I had a great day at Gaulier today! Actively being less hard on myself and more just trying to go out and have fun and accepting that I am here to learn.
We played our first game of 'Samuel Says' (Philippe has changed 'Balthazar Says', a version of Simon says that involves asking for kisses and getting physically punished "Guatanamo Bay!" if you make a mistake, to his other son's name now). And me and another girl called Lynn from Canada were the only clever people that didn't move when he told everyone to get in a circle as if the game was over. Muahahahaha!
Then we played a big game of Mr. Hit in a circle. But we didn't run around like crazy like I'm used to back home. Just in a circle. And when you go to hit someone you walk over to them. But use sneaky tactics like looking at one person but touching another. It got down to the last three people. Me. Philippe. And Thomas. And Thomas crumbled! So Philippe and I were the joint winners! "Bravo". Perhaps a bit of an unfair advantage because I've had a lot of practise. And to be frank. The Toi Whakaari version is way harder!
We did relays today. Two groups. One at one end of the room. And the other at the other. First was just a full on race. We all started getting into it and cheering for our team mates. It was a very close race but my team won by a smidget. But now we've all caught on to the joy of lying. So when Philippe asks "who won?" both teams but up their hands very confidently.
Trygve was the tallest name scribbled on the door in the boys changing room.
Then we played relays again. But this time we cant have "feet like elephants" and when Philippe bangs his drum we have to freeze still and have to look in the eyes of our race partner and have good complicité. Some people kept on getting sent back to start again because either they ran too loudly on the floor, or they were "absolutely boring" to look at. I did fine. I find that when I actively engage in having fun and being a bit naughty, and I let this inform my eyes and my body, complicité comes naturally and so does play. I remember Ngapaki saying it is a choice to be "on". And that you have to make that choice every time you get up on stage or Boom you're dead. I agree with this. Right now I'm consciously having to make that choice but I'm training to subconsciously make it, I think.
Then Philippe asked for two intelligent people to get a rope and a ball and set up a circle with the ball in the middle. Then two chairs, one on either side of the room. The aim of the game is get the ball to your chair. That's one point. Two points if you get it to your partner's chair on the other side of the room. But the catch is you can't be touched by your partner. If that happens, you get no points and your partner gets one. And the touching doesn't start until somebody touches the ball. So tactics! Complicité! First to five wins. First game the score was 5-1. "Very boring". Does this mean a better game is when it's closer? Or just when there is more fun, tactics, play and risking? Maybe both. The latter more so though I reckon.
Then "the same game, yet not the same..." This time adding text. So one of you is in major and the other in minor and the person in major has to talk to their partner in minor (in a nice big voice for the theatre) about how much they hate someone in the class. When Gaulier beats his drum this is when we can start to take the ball play the game (just like before). I played with Mike from Canada who is about my age and has bold black framed glasses like me (as Brette from Canada pointed out when talking about how much she hated me and Mike) and is fun. We both picked on Brette! When I was in minor I talked a little too much. Not my turn to take the limelight! Smaller voice! And when I was in major I had a good voice but forgot about the game a bit. "Not totally bad." (Yusss...)
So today was a good day for me. Won two games. Ha! And threw away the need to be good and just got up and risked which was really refreshing and far more enjoyable. Worrying about being good or bad is no fun. Playing is fun.
At one point in the class Gaulier put it quite simply about what we were working on:
Then we played relays again. But this time we cant have "feet like elephants" and when Philippe bangs his drum we have to freeze still and have to look in the eyes of our race partner and have good complicité. Some people kept on getting sent back to start again because either they ran too loudly on the floor, or they were "absolutely boring" to look at. I did fine. I find that when I actively engage in having fun and being a bit naughty, and I let this inform my eyes and my body, complicité comes naturally and so does play. I remember Ngapaki saying it is a choice to be "on". And that you have to make that choice every time you get up on stage or Boom you're dead. I agree with this. Right now I'm consciously having to make that choice but I'm training to subconsciously make it, I think.
Then Philippe asked for two intelligent people to get a rope and a ball and set up a circle with the ball in the middle. Then two chairs, one on either side of the room. The aim of the game is get the ball to your chair. That's one point. Two points if you get it to your partner's chair on the other side of the room. But the catch is you can't be touched by your partner. If that happens, you get no points and your partner gets one. And the touching doesn't start until somebody touches the ball. So tactics! Complicité! First to five wins. First game the score was 5-1. "Very boring". Does this mean a better game is when it's closer? Or just when there is more fun, tactics, play and risking? Maybe both. The latter more so though I reckon.
Then "the same game, yet not the same..." This time adding text. So one of you is in major and the other in minor and the person in major has to talk to their partner in minor (in a nice big voice for the theatre) about how much they hate someone in the class. When Gaulier beats his drum this is when we can start to take the ball play the game (just like before). I played with Mike from Canada who is about my age and has bold black framed glasses like me (as Brette from Canada pointed out when talking about how much she hated me and Mike) and is fun. We both picked on Brette! When I was in minor I talked a little too much. Not my turn to take the limelight! Smaller voice! And when I was in major I had a good voice but forgot about the game a bit. "Not totally bad." (Yusss...)
So today was a good day for me. Won two games. Ha! And threw away the need to be good and just got up and risked which was really refreshing and far more enjoyable. Worrying about being good or bad is no fun. Playing is fun.
At one point in the class Gaulier put it quite simply about what we were working on:
"See. Complicité around a game."
This is the basis of all of Gaulier's teaching I think. Very simple, yet difficult.
After class Andre and I recruited everyone to go and get a drink at Chiquitos! Was great! At 3.45pm we suddenly took over the little family diner. Lovely to sit down and get to know everyone over a beer. There are 25 people in my class for Le Jeu, and in it are people from Canada, USA, Italy, Spain, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Scotland, England, France. Fantastic!
Anna (Sydney), Franc (France), Andre aka Tim Carlsen # 2 (Melbourne).
Then...moved into my apartment! So great! More news to come on that note soon. :)
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