Eklavya Foundation Theatre & Dance Workshop
The Theatre Dance Workshop at the Eklavya foundation in Hoshangabad invited all the volunteers associated with the foundation working at the ground level with the children in the villages from different blocks of the Hoshangabad district. There were participants of varied age groups.
The purpose of the Workshop was to provide exposure to the volunteers to the practice of Theatre and Dance, that would enable them to broaden their understanding of performing arts, which they could also choose to share with the children. However, the primary objective was to provide them with a non-judgmental space where the right and wrong was not defined. It was not merely limited to the meeting hall where activities were held. The three days stay provided with the opportunity for all to share the space, interact, eat, sleep and work together.
The Theatre and dance sessions were designed in a manner that facilitated the use of these skills to create a sense of awareness and enquiry. For instance, many activities related to improvisation during the workshop pushed them to think beyond the obvious. Instead of merely telling them what to do and how to do the activities, we tried to give them the onus to think and decide for themselves, and express to the best of their understanding. Hence, we tried to keep our involvement minimal on occasions when a batch was divided into smaller groups to create an act. This gave them the opportunity to work together as a team and explore the dynamics of working with other people.
During the workshop emphasis was given to the physical facilities of our body as an integral part of performing arts. This could be in the form of vocals/sounds and movements. Once the characteristics of a story or a narrative were discussed with the participants, exploring variations in vocals and physical body movements equipped the participants with the tools to communicate and narrate their stories to the best of their understanding. Performing individual acts in front of each other gave them the opportunity to observe and learn from each other.
Dance was initially introduced not as any particular form, but simply as a way of exploring different ways to move our body to the music. This would vary in speed, size and levels of the movement. Once again, we tried to create a non-judgmental space where there was no right or wrong way of moving the body. We simply tried to observe and become aware of the various patterns of physical movement based upon the visual and verbal cues given to the participants during the improvisation sessions. This gradually allowed many participants to be less inhibited and become more comfortable with their individual physical expressions while sharing the space with other people. However, it was noticed that many participants thoroughly enjoyed dancing so we taught them a basic Zumba choreography over a period of three days. We also included games and activities where they could freely dance- Imagining that we are walking and dancing on a boat balancing the space, Dancing Musical chairs and Dancing in a circle while we follow one person in the center. These activities acted as a break in-between the sessions, that allowed them to step back for a while and look at something from a fresh perspective.
Overall, the Theater and Dance Workshop was a learning experience not just for the volunteers, but also for us as facilitators. The whole process of planning and executing the sessions was insightful. We tried not to keep the sessions too rigid, but kept it flexible that allowed us to improvise wherever it felt necessary. After every batch we had discussions based upon the feedback received from the participants and were also open to feedback from each other. With every batch we tried to make the experience for all of us more engaging and as fruitful as it could be.
By Denis Barwa (denis.barwa@gmail.com)
