The Six Viewpoints Theory & Practice

With further investigation of composition and group dynamic, The Six Viewpoint Theory and Practice came up. I've begun teaching the practice in the Laboratory, introducing each of the six viewpoints. This post is a basic introduction to the originator, Mary Overlie, and the theory and practice. One of the many beautiful qualities of this work is it's highly complex yet stupendous simplicity. It takes a significant amount of time to understand all aspects of the work Overlie has articulated. After studying the practice for years, writing a dissertation, teaching the practice repeatedly, and studying with Overlie herself, I am still constantly discovering new pathways and arriving at an place for infinite discovery in the unknown.

A B O U T M A R Y O V E R L I E
Born in Bozeman, Montana. Hopped a train to San Francisco. Followed Grand Union, Yvonne Rainer to New York City. Helped to found: NYU Tisch Experimental Theatre Wing, Danspace at St. Mark's Church, and Movement Research in NYC. Also- the Pro Series Program in Vienna.
An intensely intelligent woman. A theorist. A pioneer for postmodern thought.



T H E T H E O R Y (I E S) - this is what we have gone over so very briefly thus far -

M I N I M A L I S M . a process of reduction . eliminating or minimizing . "found" movement .

"1) The artifice of performance has been reevaluated in that action, or what one does, is more interesting and important that the exhibition of character and attitude, and that action can best be focused on through the submerging of the personality; so ideally one is not even oneself, one is a neutral 'doer.' 2) The display of techincal virtuosity and the display of the dancer's specialized body no longer make any sense." Yvonne Rainer, A Quasi Survey Of Some 'Minimalist' Tendencies

D E C O N S T R U C T I O N . taking apart . disassemble . to see the parts . inventing the wheel backwards .


T H E C U P S. drawing here...soon...
of: hierarchy>deconstruction>individuality>SSTEMS



T H E H O R I Z O N T A L . seeing the individuals as having equal and unique worth . honoring each viewpoint as having their own vocabulary and language . spending a significant amount of time with each viewpoint in isolation .

looking at the metaphor for this phenomenon... seeing the potential for a horizontal structure within the government, politics, academia, social services, domestic life, family relationships . posing the possibility that if we took apart the hierarchy within these scenarios and began to individuals for their unique talents and differentiation strengths and weaknesses, that we could then choose different individuals to lead or advice projects/programs/pieces based a flexible structure where the "people at the top" were always changing. It is even more beautiful than leveling the playing field. It's allowing the playing field to having rolling hills, a natural landscape, unpredictable but supportive, flexible, and wonderfully dynamic. So then...

T E M P O R A R Y C R E A T I V E S T R U C T U R E S . allowing one of the viewpoints to rise while the other fall accordingly . Looks like an undulating sea . The shifting awareness can happen in any duration . in half a blink . a lifetime . a cross from stage left to right . a moment between i love yous.


O B S E R V E R / P A R T I C I P A N T . further understanding of this concept is aided by a knowledge about postmodernism . the artist shifts from creator/originator to observer/participant. cutting through the ego of making work. learning to see what already exists and learning how to participate with it. requires discipline, focus, meditation, and humility.

T H E S I X V I E W P O I N T S

S P A C E . the perceptual ability to see and feel physical relationship .


S H A P E . the perceptual ability to see and feel physical form .


T I M E . the perceptual ability to experience duration and systems created to regulate duration .


E M O T I O N . the perceptual ability to experience a sens of being .


M O V E M E N T . the perceptual ability to experience kinesthetic sensation .


S T O R Y . the perceptual ability to understand logic systems as an arrangement of collected information .

an entry on my own process... I am sustainably humbled by the practice and greatly respect the theory . Mary is an incredibly important mentor to me and feel blessed to have met her . I feel I am at my best when I am able to teach this practice and talk about the theory . It is something that has always been there, and that everyone lives with . The development of the awareness that the Six Viewpoints supports is rooted in the witness . My own journey of seeing, feeling and experiencing has continued to shift, evolve, grow, open, and venture . More recent discoveries, when things are more slow and more honest, have been about the internal place within me . It used to be much more about connecting with the external environment . landscape . I believe that Anna Halprin and my cousin, Chris, were and are teachers for me, that allow me to see how these viewpoints and there qualities exist more privately. intimately . internally . Thank you .

DING

Warming up with Sarah Shelton Mann techniques.
The yin and yang of movement and breath.

