Rasabox︎︎︎
Rasabox is a movement technique developed by
the theater director and scholar Richard Schechner, which focuses on exploring
the relationship between emotions, physical sensations, and movement.
The name "Rasabox" comes from the Sanskrit word "rasa," which means "emotion," and "box," which refers to the nine emotional states that the technique explores. These states are:
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A typical Rasabox exercise involves nine performers arranged in a square or circle, with each performer representing one of the nine emotional states. The performers may be standing, sitting, or moving around within their designated space. As the exercise progresses, each performer takes turns expressing their emotion through movement and vocalization, while the other performers observe and respond.
The movements and vocalizations associated with each emotion are typically stylized and exaggerated, and may involve gestures, facial expressions, and vocal sounds that reflect the particular emotional state. The performers may also interact with each other, either through mirroring, responding, or contrasting each other's movements and sounds.
The name "Rasabox" comes from the Sanskrit word "rasa," which means "emotion," and "box," which refers to the nine emotional states that the technique explores. These states are:
- Shanta (peace)
- Raudra (anger)
- Hasya (laughter)
- Karuna (compassion)
- Veera (courage)
- Bhayanaka (fear)
- Adbhuta (wonder)
- Bibhatsa (disgust)
- Shringara (love)
A typical Rasabox exercise involves nine performers arranged in a square or circle, with each performer representing one of the nine emotional states. The performers may be standing, sitting, or moving around within their designated space. As the exercise progresses, each performer takes turns expressing their emotion through movement and vocalization, while the other performers observe and respond.
The movements and vocalizations associated with each emotion are typically stylized and exaggerated, and may involve gestures, facial expressions, and vocal sounds that reflect the particular emotional state. The performers may also interact with each other, either through mirroring, responding, or contrasting each other's movements and sounds.
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!
