into 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s
Fifth movement: Solo performances – 1s
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Throughout this,
those in the group keep doing knee-bends, very slowly
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The 1s leave the
group to do their individual movements in the Square “dancing to the sounds of
the city” that have previously been identified, if necessary improvising.
MIREIA (a member of the 1s) begins when everyone has already finished their
movements and has begun to enter the group again.
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When MIREIA is
finishing her own movements, the group goes towards her and reabsorbs her back
into the group.
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Everybody begins a
slow right to left swaying movement.
Sixth movement: Solo performances - 2s
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The group keeps
doing the slow right to left swaying movement.
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The 2s leave the group
to do their individual movements in the Square “dancing to the sounds of the
city” that have previously been identified, if necessary improvising. PEPA (a
member of the 2s) begins when everyone has already finished their movements and
has begun to enter the group again.
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When PEPA is
finishing her own movements, the group goes towards her and reabsorbs her back
into the group.
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Everybody begins to
go slowly up onto tiptoe and down again.
Seventh movement: Solo performances - 3s
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The group keeps
going slowly up onto tiptoe and down again
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The 3s leave the
group to do their individual movements in the Square “dancing to the sounds of
the city” that have previously been identified, if necessary improvising. MATEO
(a member of the 3s) begins when everyone has already finished their movements
and has begun to enter the group again.
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When MATEO is
finishing her own movements, the group goes towards him and reabsorbs him back
into the group.
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Everybody begins to
sway slowly backwards and forwards.
Eighth movement: Solo performances – 4s
(Those from the University of Winchester)
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The group keeps
swaying slowly backwards and forwards.
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The 4s leave the
group to do their individual movements in the Square “dancing to the sounds of
the city” that have previously been identified, if necessary improvising. A
PERSON (a member of the 4s) begins when everyone has already finished their
movements and has begun to enter the group again.
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When THAT PERSON is
finishing his/her own movements, the group goes towards him/her and reabsorbs
him/her back into the group.
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Everybody begins to
move … in slow motion.
Ninth movement:
Slow motion squares
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When everyone
arrives at the place where the last of the 4s was doing his/her movements,
squares are done in slow motion (just the same as the 4th movement,
four steps each time)
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In this case, the
steps are accompanied with arm movement.
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When the two slow
motion squares are finished, everyone quickly runs off into different parts of
the Square to dance to the sounds of the city in twos.
Tenth movement: Pair work
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Everyone runs
quickly off to the specific place in the Square they have decided to dance in.
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Everybody works in
pairs (movement dialogues, action-reaction, movement conversation, changing
levels, lifts ...)
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Pair work becomes
working in small groups, filling the spaces left by the other bodies.
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Everyone keeps on
dancing until the church bell strikes 8pm.
Eleventh movement: Chimes
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People have to get
back into the group again, from wherever they are, when the church bell chimes
all the four quarters.
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With the eight
strikes of the church bell at 8pm, people can move “ad libitum”, in big free
movements, ending up in their original position in the group on the 8th
strike to prepare for the final movement.
Twelfth movement: Final Squares + bow.
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We march the last 2
squares when we hear the order.
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These should be at
the same rhythm as the one at the beginning.
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When we finish the
two squares, we bow to the audience.