Temporary, close relationships in movement
Another of the workshops on the Wednesday's programme was New Circus and Pair Acrobatics, in which movement and emotion connected the festival participants.
The workshop began with a movement exercise to warm up. We closed our eyes and, following the instructions of the instructor, gradually moved different parts of our bodies. This not only activated the muscles but also stimulated the imagination. What kind of patterns do we actually create with our movements? How do we move in space in the absence of the most used of senses?
Next, it was necessary to make pairs. The instructor always demonstrated what kind of creations we would be creating; then we’d boldly go ahead. The difficulty gradually increased and with it our sense of belonging. The climax was the group exercises. To start running, to jump, and to rely on others. At the end came the fall into the unknown.
After three intense hours, it was just a matter of overcoming our own fears and sealing our newly established intimate relationships. We built stairs with our bodies; and every time one of us climbed them. The goal was to get on the back of the last person standing upright. To stand on their shoulders and to remember to stand upright, too. To hug yourself, ideally close your eyes, and hope.
Both the beginning and the end of the workshop involved the sharing of names, experiences and feelings. It turned out that even temporary close relationships can’t be based merely on an inner sense of security; a kind of bodily trust is also important. The collective sense of belonging that emerged helped even complete beginners in New circus and pair acrobatics in creating a comfortable and safe space in which we could unabashedly engage and in which we would not be afraid to fall.
