Description

In this residency, which introduces basic acting skills, students learn to explore and physicalize emotional states, using their bodies, faces, breath, and voices in order to make tableaux and tell stories as performers. We use the Sanskrit words for these emotions, and their translations: shringara (love and happiness), bibhatsa (disgust), karuna (sadness), raudra (anger), hasya (laughter, the comic), and adbhuta (surprise and wonder).

We warm up with music and imagery, using our imaginations to embody the elements and creatures in nature and characters such as superheroes and other figures students are familiar with. Students engage with the performer’s disciplines of movement and stillness, and taking on an attitude of “calm body,” which shows readiness and listening.

The emotions are laid out in a grid on the floor, with shanta (peace) at the center. This grid allows for exercises and games to be played in which students relate to one another from different emotions (see www.rasaboxes.com for information about the origins of this work).

The Social Emotional Learning aspect of this program focuses on recognizing the value of ALL emotions as important information about our experience and needs and mindfulness techniques for helping us to communicate with others about our emotions, even when they are difficult or hard to contain.

The program may go in the direction of creating a short performance to be shared with others, or may integrate subject matter a teacher is working with, or just focus on the exploration itself.

Pricing

Typically, residencies range from $2,500 and up, but we can use your available budget and ‘work backwards’ to create a cost-effective residency for your school. We may be able to assist you in securing grant and funding opportunities.

Residencies are tailored to your needs but usually include:

• • A kick-off assembly (performing arts only)
  • A required orientation meeting and planning session
  • A set of workshops for classes of up to 25 students each
  • A student culminating or sharing event
  • An evaluation meeting