Wow, we are halfway through week 2 and I find it thrilling and unbelievable to say that every day so far has been nothing short of magical. I hope I'm not tempting fate here, but we truly are going beyond every single day and, frankly, it feels incredible... special... humbling... touching... right.
It seems that the word is really starting to spread about our super sweaty morning classes as yesterday and today there were no less twenty of us all indulging in a bit of well needed rubbing, running, rolling, stretching and play. On Tuesday the dance floor was one big puddle, which all of us took great pleasure in creating! It truly is wonderful to be meeting all of these different people each morning, to share their energy and take a little bit of it into our Beyond laboratory for the rest of the day. It seems the classes are attracting all age groups and lovely people from all sorts of disciplines. The Beyond performers have said that they have never felt so much a part of the Bristol scene. I love it! It's a morning sharing that I hope keeps going long after the Beyond project is over, as it seems it is what we are all after in Bristol. Yum. Oh and did we mention... it only costs £1!
I can't even imagine where to begin in attempting to share the world of the Beyond laboratory with you, so do check out the performers diaries which gives you a great insight from their perspective (note that some of these performers actually asked if it was necessary to have a weekend or whether we could just keep going!). But for me, well, I feel so spoilt. Maybe more spoilt than I have ever felt. Each day I am witnessing five very special people, open themselves and create experiences which I then spend all night dreaming about. The building has become the world of Beyond and today we laughed when we remembered that here we are, in the middle of a city centre, surrounded by Tesco Metro, Bikram Yoga and a bustling market, surrounded by people walking their dogs, rushing to their offices, seeking a place for a swift half, and here we are in the midst of it making something that seems very special. We become completely immersed. Beyond becomes our world. And, it feels great.
Some treats from the latter half of last week and the first half of this week: 6 years... run of pride... secrets... we got heaters... jar revision... understanding beyond... going beyond... the laughter cupboard... singing out of your bum... the bandage baby... 8 moves at the bar... endurance band... mirrors... drumming... seeing self... consciousness commentary... conducting... it was difficult... happy jars... jar time... endurance... more endurance... sweat... laughter... laughter... laughter... first kiss... giving birth... floating... happiness... floating... invincible... the anatomy of movement... lunch in the sunshine... affirmations... endurance objects... laughter... joy... exhaustion... beyond...
There you are people, more to follow next week and also be sure to check out our videos by the wonderful Chris Lewis-Smith who is so beautifully existing in our world and capturing it all at the same time.
Laura Dannequin - We have wanted to cry as we have tried to laugh in cupboards. We have learned to trust each other, there has been banter and there has been pain, there has been real laughter that has carried on until breakfast the next morning as images from our work have emerged in my mind. There has been shouting and silliness, blushing, remembering things past - there has been some real eye contact. It's been cold and it's been sweaty, we've been supportive and we've taken the time to notice and say beautiful things about each other. I've felt part of a group. I have tried my hardest just to just be, and to let others just be too
Chek - To perform or not to perform. That is the question... We are asked to simply be ourselves. And it is that simple. No need to over-complicate what just is: that we are who we are. But it got me thinking... performance is existing in the space... who am I anyway... working with a YES is performing... doing anything is performing... The struggle to be "me" during Jar Time is contradictory because I am interacting with four other performers and an audience. I do what comes. Yet there is a sense of not doing it "properly". I know I panic. I know I freeze in a statuesque form of "performance presence" in an attempt to cover up transitions and misunderstandings during Jartime. Thanks to the open frankness of the others I can work on these things that this process exposes.
Karla
