viewpoints reflection

During this week, we did the viewpoints with different activities.Firstly, I remember, we were introduced soft focus which means paying attention to what others are doing even though you are not looking at them directly. To achieve soft focus, we have to open our senses including hearing, smell, touch, but barely sight to feel what’s happening around us. As a group, we have to jump, turn or stop spontaneously at the same time. At first, we always initiated the movement by someone leading it, but after several days’ effort, we can finish it without distinguishing who starts the movement. This activity really remind me of how important it is to use the soft focus on stage. Because as an actor, we can’t always see what’s going on stage every minute so we have to pay attention and try to cooperate with others in order to make the performance natural and fluent, or it will feel like actors are just reading their own line without interaction and consensus between characters. 

As we moved on, we were also introduced more vocabulary including tempo, duration, level, kinesthetic response, repetition, spatial relationships, topography and gestures etc. And we have to incorporate those elements when we are walking. The most interesting part to me is the kinesthetic response, which means how you react based on other people’s movements. As a performer, when I am walking, I have to really use my soft focus to grasp the existence of others around me. I remember once when I was face the wall, standing still, I sensed that someone is approaching me with a high tempo, so I decided to turn around and started to walk at a high speed as soon as that people stopped. It is also intriguing to see the kinesthetic response between others as an observer. Once when Caroline and Mao were walking together, maintaining a high tempo, then Caroline suddenly started following Maddie, and Mao chose to stop immediately. I can really feel the dynamics between people because the reaction is immediate and strong. This technique is useful on stage because it creates a natural relationship between characters which will enable the audience to believe what’s happening.  Another element that I am interested in is special relationship, meaning the space between people which can be really close or far away. The space between people can build the atmosphere right away. When I was watching another group performing, I remember that at last, there was a huge distance between four of them which creates a sense of conflict and alienation between them. Also, the direction where they were facing also builds on the tension: one person was facing the other while the other turns her back to that person, showing that one is explicitly aggressive and the other is trying to avoid the confrontation. 

During the viewpoints activities, as a performer, I not only challenge my physical limits by exploring different movements that require different parts of my body to be involved, but also understand how to incorporate various elements in actions, even if it's just walking. In addition, as a director, it is also essential to apply the elements to blocking because it can help to create atmosphere and build relationships effectively.