I think this class is definitely the
most valuable class I’ve taken during my time here at Frost. I feel
like it took some time for me to overcome feelings or nervousness
(though I doubt those will ever fully go away) but a huge takeaway for
me is that I just have to trust in myself more! I can get inside my head
a little too much leading up to a performance but once I’m in it, I’m
in it, and I always end up being surprised by how comfortable I am. For
example, I was nervous while waiting for my turn to do my solo piece,
and yet once I started performing, everything felt fine, and the stress I
felt beforehand seemed silly in hindsight. Another takeaway for me from
this class is the importance of working with others. I’ve always
preferred to work by myself and while I think that’s still true, I don’t
dislike group work anymore like I have in the past. Collaborating with
others and being open to new ideas is only beneficial to everyone
involved.
I also appreciated how involved the learning process was for this
class. I find it pretty easy to daydream in other classes, but the work
we did for this one always kept me engaged and present. Everything felt
logical and natural and I always felt that whatever we were working on
in class was worth doing and applicable to other things. Though I
disliked having to dance by myself at first because I was nervous, I
understand now how invaluable that experience is for performers like
myself. I went from feeling scared to have eyes on me, to being
optimistic to share my ideas with others.
A lot of what we learned and worked on in class I already have
started applying to my performances, including my recital earlier in the
month. Thinking back on the recitals I gave in my undergrad, all (or at
least most) of the performances felt stressful before and in the
moment. While this class didn’t help me feel less stressed out before my
recital here at Frost, it helped so much when it came to actual
performance. Once I was on stage I felt liberated, and it reminded me
more of dancing in-class that it did playing percussion on stage.
There’s a level of confidence and composure to what I do now that I
don’t think I would’ve been able to reach without this course, and for
that I am incredibly grateful.
6
The Beauty of Dancing
This has been my second semester
taking this class. Throughout this course, I have realized that the more
I learn and understand about my body, the more there is to take care of
it. We practiced many different exercises and movements in class, and
they greatly benefit both my body and mind. However, I realize that
taking care of my body and utilizing all its parts requires significant
discipline and effort. I really admire and respect professional dancers
who exercise for hours every day; their discipline is remarkable.
Personally, I try to exercise every day, but I know that sometimes it is
not easy for me to commit to my plan. However, one technique that I
have learned and use every day in my life is Laban’s technique, which
helps me to be aware of space and my own kinesphere.
I am more confident on stage, able to move freely and without
tension. It is crucial for singers to learn and be aware of their
kinesphere because working on stage can sometimes lead to injury and
dangerous incidents due to a lack of spatial awareness. Mentally, I have
learned how to listen to my body. Stretching before I start singing or
having lessons really helps me understand the condition of my body, so I
can adjust my singing technique accordingly. I have also started to be
thankful for and respect my body. I am grateful that I am able to start
exercising and try different movements to utilize my body, even though I
have not taken care of it for many years. It has been a great pleasure
to take this course and learn from a guru who is not just a dancer, but
also a philosopher.
The learning process was not easy, but it was so enjoyable.
Sometimes, I had to push my body to perform well, and after class, I
would feel really tired. Occasionally, I felt frustrated because my body
wouldn't move or perform as I expected. However, it was always a
pleasure to learn so much about different dances and movements. I also
came to realize the beauty of dancing. Previously, I didn't really
understand why some people are obsessed with ballet and dance
performances, but this semester, while watching the videos in class, I
felt like expressing multiple emotions with the body is such a beautiful
art form. I believe this realization made me take this class more
seriously.
I have been applying what I learned in class while rehearsing and
performing on stage. Being aware of my kinesphere and spatial awareness
has benefited me in moving freely on stage. Additionally, I now always
stretch before my rehearsals and lessons. Stretching all parts of my
body helps me to be aware of my body's condition, allowing me to sing
according to my physical state. Being conscious of my breath and moving
with it also aids my singing. While opera singers often discuss breath
management, they don't typically learn how to utilize it while moving on
stage. Being aware of my breath and moving with it in both fast and
slow tempos helps me maintain control over my physique and breath
support.
Mentally and spiritually, I practice gratitude towards my body and
appreciate everything it enables me to do in dance and singing.
Furthermore, while I'm not perfect, I strive to become an inside-to-out
performer. I aim for the audience to experience the singing and acting
that originates within me, conveying my emotions without filter or
censorship.
