As my second month began with theater, so it concluded. I decided to join the women’s collective in performing in their “teatro del calle”/street theater, again directed by Graciela Casanova. This was a great opportunity to apply what I learned in the workshop, get to know more people, and enjoy myself. The week of Thanksgiving we had rehearsal Monday through Wednesday evenings. Friday there was a large march for respect, liberty, and lives free of violence for women and children. (See my public Facebook album of pictures.) We performed at the end of the march and again Saturday evening during a night of artistic expression against violence.
The performance expressed through movement oppression, struggle, collaboration, liberation for one and for all. In practice, we formed three groups of eight people and in each Graciela selected one person to burst out of the group, run and jump in the air on top of the group members who are bent down. Then the group stands up, lifting the jumper, does a 360 degree turn, and lets the jumper lower themselves to the ground by crawling down the back of the last person into a handstand and front roll onto the ground. This came toward the end of the performance and I understand it to represent when in organizing and collaboration one person of the group breaks off but comes back with more energy and something new, propelling themselves and the group forward. My athleticism that got me scolded before, came in handy, as Graciela selected me to be the jumper. We practiced and it went well enough, though it was definitely possible to muck it up by not jumping high enough. I was a bit nervous all day leading up to the jump in front of the crowd of 100s that remained at the end of the march. We started the performance lying on the hot black concrete showing a struggle to pull ourselves and others off the ground. We moved through the performance and at the right moment, I broke away from the group sprinting, circled back around to them, ran, and launched myself into the air above my group – success!
Whew, what a relief! And, what a high!
The performance expressed through movement oppression, struggle, collaboration, liberation for one and for all. In practice, we formed three groups of eight people and in each Graciela selected one person to burst out of the group, run and jump in the air on top of the group members who are bent down. Then the group stands up, lifting the jumper, does a 360 degree turn, and lets the jumper lower themselves to the ground by crawling down the back of the last person into a handstand and front roll onto the ground. This came toward the end of the performance and I understand it to represent when in organizing and collaboration one person of the group breaks off but comes back with more energy and something new, propelling themselves and the group forward. My athleticism that got me scolded before, came in handy, as Graciela selected me to be the jumper. We practiced and it went well enough, though it was definitely possible to muck it up by not jumping high enough. I was a bit nervous all day leading up to the jump in front of the crowd of 100s that remained at the end of the march. We started the performance lying on the hot black concrete showing a struggle to pull ourselves and others off the ground. We moved through the performance and at the right moment, I broke away from the group sprinting, circled back around to them, ran, and launched myself into the air above my group – success!
Whew, what a relief! And, what a high!