Confusion is not an Objective

Yesterday in DRA 10 we rehearsed one of the scenes from Proof and when I asked Nini her objective she said she was confused. That's when I shouted today's title. "Confusion is not an Objective." My class is having a hard time thinking actively. It's very odd since they are completely present and active in improvs, but once scripted text is added they freeze up.

I have no problem with activity right now. With Measure for Measure opening last week and Nest opening on Friday, my parents arriving on Thursday and all of my classwork, my brain and body are in a constant state of motion. Our department is such in a state of flux that we our all unsettled. There is never complete rest.

I could fill you in on all of that bullshit, but I prefer to share a bit of positive success.

So, as you know I have been working since fall on the movement style of languid. Barbara commented in our first movement class that I was very angular -- or in Laban terms I was strong and direct. She also noticed that I never move on the diagonal. Since then I have made deliberate strides to lighten my angles and work on different planes. She charged me to play with Languid in our first observation assignment and I watched some clips of Jessica Lange. I also did a short movement sequence or "day in the life" if you will.

This quarter we had to pick a monologue and play with movement that was very different than our own. When I asked Barbara for suggestion she wanted to me to continue with Languid. I picked a monologue from Ellen McLaughlin's Helen and added a movement score. I was very dance-y but very sensual. When I showed the class, Sara said that she felt like she was watching someone else. Since we are playing more with Laban this quarter, as an exercise I had to do all of my movement/blocking in the opposite style from what I created. So since my movements were all sustained and light, I had to make them sudden and heavy. For some reason I kept the directness, so I had to play with INdirect. The lovely caress of my hand on my face became these weird slaps. It really shook things up and became comical. However, I was now outside of my body and into my head. Since I had to think about each gesture and then figure out how to endow it with opposite qualities. But it got me thinking in new ways.

The third time though Barbara asked me to think about where my movement initiates from. When I (as Helen) leaned forward to talk to Io my pelvis tilted down and the energy traveled to my chest before I spoke. All of a sudden I was back in my body and the gestures were more realistic and less dance-like. I have to say it was impressive and that no one wanted to show their monologue next. We spent the rest of the class talking about how movement can/should stay within the body and not go to the head. It was an interesting conversation, but I think my classmates were just nervous about showing theirs.

In all actuality I really didn't care. I mean, I was languid.