7
How my Movements Display Emotion
Abby Guido
I
have greatly enjoyed this course for the past two semesters and I am
grateful for my experience. I have used this course to become more
acquainted with my body and feeling more comfortable moving my body in
front of others and while performing. I struggled with feeling
confidence in my movement through my undergraduate degree and this
course has given me a much better understanding of my body and how it
exists in space as well as how my movements display emotion. Both of
these concepts are crucial for a successful career in opera and I am
grateful to have begun this journey. I feel that this course should be
mandatory for all performers at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels.
I
really enjoyed the learning process that this course implements as it
requires us to abandon inhibitions but focus on details. This course
could easily be uncomfortable and daunting for someone that does not
feel comfortable in their body, but these feelings are often dashed from
the entire group being encouraged to try each movement style without
judgment. There is heavy emphasis on respect in the learning environment
and I appreciate that. There were a few times that I felt pushed out of
my comfort zone, but I still felt like I learned from those
experiences. I would have appreciated a bit more focus on learning
specific dance styles, I really enjoyed the classes where we focused on
this.
I
have many plans to use this knowledge in my performance and have even
begun implementing it now. I have began to use movements in my arias and
other performances to help myself find natural and expressive movement,
especially in a recital setting. I used this concept of acting out my
songs in over blown dramatic ways and then tuning it back with my
recital this semester and I believe that performance was very
expressive. I am excited to learn a new role with this concept ingrained
in my practices. I have also taken the extra daily techniques into my
practice routine and I have felt much better in my posture and
flexibility as a performer.
8
I am Grateful
Robert Maciejowski
During attending
to this course I received a lot of useful information about expressing my
feelings. On the other hand I can notice that my knowledge about my body has
expanded. Since I came to the University of Miami from Europe I started to exercise
a lot. It means that there is a huge possibility that I built some strength and
muscles. Professor was offering a wide range of stretching exercises and
recommended yoga classes. Therefore, I started doing that every morning,
naturally its hard, but I am trying to do my best to be consistent in that.
I was feeling very comfortable during the learning process. The sessions were
professional, always before practical exercises we had an opportunity to learn
through interesting materials. Videos, presented by Professor in cooperation
with examples very practical. Overall, I strongly agree with the thesis that
the learning process was joyful.
First of all, because of this class, I was able to improve knowledge about my
body. This knowledge is essential, especially during longer performances
on stage. The general investment into development of my posture while playing helps me a lot. As musicians we have to be aware of our
problems with posture during performance. I am grateful for the wide context of
information I have received.
9
Your Body Must Have Freedom
Josie Gore
This class has pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me
to believe in myself as a person, singer, and artist. The stretches,
breathwork, movement, and mindfulness helped me to become more in tune
with my body and taught me how to release areas of tension that I carry
daily. My leadership skills and creativity improved tremendously during
our group work, which is so important as a musical artist. It is not
always easy to start creating movements first thing in the morning, but
this aided my growth and showed me how to be vulnerable around others. I
would often be tired in this class because of my night class on
Mondays, and I did find it difficult to be motivated sometimes. However,
I would always feel better both physically and mentally by the end of
class.
I felt frustrated at times throughout the learning process
because of how self-directed the course was. While other times I felt
carefree and child-like by letting go of all inhibitions. As adults, we
get into the daily grind of life and often forget to be creative and
think outside the box. This class challenged that. There was one day
that I was frustrated because of some outside things happening in my
life, and it was also the day where we had to start vocalizing or
singing with our “true voice”. As a singer, it is surprisingly difficult
to let whatever is in your heart be manifested through your voice.
However, on this day I became so frustrated and overwhelmed with my
personal life, that I just shouted, “I am enough!”. As singers, we are
our worst critics, and it can be difficult to be kind to ourselves. I
finally let my true voice out, which is something I would not have done
had I not taken this class. The words, “I am enough” became a part of my
final solo and have also become my mantra during a particularly
difficult time in my life.
Everything I have learned in this class is applicable to my
field of study. My career goals include becoming a professional opera
singer, which requires you to be in tune with your body and to have
enough stamina to get through 2 or more hours of intense singing.
