from "A Turbulence of Muses" (2016; Portland OR)
In this paratheatre work, vocalization is approached through somatic exploration of tonal expression
in motion, gesture, and interaction. This "embodied voice" approach gained momentum after 2004
thanks to the ongoing guidance offered by Sylvi Alli (pictured above). Listed below are a series
of terms and definitions for the methods developed during this time. - Antero
EMBODIED VOICE; a three-step process that starts with 1) sourcing a given
energy,
2) resonating a sound
that matches the frequency of that source and
3) allowing the
sound to dictate physical movement. Motivated sound as
movement resource.
With practice, sound, song, and movement blend
and become unified.
VERTICAL SOURCE; two-way
column of energy extending down from above
the head and
through the body and down into the
earth below, alongside
energy
extending up
from the earth below, up through the
body and up
above
the head.
Accessed in the jog
and in the personal space.
IMPULSES; process of
allowing free expression of the body’s spontaneous
responses to stimulus such as singing your song;
unplanned and undirected
movements
of innate responses to the song
EARTH; source of stabilizing
current often incorporated during the jog
to anchor
the attention in the body
and resonate sounds
and tones
that match the earth energy in the body
MICRO MOVEMENTS; very
small, and sometimes imperceptibly small,
movements
dictated exclusively
by the song’s melody
PRECISION; clarifying
the form and direction of any movement or sound
by
paring away the excess;
any unveiling of the essence
of a movement,
sound or gesture; economy
SONG
ESSENCE; the silent source of the song showing its own distinct
force,
quality and tone;
with enough commitment
to this silent essence,
one can find resonance with
its essential tone
ESSENTIAL TONE; the tonal
essence of the song as discovered through
resonating
a sound to match the song essence;
the essential tone
is not
the melody of the song but a pre-melodic sound
or series of tones
ANCESTRAL SOURCES; any personal and intuitive access to the emotional
and spiritual wellsprings of your genetic
lineage
as represented by your
chosen song; various modes
of song as ancestral vehicle include:
asking them
questions, relating to them, singing your song to
them,
praying to them, embodying them.
HEAD/HEART/GUT; technique
for singing (or toning) the melody of
your song through
the three major centers
in the body and then,
the
three minor centers within each. HEAD: throat, mouth,
back of head;
HEART: lungs, upper chest, upper back;
GUT: belly, pelvic basin, solar plexus.
RITUAL ACTION; core motivation
(why you are singing the song) revealed
and expressed
in action while singing,
ie., I am singing the song
for courage
to endure my losses or I am singing to
stay warm or I am singing to fight
my battle or I
am singing to honor my ancestors. click this for more info
CALL & RESPONSE; using your song as the only language you have to
reach
others;
requiring moment-to-moment listening and responding;
LAMENT -- CELEBRANT; dynamic song polarity; using your song-as-vehicle
to lament and/or celebrate;
usually done in groups
of three or more
from "Orphans of Delirium" (2004; San Francisco)
ADDITIONAL PARATHEATRE TECHNIQUES
SYLVI ALLI INTERVIEW -- "THE EMBODIED VOICE"
towards the embodiment of a song
1)
STRUCTURAL (developed away from
the lab)
learn to sing the song with special attention to hitting
each note of the melody
2)
PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL
find the micro-movements, the dance and the ritual
action innate to the melody
3)
INTUITIVE
discover the silent essence of the song towards accessing
it as a movement resource
4)
SPIRITUAL
discover who or what you are actually singing for
and why you must sing this song
5)
INTERACTIVE/CONCENTRATION
maintain the integrity of your song amidst the cacophony
of other songs
