On February 6, I attended a workshop with Simon Bell about the Solo Project. There we explored the theory of Jacques Lecoq, focusing on the aspect of movement. We did various exercises, and with each one, we would come back as a group to discuss our findings. We talked about how the focus of where the movement is driven from can impact the body and the way they react within a space. If one acts like they are being pushed, people felt tense on their feet. Meanwhile, when we envisioned movement while looking up, everyone acknowledged how the body was more loose and free. After that, we were given individual work time to choose a monologue and apply that theory. I choose a monologue from Ruined by Lynn Nottage. There I noted moments where the movement can be loose or tense for the character named Salima. For example, in the beginning, when she reminiscing her morning, she can have loose movement driven by her own body. on the other hand, when the character is faced with the threat of another person, they can be tenser, showing a lack of control in their own movements. After our work time, we worked with a partner to get feedback from, to improve upon our performance. After that, some were given an opportunity to perform their piece.
Overall, with the workshop, I learned that I needed more explorations on applying the theory to my monologue. And so from there, I planned on doing more direct explorations with my theory, by playing around with the projections themselves. Along with this, I learned how important the interaction is with the audience. In the part where we had to receive feedback, I learned that it was important to try out every suggestion and to find growth with every interaction.