Deciding we'd set some vocabulary:

"D I N G" - spoken from anyone during anytime during improvisational score at moments of compositional interest. Noticing if it's said from within or from outside the composition. Furthermore, during our discussion after wards, it was discussed that for some it was difficult to see what was even making the composition from within the work. I brought up The Six Viewpoint Theory and the group decided they'd like to learn about it.

"E N D" - we didn't use it this time, but the E N D is to be spoken when a natural ending is felt. The open improvisational score then starts anew.

"N O T I C E" - wasn't used either. This was the option to bring the awareness to the columns, and the mapping of the floor work to the score.

"D I R E C T I O N" - not really saying direction but we gave one another the permission to sculpt moments if we saw the potential for a more powerful dynamic. Such as, go here. keep doing that. be still. Any structural modification really.

anything else?

Hesperus. Photo by Amelia Charter.

I brought in a sound scape composed of field recordings from our recent warm weekend of melting snow. I also layered in tracks from an earlier project of mine, Sound Vestige, 6 works composed collaboratively with musician/builder/artist Tom Murray. Feedback about the sound was positive and expressed that the sound had been supportive for the environment. Also something you could sink into and also leave behind in the background. A flexible presence. We'd like to find more material like this.

O B J E C T S A R E H A R D - Bringing in the red cushions was extremely challenging. Mind bending. For me it was like adding three new players to the room. Stubborn, small but stand-out ish players who would just look at me like... "yes, and...hmmm...what are you doing to do about it..." More layers to look at. Perhaps we will see how different objects could influence the group. Maybe doing an entire score focusing on objects. What torture! What fun!

T A L K I N G - finding more rhythms with talking and moving. Other vocal sounds working their way in. Repetition, variation and theme with logic systems. Not just with the body, but with narrative, with the voice. Working it, stretching it, pulling it, expanding it, and reversing it. Parallel to how you might do with a movement phrase.

W I T N E S S I N G - Taking the time to step out. Looking at the bigger picture. Seeing. Sensing. Sculpting. Noticing. This has brought an awareness to the group of a sense for being watched. It has for me brought in this layer of "performing" that I mostly don't experience during pure exploration. I feel it is good to integrate it into my exploration, so that I can develop that honest muscle. The honest muscle is the ability to be conscious of an audience with every breathe, but to surrender and resist putting on a show. To let yourself be seen.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig. Photo credit to Gerald Herbert

Glaciers. SSSSSScCCCCccinnamonnnn. Ssshhhhhugar. NUTMEG. My stargazing turned to mud. My stargazing turned to mud. ((((SINGING BOWL))))
Christopher? Christopher...Christopher! Christopher... He's not here. He took the bus. Went to the pool. To swim in cinnamon bun. I used to like cinnamon buns. So sticky. Because of all the pollution. Oh yeah, global warming. global warming isn't real. democratic plot. That's the pollution. sticky cinnamon buns. swimming. Sticky. Christopher? Hey! heyyyyy. Hey. He was like a dead fish. Out there in the middle. And we all ran to the perimeter. Sacred. Grossed. But you had my back and we went in. to check him out. You couldn't find his pulse. You checked his knee...his leg...maybe his elbow even...it wasn't anywhere. Just roll him out of here. He's bringing it all down. Yeah. Just like that. Umph. My stargazing turned to mud. Christopher is that you? Oh my gosh, Christopher! IIII'm Christopher. Your?..... Christopher....?.....Christopher. Can't trust any of you.

5

LIGHTS.

RAIN.

CORRIDORS. individual. new corridors. being in corridors with other people. corridors existing lengthwise and spanning the width (perpendicular). An awareness ground.

INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL VS BOTH.

DIRECTION.

WITNESS.

BEGINNING AND ENDING.

MEMORY.

Photo by Amelia Charter

What happened? We ate the most beautiful blue goldfish which had traveling through the elementary canal. It made the hips loose. Circles. Someone stole the circles because they needed them. So many children. All differant types of circles. It was a federal offense. She looks like a flag blowing in the wind as half mast. At full mast. at three-quarters mast. Silver Peices...Silver Peices...That french architect. A hallway. With nothing in it. Not even dust. But it has a stench. No students. Where are the students? They died.... Crush my bones to make parchment. I think we should stand up and tell them that it's not right. Because I believe that we deserve food and shelter. I believe in democracy. Jesus. Cheesus. We deserve it. Food and Shelter.


