[Reader-list] Fools and Princes - Celebrating Shakespeare through Breath, Rhythm, Song and Physicality - Starting from 12th April, 2015

[Kabir Khan]

After the success of "Medea's Mirror", The Arshinagar Project
<https://www.facebook.com/thearshinagarproject> is happy to present another
exciting workshop in Bangalore: Fools and Princes - Celebrating Shakespeare
through Breath, Rhythm, Song and Physicality. The workshop will be led by Arka
Mukhopadhyay <https://www.facebook.com/arkamukhopadhyay0605>, founder - The
Arshinagar Project, who will once again team up with Anna Olkinuora,
physical theatre and Yoga practitioner

The workshop is open to professional and amateur actors, dancers, musicians
and movement artists. We will explore the relation between energy, breath,
rhythm, flow, space and the performer's organic presence.

The starting point of the work will be an awareness of the breath, through
which we will look for stillness, grounding and centring. With this as the
foundation, we will then use the performer's own body, voice and
sub-conscious as the material for exploration, working through structured
as well as free improvisation; alone, in relation to others and in relation
to the space. A significant part of the exploration will be devoted to
investigating the connection between rhythm, breath and psycho-physical
expression.

The work will be based on "Sahrudaya", an approach to performance where the
performer is open, receptive, responsive, in deep inner silence and 'of one
heart' with him/herself, the others and with space.

More about Sahrudaya:

Sahrudaya refers to a performer who is in a state of grace, resonant with
her/ his interior awareness, with the co-creators and with the space. The
basis of the work is the simple, everyday act of breathing, but looked at
as a bridge between the inner and the outer world, and the foundation of
the rhythmic, awakened body, a body alive to its own creative potential.
The work draws upon elements from Kalaripayattu and other forms, but
ultimately focuses on the human body, the organic being, as the source of
creation. It challenges the body and the imagination, improving our focus,
attention, precision and presence, opening up a rich, dynamic language of
the body and voice, full of a deep, inner life.

Celebrating Shakespeare:

Shakespeare created some of the most profoundly human characters, full of
nobility and wisdom as well as flaws and contradictions.

In this workshop, we will celebrate him in the month of his birth by
exploring the archetypes of the "Prince" and the "Fool" with fragments from
A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, The Tempest and other plays. We
will work on monologues as well as scenes; alone with a partner and with
the whole ensemble


The work will include:

The Way of the Warrior - The Awakened Body

Exercises of the eye and breath
Body conditioning and tuning drawn from Kalaripayattu and other forms
Working on the unity of breath, gaze, movement and gesture
Awakening the rhythmic body through movement in space

How to be the River, the Wind - Impulse and Improvisation

Working on improvisations both through spontaneity and structure; using
contact, basic acrobatics and more
Opening up the organic voice by delving deep into the body and the
sub-conscious
Experiencing the rasaas in our bodies through breath, rhythm and singing,
finding expression
Finding intention, precision and flow through movement and song - finding
connections with oneself, the partners and the space.

Dancing Shakespeare, Being of One Heart

We will come together as an ensemble that breathes, sings and speaks
together, sharing a common rhythm. We will experience this sense of
togetherness where personal boundaries and limitations dissolve and we are
able to reach places we cannot by ourselves, and through this togetherness
unleash the energies of Shakespeare's magic words.

The workshop will end with a public sharing

About Anna:

Anna Olkinuora started acting at the age of ten with a local theatre school
aimed at children and young people in her native Finland.

An urge to find new and challenging ways of creating narratives on stage,
she found herself moving to London to study Physical Theatre. During her
studies she was fortunate enough to be able to learn from members of
Complicite, a famous Physical Theatre group based in UK.

After graduation Anna led dance workshops all over London and around
England until deciding to deepen her yoga studies here in India.

About Arka:

Arka is a performer, researcher and teacher and the founder of The
Arshinagar Project, a performance research collective. He is a Junior
Artist Fellow of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and a past
grantee of the Inlaks India Theatre Awards, and past winner, TFA Award for
Creative Writing. He is the initiator of the Sahrudaya approach to
performance, which he researches with his collaborators


IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Dates and Timings:
April 12th, 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM
April 13th and 14th, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
April 16th, 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Public Showcase: April 16th, 8:00 PM

Venue: Paradigm Shift <https://www.facebook.com/paradigmshiftvegan>,
Koramangala

Fees: On a sliding scale of 2,500 to 4,000
Deadline for registration: April 10th (NO ON-SPOT REGISTRATIONS)
How to register: By bank transfer. Details will be shared over e-mail
Contact: For more information or for bank details, call: +919831731422 or
e-mail: thearshinagarproject at gmail.com with "Fools and Princes" as the
subject line.

PLEASE NOTE: Kindly mark "going" only if you are sure of attending.
Otherwise, please mark "maybe". This helps with the logistics of organizing
the session

-- 

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Sowmya/Kabir

Paradigm Shift
8, 80 Feet Road, 4th Block, Kormangala
Bangalore- 560034

Phone: +919686018042/+919663427315
Website: http://www.paradigmshift.org.in
Email: paradigmshiftbangalore at gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Paradigm_shiftB