Singing opera is a full-body workout and if you do not stretch enough or
know how to move your body on stage, it will be very difficult to
maintain this career. Your body must have freedom, flexibility, and
stamina in this field of work. Doing a full-body warm-up each morning
before I do my vocal warm-ups is one of the biggest take-aways I
have from this class.
10
My main takeaways from this class
all center around the importance of being in tune with and attentive to
my own body. I learned that there are countless ways that we can express
ourselves far behind just using our voice for operatic singing or
playing our instruments. We have the innate ability to create an endless
array of artistic expressions of ourselves through the use of our voice
and our body. I have also always been interested in being a director
for the stage and this class has really opened up my eyes and my minds
to the possibilities and ways that I can have artists use their space
and their own bodies to better evoke certain emotions or
characteristics.
Often times during the learning process I felt uneasy and unsure
about the depths of myself that I was exploring and the ways that I was
using my body. However, I can say with certainty that each time I pushed
myself out of my comfort zone that I learned something new about myself
and learned that I am capable of going beyond the self-imposed
boundaries that I have created throughout my life. I know now that I
need to take that feeling of push and pull against what I am comfortable
with so that I can be a fully present and engaged artist. It is only
through the growing pains that I learn what I am really capable of doing
whether that be in movement class, in the practice room, or on stage.
I think the most profound and applicable take away from this class
for me is that I need to be responsible for creating my own art and my
own visions. I do not have to be simply a vessel for other people's
music, staging, choreography, etc. I can create my own art that captures
my essence and my being in the most earnest and sincere way. Even if I
am singing a role or a song that was written by and for someone else, it
is still important that I find a way to make that role/song innately
mine and present it in such a way that only I can do. This can be
accomplished through the deeply personal and introspective movement work
that we have done in this class this past semester.
11
I Opened Myself Up
Cierra Hall
Throughout
the course, I encountered several new dances and concepts. Some of
these dances had always interested me, but I got step-by-step
instructions and background information this semester. One takeaway was
the idea of creating authentic art. You must be bold and free to create
any form of art. I began to feel myself “let go” as the semester went
on. As I “let go”, my dancing improved and I could connect more with
what I was hoping to convey.
There
is something to be said about getting out of your comfort zone as an
adult. When we are born, we are bold because of our lack of awareness or
thought about the opinions of those around us. It was difficult at
times, especially doing certain things that made me fear the opinions of
those around me. I’m reminded of the experience when we had to sing and
move in the circle. That was very difficult for me and uncomfortable
because I had never done an exercise like that. At the end of the day,
I’m glad that I opened myself up to the experience.
I
have learned a lot about movement and awareness throughout this
journey. One of the most important parts of being a performer is having
the ability to take risks. I believe so much can be taken away from this
semester and used in our own area of performance. I am learning how to
be more free in performance. I have learned to not worry about the opinions of
others and to focus only on the story I am trying to tell.
12
The Embodiment
I Feel
Iliana Barcenas
From the moment I stepped in the class I was welcomed with an
environment of feeling your best. I took away that when you feel
grounded and can feel the space in your body your performance will
always be better. The daily warm-ups are not only helpful before
stepping into performance but just helping your body feel ready for the
day. I noticed that on the days I had this class I felt super warmed up
to take on the rest of my day that it became natural to do these
warm-ups daily regardless of the weekends. I learned what it is to feel
the space around me and take charge of where I stand.
At first, I felt uncomfortable and scared of looking "silly". Yet,
the freeing feeling of my body after a class encouraged me to step
outside of my comfort zone. From the first day of class to my last class
I realized how much I grew. I chose to make my solo dance about
stepping outside the box and confinement because I felt that before this
class I was afraid to feel my space and to be confident of the steps I
took. During this learning process of stepping outside the box, I felt
more and more confident each class. I would look at the mirror less and
less and worry less about how I looked when making these fun moves or
singing with my classmates.
Performing on stage at my recital already was proof of the embodiment
I feel in my own movements. March 24th I had my degree recital and the
morning before my recital, I remember warming up with our class
techniques. I made sure to set a space for myself to feel grounded and
hold my head up high. I practiced my breathing in and out through my
nose and instantly felt relief. On stage, I felt empowered by the lack
of tension in my body. I felt I could move easily and embrace the music I
was creating even with little hiccups in my playing. It was one of the
most successful performances I have ever had especially with my
performance anxiety. This positive outcomes just goes to show how
important embodied movement will be in the rest of my life and fruitful
career.
