I have been asked to explain exactly what we will be doing during the Creativity sessions during the Creativity & Walking Retreats – here is an explanation.

We will be using a number of embodied applied theatre techniques borrowed and adapted from the work of Brazilian social theatre practitioner Augusto Boal. As well as warm up exercises and Image work we will be using a technique called Cops in the Head. Let me explain:

WARMING UP

During the warm up we use a number of exercises that awaken different sensory sensitivities.

1.     Tactile sensitivity

These exercises stimulate the sense of touch by awakening the feeling of what we touch. Similarly, they challenge ways of moving that are mechanized, bring up emotions that are not externalized and offer new ways of using muscles and expressing. Different parts of the body are disassociated from each other and cerebral control can be exercised over all muscles, no matter how small

2.     Listening sensitivity

These activities aim at recreating ways of listening and finding ‘inner rhythms’ to avoid stereotyping people and characters. Rhythms can sometimes represent emotions better than words and faces.

3.     Sensory sensitivity/dynamizing

During these activities sight is denied to enhance other senses and what they perceive.

4.     Visual sensitivity

These include mirrors and physical sculptures to help us to see what it is we see. These must be done in silence in order for the dialogues to be richer and deeper.

5.     Awakening sensory memory

These activities aim at reconnecting participants with memory, emotion and imagination

The above activities can also be used to draw parallels to our struggles and examine deeper what it is that is getting in our way. We will then use more involved image work in which, divided into groups, participants will discuss a personal experience relating to the struggle we are facing in sustaining, reconnecting or starting a creative practice.  We will construct physical images of the struggle and as a group we will choose one particular scene to work on.

The Cop-in-the-Head (cops) technique will then be used to work more deeply and examine who (person) or what (convention, social rule, value) has ‘parked’ themselves inside our heads and whose internal monologue keeps us unable to move forward. As a collective we will all contribute to offering possible alternatives to enable the ‘blocked’ character to break through!

This is all SUPER FUN and PLAYFUL – you can contribute as much or as little as you like and you will find something useful – everyone does EVERY TIME!

If you would like to talk about this further please contact me erika@edgewalkers.com.au +61 (0)406758062 – I love talking about this – my (PhD) research into Transformative Learning centred on these techniques and on how to increase the transformative experience for participants – I LOVE this stuff – it is POWERFUL.

We will also use mapping, drawing, and a number of other creative thinking tools to enhance the workshops and access possibilities for transformation.