Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 54-68

Ice Breakers

1. Trust Fall: "Begin by walking randomly across and around this space (with your eyes open this time), criss-crossing in between your colleagues while making eye contact. The aim is to repeatedly change direction and speed without colliding with each other. After a couple of minutes each person in the group begins to call out their own name clearly, slowly, one at a time and in no particular order. Immediately after shouting your name you should begin to fall to the ground stiff like a board, and those around you must respond instantly, and catch you before you hit the floor. Once your immediate colleagues have helped you “recover,” the next person will call out his/ her name and the exercise continues. The entire group is responsible for catching their colleagues before they hit the floor."
2. The Gaze: Every member in the group must pair up into twos. Once everyone is paired up the room should be quiet and each member will stair into the others' eyes. The goal is very simple: to be present and open , to express a basic existential message with your gaze that goes something like, "We happen to be here today, to coincide on this strange planet and it’s OK. We are here together sharing a moment in life and art. It’s a pleasure to be here with you."
3. Poetic Ethnography: "Begin by walking around the space and find a partner, as before, preferably someone with whom you are not too familiar, and who is “different” from you in obvious ways (race, gender, age, body type). Gravitate towards that person and intuitively discover if your desire to partner is reciprocated. If not, don’t take it personally and continue walking around until you find someone else. Partners should stand facing each other 2 to 3 feet apart. Decide with your partner your initial roles within the experiment. One of you will be the ethnographer and the other the specimen. Specimen and ethnographer are metaphors that describe your role in the exercise – the person in the role of ethnographer does not "perform" a scientist in the theatrical sense. Rather you are both your actual selves in this time and place, exploring each other as “human artifact”. This verbal negotiation should be kept as brief as possible. You will reverse roles on completion of the exercise. Once the roles have been established, certain basic guidelines should be articulated: ethnographers should try to be compassionate, sensitive, and truly open in their exploration of their specimen. In this process of negotiation of the borders of intimacy, it is important to be adventurous but always respectful. Ethnographers should not examine areas that may be considered taboo (i.e., breasts, genitals). If ethnographers examine areas that might still feel awkward or uncomfortable to the specimen (i.e., the feet, the inside of the mouth, the back of the ears, nostrils, knees, etc.), the specimen can simply give a hand signal for them to stop. The ethnographer will understand that the specimen is not consenting"
4. Human Puppets and Human Doppelgangers: "Try to partner with someone who is about your height. Begin with the exploration of your partner’s body as described in the poetic ethnography. At a certain point, after manipulating their body for a few minutes, return your partner (with his/ her eyes closed) to a standing neutral position. Now, stand behind him/ her and carefully press your torso and legs against the back and legs of your partner, your arms under his/ her arms so that the palms of your partner’s hands are resting on the tops of your hands. Slowly begin to transfer the energy and impulses of your movement to your partner’s body. In turn he/ she should collaborate by facilitating this transference of movement, becoming an active participant in the creation of an unusual choreography . Your movements initiate the movements of your partner. In a sense he/ she is dancing for you and responding to the movement phrases you are imprinting onto his/ her body. He/ she is your dancing doppelganger. The “human puppeteers” can eventually engage the entire body of their partner. You can move the torso, head, shoulders, and hips using your own hands to direct your partner. Make sure to engage their arms, legs, hips, and shoulders or for smaller movements the hands, fingers, or feet. Use your whole body to direct your partner. Occasionally you can check out other duets for inspiration. The “puppet” is an active participant and should never stop moving, continually reinterpreting and stylizing the movements and impulses given by their partner. Eventually, when you have imprinted at least four movement phrases onto your partner, we ask you to step away and move to the front of your human puppet and observe the movements you have created. Now you can think about how you might want to develop or change this movement."

Instructions found from:
Gómez Peña, Guillermo; Sifuentes, Roberto (2013-03-01). Exercises for Rebel Artists: Radical Performance Pedagogy (Kindle Locations 1090-1103). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition. 

Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 30-38

Pocha workshops discuss the politics of documentation and theses issues include how the documentation of others digitally will affect society.

Pocha workshops often extend into the social life of the group. It is important for participants to “connect” in a more informal way. Informal encounters with little pressure are encouraged in the workshop. In a situation with low societal pressure, people are more open to speaking passionately. It is during these reflective sessions that we can openly discuss the project’s aesthetic currency, cultural impact, and political pertinence.

Words to try to avoid when conducting a workshop Autobiographical Correct/ incorrect Chinga tu madre Derrida Developing or emerging artist Erection Healing/ cathartic/ therapeutic Horny Inner (anything) Inter-textuality Languaging Liminal.

This section, the very heart of the book, is divided into four parts:

1. Part 1 contains “hands-on” exercises (physical and/ or perceptual) to help you reconnect with your bodies, operate in “performance mode”, explore various strategies for collaboration, sharpen your performance senses, control and direct your gaze while in “performance mode”, and develop a collective performance vocabulary.

2. Part 2 includes conceptual and poetic exercises to help you hone your analytical and rhetorical skills, and map out new territories of inquiry in non-confrontational discussion that we have found useful in dealing with cultural divides and tensions that emerge out of racial, gender, social, or generational difference.

3. Part 3 includes “creative exercises” that help participants develop original performance material.

4. Part 4 describes the “infamous
Pocha Jam sessions” that will become the bulk of the creative sessions utilizes steps one through four.