More exposition soon on all this...

Dreamscape of Subconcious Streaming.

We articulated our opening exercises/movements/sounds; a rather open outline of events.

Beginning at the perimeter in darkness. The entire score in darkness.
ABOUT DARKNESS:

• A witness to the first half of our play described seeing the bodies in space moving in the dark room as individuals stripped of their identity. The back lit ambient lighting from the parking lot coming through the window at the far end of the space, outlining the bodies figure; masking the face; allowing the movement/sound to be unassociated.
• Struggling with not being able to make clear eye contact or visible connection with another person. Feeling isolated under the constant veil of darkness. Wanting to really sea something, to see someone. Then contemplating trying to achieve an In-Plain-Sight, Honest connection with someone- even in the dark.
• Feeling connected to the organs. Allowing the individual work and internal awareness to be more fluidly part of exploration, rather than always playing to the groups needs or being constantly influenced. Finding the solo space to be more accessible.

Gradually. Individually. Collectively.
Making our way to the center of the room in a circle, facing in.
THE CHORD...or something like it:

• Uniting breath.
• Beginning to vocalizing the exhale.
• Volume and intensity rises and descends back into the silent breath.
• Takes as long as it needs to: Is as brief as is needed.
  

Photo taken by Amelia Charter
scan of 35 mm print

Handling the residual vibrations
hanging in the air.
transforming.
dissolving.

Compositional Gems within the Awkwardness of Improvisation.
The surprise and pleasure in Improvisation is whenever that something works. But also - loving the awkwardness. Many moments where we begin to notice composition and what makes a "successful" dynamic. Feel free to add one in a comment.

One laying down with the head propped against the wall.
Arms slack by the side.
In stillness.
Two to the left. One to the Right.
Kneeling.
Hailing the wall.
Open palms slamming the wall.
Palms sliding down the wall as the back curves. Flexes.
Head down.
Arms Down.
Then Lifting up.
Arching the back.
Arms suspended in the Air.
Before hailing the wall again.

Prayer.
Ceremony.
Ritual.

ABOUT SOUND:

• Prerecorded music was brought in. A persistent Cellist. Pieces composed by Phillip Glass, performed by Wendy Sutter. Noticing the difficult transitions when the stereo is turned on and then off. Then maybe on again and then off again. But also observing the power of music/sound to carry the space, transform the air, and influence mood. It can be overbearing.
  
• Continuing to use the voice organically, melodically, landscapes of consonants and vowels. Also Words. Trying stream of consciousness (unlocking cerebral pathways) talking again but this time allowing space in between the thoughts. Others noticing how spoken word overlapping or as an undercurrent, has the power to imply a narrative within their movement.
• Using sound, notes, rhythm, words as topography. Grounded. Earthiness. Anthropology. Healing.
• Becoming more familiar with the use of language in the laboratory. "Words crawling around on the floor." With us.
  

Revival

Coming out of a long comatose, the MIL is back. It wasn't a lethargic comatose though. More like a just-got-hit-by-a-train-gotta-lie-down-for-a-bit comatose.

A reminder that the MIL was created to explore forms of improvisation and provide a place for discover, exploration, experimentation and collaboration. It began with a group of individuals from both Denver and Boulder who shared their chops and raised the stakes. I see non-hierarchical forum, a quality of the MIL, as a valuable exchange for theses two communities.


A group of individuals have decided to get together at Naropa University once a week to improvise together in an incredibly open score. There are no limitations on movement, sound, spoken text, music, recorded or live. At the onset, people are wary of structure and show their affection for little outline. It seems that as the weeks pass, and the group matures, the group may eventually become more structured, carefully sculpted. I see structure here as a possible for more freedom, rather than less.

I see the MIL as having its own body. And the MIL as a guest for the group for now; taking up residency in a mostly empty room with wood floors and live bodies. Taking it one week at a time.

Moving on to the good and gritty now...

Photo by Amelia Charter

• Introductions... why are you here?

• Warming Up...(without it actually being named as a warm up) Working in a dark room with orange street lamp glow. Music in the beginning. Quickly turned off.

• Moving into the awkward, distance, stretching, yawning, struggle and shaking which eventually became familiar, spatial awareness, movement, exploration, play and community.

Some moments that came through. Moments that stood out:

A diagonal journey across the room continuously speaking, pushing to use words. Something like, "Well it feels like Tuesday, Orange spaces that rise and fill, travel the world and be rich and famous."

