Movement warm up︎︎︎
A formal warm up sequence can sometimes get a group connected through moving in unison and learning basic dance technique forms. It's a good idea to introduce the material as movement and not dance as some non-trained participants can get intimidated by the idea of dancing. 3-5 exercises are enough and if you meet the group on a regular basis, you can build on the sequences.
Starting on the floor with breathing and simple hip circles is a good way to get grounded. Yoga is usually a form that most people know and it can come in handy in transition from the floor to standing sequences. Once the group is on their feet, do a series of reaches and short lunges in a simple set of directions (front, side, back, side). This can also be designed to get the group to sense the space you are working in. Remind them to see the walls and directions as they move.
Next, you can build off the same design in terms of direction in space, but make the movements larger and the lunges deeper, possibly adding shoulder rolls and full arcs of the arms in space. Getting the group to feel gravity and weight transfer through the legs under the floor will ground them in the work later.
Staring a simple gesture base can also be a great way to play with easy movement that everyone can learn. These gesture bases can also be used in improvisations or assignments later.
Starting on the floor with breathing and simple hip circles is a good way to get grounded. Yoga is usually a form that most people know and it can come in handy in transition from the floor to standing sequences. Once the group is on their feet, do a series of reaches and short lunges in a simple set of directions (front, side, back, side). This can also be designed to get the group to sense the space you are working in. Remind them to see the walls and directions as they move.
Next, you can build off the same design in terms of direction in space, but make the movements larger and the lunges deeper, possibly adding shoulder rolls and full arcs of the arms in space. Getting the group to feel gravity and weight transfer through the legs under the floor will ground them in the work later.
Staring a simple gesture base can also be a great way to play with easy movement that everyone can learn. These gesture bases can also be used in improvisations or assignments later.
︎︎︎from Rob Kitsos
Welcome to mapping collaboration, a toolbox for workshopping and creating across disciplines...
In spite of a long history of interdisciplinary creation, from our earliest recorded arts to our present moment, artistic pedagogy has created divisions between disciplines. This has left artists in a "post-Babel" condition where we don't share the same language and definitions. It’s also encouraged artists to develop practices for devising, creating and composing work that are distinct to their disciplines.
In spite of a long history of interdisciplinary creation, from our earliest recorded arts to our present moment, artistic pedagogy has created divisions between disciplines. This has left artists in a "post-Babel" condition where we don't share the same language and definitions. It’s also encouraged artists to develop practices for devising, creating and composing work that are distinct to their disciplines.
The inspiration for this project came from faculty and students at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts where BFA, MFA and PhD programs in Dance, Theatre Production and Design, Visual Art, Film, and Music and Sound all work together in studio settings and playfully experiment with processes of art-making.
We wanted to create a database of projects, assignments and theory that we collect inside the studio and from research happening in other places. We are curious about how we collaborate and how structures reoccur, translate and deviate from one discipline to another.
Composition is central to these processes and offers a base for our approaches and experiments. We are excited about what our students are doing and inspired by the new languages in contemporary art and performance we continue to see develop.
︎︎︎select a category above to build assignments, learn more about how artists process ideas across disciplines and to create a collaborative process of your own
︎︎︎these tools are collected and used in workshops and classes; some are resources from artists; some are quotes about art-making and how bodies think and listen; others are ideas to expand and disrupt your own training and processes.
︎︎︎Each idea is intentially short- and not meant to be executed as written, but to be adapted to your own practice and specific project/context. Some may be taken in parts or combined with others to spark new ways of training and making together.
︎︎︎submit your own ideas and tools so we can keep building this site!
︎︎︎select a category above to build assignments, learn more about how artists process ideas across disciplines and to create a collaborative process of your own
︎︎︎these tools are collected and used in workshops and classes; some are resources from artists; some are quotes about art-making and how bodies think and listen; others are ideas to expand and disrupt your own training and processes.
︎︎︎Each idea is intentially short- and not meant to be executed as written, but to be adapted to your own practice and specific project/context. Some may be taken in parts or combined with others to spark new ways of training and making together.
︎︎︎submit your own ideas and tools so we can keep building this site!