5. Part 5 includes various methods for bringing the practice to the public in open performance salons and larger scale presentations.

The exercises follow a natural line of progression from one to the other. Some are repeated daily with variations; others occur only a few times during the entire workshop.
 Use visual images to describe an exercise; explore language within your teaching. Remember that teaching is also performing.

Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 39-53

I had to read the section that begins part 1 of the book. The objective is for hands-on physical and perceptual exercises. My section was the physical warm-ups and stretching. It is suppose to get participants' blood and energy flowing. To sweat. The first one is the monkey-breathing dance.This is used to increase focus within the group and continue building energy. It is used to recognize the behavior of animals. Then there is walking in the dark. This is to get familiar with the the space around you and your peers. The second part is forming communities in the darkness. This is to form trust and group awareness. Running blind is an ancient exercise for trust. The section I had to read discusses many techniques to build trust and connection through group members. This is great for exercise and bring a connection to those around you. It works you out and brings you closer to group members.

Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 1-9

I had the introduction for the EFRA book that was assigned. The introduction talks about the "Pocha method". Guillermo talks about perceiving US colleges and universities to be sophisticated. The author sees the college campus as a reservoir for thought rather than a place of laboratories. The author talks about facing "philosophical vertigo". The author talks about the beginning of the disregard for art and the voice of critical artist. This was during the early 1900s and began the mid 1900s new era of art. The author discusses going into to teaching in academia. With the idea of performance pedagogy. The author addresses the new generations of students whose lives are surrounded by technology. Never knowing what it is like to go without a computer or phone. Everything given to you automatically. The author takes students and artists on a journey to understand one another and figure out each other. This is what the introduction is about.

Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 20-29

Fig conceptual artist: Chip lord and Gomez Pena 

Participants- Props 

1. Go to performance art supply stores 
2. Ex, weapons medical instruments, and prosthetic
3. Costumes are vital as well.

Rest-

1. groups will do long stretches 
2. tea, coffee, and water will be served 
3. replenished by the producer 

Visitors-

1. visitors must be planned 
2. encourage a creative session open to the local arts

Pocha workshops

Attraction of multiple communities-

1. Groups will be electic.
2. 26 people is a common number in a group.

Workshops are intense and bizarre-

1. any discomfort must be discussed straight away
2. vulnerabilities will inevitable surface at one point during the workshop.
3. no judgement,

Importance of autonomy and performance goals-

1. labor is divided 
2. responsibility to themselves 

Humor and Discipline-

1. humor is a vital element in the workshop 
2. fine line between irreverence and discipline. 

Foster punctuality and commitment-

1. arriving on time consistently
2. do not tolerate dilettantism.

Alternative healing-

1. exercise allows individuals to confront issues they have 
2. Help cross new borders.

Physically strenuous-

1. responsibility to inform partners strengths and weaknesses 
2. must regain energy before doing next movement.

Performance sketchbooks- 

1. Diary of thoughts 
2. record images and actions.

Collaborative creations-

1. product based workshop
2. there is no ownership
3. everyone is involved and ideas are shared. 

Exercises for Rebel Artists: Pages 10-19

1. Aims and motivations of a Pocha Nostra performance workshop
1. To help develop and strengthen performers
2. To create communities for rebel artists of all ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, and nationalities
3. To develop new models for relationships between artists and communities, mentor and apprentice, which are neither colonial nor condescending
4. To discover new ways of relating our bodies
5. To raise crucial questions
6. To empower participants as individuals
2. Identifying and Preparing the space
1. Space
1.  It is determined by the number of participants.
2. Make sure there is enough space that artists don't feel crowded or constantly run into others
2. Lighting
1. It is one of the most crucial parts. 
2. Make sure the light is equal to the amount of participants and the amount of space
3. Sound
1. Space needs a good quality sound system
4. Costume
1. It is important to make a list of every prop and/or costume needed in advance
2. Do not rush or stress about costume. (It shouldn't be another worry to add to your list)

What is Modern and Contemporary Art?

Modern  Art and Contemporary Art

1. Modern Art 
• 1860s-1960s
• Modernism:
• Impressionism, Cubism, Abstract expressionism
• All things since the early renaissance.
• Social, Cultural, technological, and political developments.
• Industrialization and Urbanization were significant factors in influencing art.
• photography, film, and new styles were being created.
• Art movements were prominent in modern art.
• Late 1960s created different and more provocative types of art.
• Experimental art was a prominent practice.
• This then led to the popularity in art based events.
• Modernism whenever an artist used a new technique that would create a "modern" style.
• Modern vs. Modernism
• One is of the current fashion and the other respectively is the type of style in the era of modern art.
• Modernism Rules
• specific time and place created, medium it was made of, how it was made.
2. Contemporary Art
• 1970s-Present
• Art made by living artists
• Theory and idea driven.
• Post-Modernism
• Contemporary art is an idea that must be explored individually.
1. Contemporary Art: Whatever that means
• A different technique must be created for a different age of artist.
• Seen as an image that provokes the mind.
• Contemporary art is most seen as a way to break the current rules of art.
2. Themes in Contemporary Art
• Participation
• Linked by the collective action and shared ideas
• Site/Place
• The location of where art is created is significant.
• Cinematic
• Moving images have become a common use.
• Medium
• What is used to create the art.