RICH AND FAMOUS. RICH AND FAMOUS. famous. fAmOUSs. RRRRiCH and FAMOUS famous

Exploring dialogue. The use of words. Really being able to go there and be in it, versus, being just a step back, not quite in it all the way.

Happy Birthday. Party Hats. Living in a Hostel. Giggles. Circles. Women.

RICH (rich) AND FAMOUS. famous.

Sewing up the arm and the heart. A little nip and tuck. I am using a circular needle and I noticed that you are not. Much better. I feel better. You look better. Better. A sale. I am a sale. For sale. Just a little gust of wind. shhhhoooooooooo........

Near the end we all ended up on the floor. Some contact. Some not. We lied there for what felt like a nice moment of finding chords together. Vibrating against the floor. Relaxed. Calm. Listening. Communicating. Simple.

Questions: Warming up? The beginning? Middle and End for that matter? Naming things and not naming them?

Sound, Body, Movement, Character.....

Joanna led this Lab, continuing this month's theme of Action Theatre and Ruth Zaporah inspired exercises; linking the body's movement with the voice/sound.

• moving from a certain body part, guided by a partner, rolling across the floor
• Layering sound with the kinetic response to partner's touch

• 1 Sounder, every-one else; Movers
• 1 Sounder tags in and out with Movers
• Play with looking and not looking a the group

• As a Sounder: Being a good leader...or more predictable vs. not- more self indulgent sound
• The Movers: solo exploration vs. group interaction (what does that dynamic feel like?)

• Flocking with Sound and Movement
• Moving into an Open Score
• Being highly vigilant of one another...less of an Open Score really because it began with an exercise
• Open Score needs to be clearly stated/introduced

Marc Licari Itching to Go
Courtesy of: www.baldwingallery.com/0109_ar-ml/ar-ml.html

• Within Open Score- finding a balance with the following: Awareness of Composition, Awareness of the whole group, having the freedom to step out whenever to be an observer, Performance practitioner "deep play," ensemble based work, allowing the ooey gooey, and being precise.

Patrick started this Lab with a warm-up that worked it's way up from the floor:

• difference between large and small quantities of the bodies surface area making contact with the floor
  
• Support vs. Propulsion

Throughout Patrick's warm-ups, the group was collectively gently using the voice here and there with movement; warming the voice up with the body; effortlessly and spontaneously

Joan took over and lead us through an accumulating series of exercises inspired by Ruth Zaporah:

• Moving through ranges of low planes and high planes with the body; linking the voice to body; If the body stops the voice stops- if the voice stop the body stops

• Partners:

-One partner is the SOUNDER; the other, the MOVER
-The SOUNDER closes their eyes and simply plays with the sensation of sound in the body without any movement whatsoever.
-The MOVER responds to the SOUNDER through only movement. If the SOUNDER stops, the MOVER stops.
-(switch)

• Working independently: you are your own SOUNDER and MOVER in one; working with SOUND and MOVEMENT simoltaneously, playing with the same impulse first with SOUND then MOVEMENT, and visa versa

• Phonetics-----> <------ Mechanics

• NOT:

Phonetics----------->
Mechanics---------->

BOMBADEER:

• One Vessel; all others approach the vessel one at a time in either a DIRECT or INDIRECT way with ONE gesture and sound
  
• The Vessel and the "actor" (for lack of a better word) repeats this back and forth
  
• The trick is: is that the gesture and sound need to remain the same
• The "actor" is allowed to change the Tempo, Spatial Relationship, Emotion, Movement Quality, (the viewpoints...) of the gesture and sound
• The "actors" exchange in and out for the Vessel who has to immedietly drop what they are doing with the previous "actor" to mimic the new "actor"
• "actors" should try to drastically propose the opposite of the current "actor"
  
• The next development is adding text
• The "actor" approaches the Vessel in a DIRECT or INDIRECT way with a repetitive GESTURE and LANGUAGE. (this may look like twiddling fingers and whispering mischievously about what you'll do to your little sister when she comes home)
• Listen to each other

Autobiographical Storytelling:

• Two people sit side by side
• One begins to tell a logical real story
  
• The other interrupts when ever to tell their own individual logical story
• The two keep interrupting one another remaining isolated with their own story

We had no Open Score......Baaaad Joan

Courtesy of http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/greenriotcops.html