STRUCTURE OF THE PERFORMANCE

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:

-                3 or 4 people come out leisurely, and they stand in a variety of places on the Square.

-                2 or 3 people (or more) enter running and they stand on the Square too, or among the audience.

-                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.

-                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

-                just their head

-                their head and upper body

-                their entire body

-                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

-                Everyone is in their place in the group and waits for the order to begin to march.

-                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

-                Throughout this, those in the group keep doing knee-bends, very slowly

-                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.

-                When MIREIA is finishing her own movements, the group goes towards her and reabsorbs her back into the group.

-                Everybody begins a slow right to left swaying movement.

Sixth movement: Solo performances - 2s

-                The group keeps doing the slow right to left swaying movement.

-                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.

-                When PEPA is finishing her own movements, the group goes towards her and reabsorbs her back into the group.

-                Everybody begins to go slowly up onto tiptoe and down again.

Seventh movement: Solo performances - 3s

-                The group keeps going slowly up onto tiptoe and down again

-                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.

-                When MATEO is finishing her own movements, the group goes towards him and reabsorbs him back into the group.

-                Everybody begins to sway slowly backwards and forwards.

Eighth movement: Solo performances – 4s (Those from the University of Winchester)

-                The group keeps swaying slowly backwards and forwards.

-                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.

-                When THAT PERSON is finishing his/her own movements, the group goes towards him/her and reabsorbs him/her back into the group.

-                Everybody begins to move … in slow motion.

Ninth movement: Slow motion squares

-                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 4^th movement, four steps each time)

-                In this case, the steps are accompanied with arm movement.

-                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

-                Everyone runs quickly off to the specific place in the Square they have decided to dance in.

-                Everybody works in pairs (movement dialogues, action-reaction, movement conversation, changing levels, lifts ...)

-                Pair work becomes working in small groups, filling the spaces left by the other bodies.

-                Everyone keeps on dancing until the church bell strikes 8pm.

Eleventh movement: Chimes

-                People have to get back into the group again, from wherever they are, when the church bell chimes all the four quarters. 

-                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 8^th strike to prepare for the final movement.

Twelfth movement: Final Squares + bow.

-                We march the last 2 squares when we hear the order.

-                These should be at the same rhythm as the one at the beginning.

-                When we finish the two squares, we bow to the audience.