"You Have To Find The Thing That When You Are This Way, We Love You"

Missed Movement again today due to annoying Metros! I've decided from now on, that as soon as it looks like the Metro isn't coming to just move on and find another way, as opposed to waiting around and hoping it comes like everybody else seems to do. But it doesn't come!

Although sometimes amazingly unreliable....Still WAY better than Wellington buses!

We started the class with the usual Samuel Says and Mr. Hit today. I've always stuffed up in it ever since the very first class when I won! And I was doing well again today, and then stupid mistake. I've got to change my tactics. Because when the people who I've had the names of in my head get out, I accidentally spit their names out and then get out myself. Doh!

We did the chorus leader exercise again today. Still not really getting it. Although Rothio and David (both from Spain) got close. When they did it, they kept their movements simple and clear, and they had great intention in their faces. Good control and presence. A bit like when I danced with Ciara and had good complicité last week. Got to try that. Because what I'm doing as a leader is "like gay gymnastics". "Can it ever be so bad that it's good?" I asked. "Yes. Absolutely. But yours was just bad bad." In classic Mike style, he asked what it was that Philippe was looking for in the exercise. Usually Philippe says he's not looking for anything. But he said that he's trying to get us to discover how to move and speak for more than ourselves. To perform as something bigger than ourselves.

We then repeated the exercise where one person comes on stage (with table and chairs) and another comes in with a conflict (I want the salt / I'm in love with you), but this time we could imitate the actors who do the exercise first. Anna and Thomas got up and did it first. Anna was quite dramatic with pauses and looks left and right, and Thomas came out like a scary paedeophile. Andre had a go at imitating Thomas, which was prime for the mocking, and he mocked well, but it came out a bit nasty. I then took a risk (I was hesitating as I thought it could be bad, but decided just to get up and discover) and got up and impersonated Anna. I mocked her dramatic-ness, and how she plays with her jumper around her elbow. Then Zoe came on as Thomas and was full on "can I have some SALT???" I think I mocked in the right kind of place. It wasn't nasty - just cheeky. And people seemed to like me. But again I was a bit scared of the audience and never really looked at them. I kind of go into madly-hoping-I-survive mode. BUT at the end of our little scene Philippe said "I like him a bit like this. Kind of sophisticated." I enjoy mocking pretentious stuff (don't we all?), but it perhaps works for me because when I mock pretentious I also mock myself (what!?!).

At the end of the class Philippe also worked one on one with both Katie (USA) and Rob (UK). He sent Katie away to be dressed and made up like a punk. And he got us to turn Rob into a bouffon - an old lady with stubs for arms and legs and black all over her face. Through a few suggestions (Talk very loudly and angrily Katie / Talk like a overly camp hairdresser Rob, and scratch your balls with your elbow and smile when you do it) and conversation and provocations he helped them both discover how to play as these characters. We could see that as these characters they were far less boring than they are just as themselves. This is not to say that they really are boring people, but that when they play a certain way they come alive.

"You have to find the thing that when you are this way, we love you. You need to explore the way where we love you. It could be as a clown, character, bouffon...in vaudeville, burlesque..."