a working week

I seem to have finished my working week.

MA students on Monday were treated to more body mapping – this time we focused on the pelvis and psoas muscle. They modelled plasticine pelvises to help them really understand its shape and intricacies.

It is lucky I happen to have several model pelvises for them to look at and copy: some years ago when I was still driving in London and had a car, I travelled back very late one night from the airport to my garage under a block on my estate. I always thought it would make an excellent set for West Side Story with its gloomy interior and rows of garages with graffiti, with such eloquence as ‘Mirati, I sucked your mother’...... So it wasn’t too surprising when I discovered the garage opposite my own had been used as a storage space, abandoned, and the front door wrenched off its hinges and the contents scattered in front of mine. None too pleased and very tired, cursing under my breath, I began using my foot to kick and nudge the stuff out of the way so I could park up my own car....and then I realised what it was I was irreverently booting about – model bones!! It had obviously been a store of a model skeleton maker. As well as model pelvises, there were vertebrae, shin bones, ribs, jaw, a hand made from real bone.....all of which I jammed into a black bin liner for future use. Sadly no skull. How very weird, that of all people to find it, it would be me, who could recognise and recycle such treasure! So that’s why it’s easy for my MA students to have a pelvis between two to copy and model out of plasticine...

I also gave them Feldenkrais exercises to help work the psoas muscle, plus the mindfulness of breathing meditation, o and a great ‘Happening’, their 5 minute exercise in Alexander thinking whilst performing.

This ‘Happening’ was entitled ‘Passion and nihilism’, and several of the instructions were for them to be caressing, swaying, hugging each other. Two were to flirt/and look for someone flirting with them, before embracing. Since the instructions are handed out randomly, I never know who will get which instruction, and in the first group it was a couple of straight guys who took AGES to find out and get over their embarrassment at having to come on to each other. Riveting to watch – very in the moment.

I spent a lot of time this week on finding good photos for the new design for http://www.alexanderingreece.com/ . I set up a ‘drop box’ on the computer so I could share the files with Kim who is doing the design for me in return for her Alexander lessons. Very useful device the dropbox. (http://www.dropbox.com/) Here are a couple of pix out of the 70 I chose! I looked at them all and thought, ‘wow what a wonderful place’ and ‘I wish I was going on a workshop there!’ So that has to be good.

On Tuesday I visited Refia Sack’s training school at the Highbury Centre for Alexander Technique. There are a lovely bunch of students there and a great atmosphere. I gave a few turns, watched the hands on groups, and took part in the overtone singing practice. My pal Judith was taking that. She and her husband Peter who both come to Alonnisos were both teaching that day. I always love the tea breaks on trainings. Ilana’s has an early lunch every morning, Karen’s have toast and tea, and HCATT tea and chocolate biscuits! They all had a nice lie down too.

After the session Judith and I had a coffee afterwards to chew the cud – plans afoot for a weekend conference on the Performing Self in the autumn, and a general catch up. We don’t live that far for each other, but we are all busy teaching and don’t manage to meet up that often. She has promised to lend me a violin which I am excited about – another personal project for me to learn how to play. She and Peter play cello and double bass and her sons also play stringed instruments. A very accomplished musical family.

In the evening I met Eleni my Greek friend form Thessaloniki who has started training at Anthony’s. (They don’t have communal tea and snacks, but go out to local cafes or bring their own in ) I took her to the beginner’s Chi Kung class with Master Lam. I enjoyed it very much this week – we were doing an exercise where the arms were mimicking the movement of the diaphragm.

On Wednesday I had my own Alexander lesson with Sue Laurie who teaches actors at the National. She it is who helps the puppeteers for War Horse that is doing so well in the West End. We swap work every fortnight, and is such a crucial part of my continuing learning. O the joy of being given a table turn and discovering I can free my left leg even more.

My theme in my teaching this week seems to be the nowness of being. I found something on this on YouTube and when I was waiting for my students to arrive, sat gently using the breathing meditation The lessons became more proactive, the students livening up under my hands as they widened their attention. I am reading Matthieu Ricard’s ‘Happiness: a guide to developing life’s most important skill’ which is advocating this too.
On Thursday two of my assistants at ArtsEd were unable to come at the last minute, so I re-organised the class and worked them between the two of us and set up the ‘changing clothes’ day next week. Every year after the half term they all have to come in with clothes they don’t habitually wear. This takes some discussion and I get their peers to instruct them on what to wear, so they can’t cheat. They all want me to change clothes too – I think this year will be the big hair heels make-up and floral patterned dress. Sigh. I am definitely not allowed to wear black. I have a double whammy as the MA’s do this too, so today I had the same discussions with them. No I am not coming to college in evening dress or leopard skin with cleavage showing ......I clearly still fulfil some young boys’ fantasies!
2nd years presented their Noel Coward plays yesterday and today: Private Lives and Present Laughter. Very challenging in both genre and accent for present day 19/20 year olds, and they all had a good stab at it, one or two really bringing it off.

I made little notes about their use to work with when I see them next week. Are they collapsing or pulling down, are they poking their head forward as their character gets irate (and in those plays they all get irate!), are their shoulders relaxed, are they too tense, interfering with the flow of the piece.....? They have been working with me now a year and a half, so want to be able to transform themselves from their habits. It’s so tricky when they are nervous –that’s when habit can all come flooding back, and Garry walks penguin style, and Amanda leans back....and Henry sits like a 21st century football fan....hmmm