13
Rebirth, (Transformation) and Restart.
Before this class, I never thought
that I could create movements in so many different ways, and I
experienced many aspects that helped discover and explore my “language”
through my body. The most take away from this class is the concept of
“inside-out” dancers (or artists). As an opera singer, I am so used to
following the blocking from the directors and doing what they ask for
the characters. And I know I can do it pretty well! However, this
process ignores the creativity of the singers and their path to discover
new possibilities. Also, I could become passive about my own artistry
because of someone’s directions. During the whole semester, the
instructor helped us develop different body movements before putting the
context into it. The point is not to make a “reaction” from any music,
any story, or text; it is instead to use those movements to say what I
want to say at the moment. The movement itself will reflect what I say
and what I feel differently. I think that is the goal of being an
inside-out artist.
However, there were definitely difficulties and challenges during the
learning process. It is really easy to go back to finding a context
before creating anything, because it is easier that way. Also, I
discovered that I have specific patterns and movements that will appear
constantly, meaning that those are my “comfortable languages”, but it is
really challenging to break the patterns and explore much more
uncomfortable ones. During this kind of communication, I understand
myself more. I know what things will make me feel at home and what
things will put me on the edge. Moreover, I think I also realized the
reasons why certain movements are more difficult for me. The whole
learning process became a meditation, an exploration of myself, with my
past, my present, and my future.
One thing I will definitely apply in the future is the warm up
exercises. I tend to feel anxious before rehearsals and performances,
and my body gets tight and locked very easily. I’ve been using the body
warm up before I sing, and I found it useful and relaxing. I can feel
more grounded and connected to myself. Interestingly, the more I do, the
more I can become aware of my body in different situations.
Additionally, as previously mentioned, I think my attitude and thoughts
about being an artist was transformed. I pay more attention to what I “want”
to say instead of what it should “look like”, “sound like”, or “feel
like.” Moreover, the reason why I sing becomes clearer. I’ve asked
myself so many times why I sing, and there are many different answers. I
feel good when I sing... I can express myself through music… I can
communicate the characters’ emotions with the audience… So many.
However, there is one that now settles me down. I sing because I can
understand myself. Through the process of creation, I become more
completed. Not necessarily perfect, but knowing my imperfections and
ugliness, my strengths and weaknesses. It is the hero's journey. The
non-ended cycle of exploration, challenges, rebirth (transformation),
and restart.
14
Practicing Extra-daily Techniques
Nick Finley
My
most salient takeaway is that I am interested in this sort of work, and
in continuing to grow my artistic practice in this direction.
Specifically, I'm interested in what will happen to my playing and
performing if I make practicing extra-daily techniques (a la Odin
Teatret) part of my musical or yoga practice. I found the ideas around
this group in the various readings very resonant. I've also gained a
plethora of tools to analyze and create movements and performances.
Intrapersonally, I've gained a degree of confidence that I can be
creative. I came to Frost with a somewhat pessimistic view of the
creative merit of my field, but I leave this course with some hope that
performance art is not dead, as well as the notion that I have a chance
to stir people's hearts with what I do.
I
was definitely pushed outside of my comfort zone. I'm generally a very
reserved, soft-spoken, risk-averse individual, so a lot of this course
was very uncomfortable for me. It has overall been rewarding, though. I
came in with a seed of interest in the intersection between music and
other performance disciplines, and on this front my expectations were
exceeded. This intersection is very fruitful. I've also struggled with
the question of what it means to be an artist vs a craftsman for a long
time, and I never felt like anybody I asked about it had a satisfactory
answer until I got to this course. I always felt like my performances
were missing some secret sauce. It was very gratifying to learn that
there exists a way to make all kinds of secret sauces.
In
the short term, I'd like to bring these ideas to my colleagues.
Orchestral percussionists tend to not care about this dimension of
music-making, and I'll to do my part to change that. I'd also like to
integrate these concepts into my teaching. I'll also be on the lookout
for opportunities to apply what I've learned in this class in my
playing. I'd like to seek out musicians who care about performance, and
work with them. In the long term, I have a pie-in-the-sky dream of
operating some kind of musical laboratory where I and like-minded
musicians can conduct research. If that ever happens, the concepts I've
picked up in this class will form a cornerstone of the organization's
ethos.
Sources
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