TuT
Schule Workshop 2002 © moco
ClownZen
Humor
Workshops
Empower
your Humor
Expressing
with one's sense of humor is the fundamental focus of all
workshops that Moshe teaches. To explore the humor within, and develop
one's expressive capacity to share without. Moshe's workshops develop
humor along the lines of European/Modern Clown heritage and physical
theater. The workshops involve a good amount of active participation,
exploration and development. Duo and trio improvisations come into
play often. Focus is placed on awareness, presence
and capacities of no-mind, while developing the Funny at the same
time. Movement principles from Butoh dance are applied to expand
moments, develop and deepen the humor.
Moshe
has developed a pedagogy sourcing both from his experience and
the following disciplines: Contemporary/European Clown (Pochinko,
Turba), Gestual and Movement theater, Taoist Health Exercises,
Feldenkreis Technique, Roy Hart Vocal Work, Butoh Dance, Kyogen
Theater, and Zen.
A
list of Moshe's teachers is at the bottom of this page.
About
the workshops:
For
whom: Most
workshops are open to everyone. Some are specifically geared
for performers. Please see the links at the top for details.
To
do what :
Express levity, explore your sense of humor, refine your performing,
explore the idea of performing, apply your sense of humor to
physical actions and emotional expression, step outside your
box, activate your
intuitive mind, laugh, enjoy, dig deeper.
Why:
Fun, professional development, personal development, exploration,
mindfulness, no mind, deep pleasure.
When and Where: See schedule.
Moshe
has investigated the nature of humor extensively in interviews
with performers, zen teachers and others. Looook in the 'about
clown' section.
Brewing philosphy around
humor and clown:
One
Hopi word for clown is 'Delight Maker'. In this context, there is
an objective of levity, of lightness, of laughter, sometimes beauty
and poetry, and in the best of moments, evoking that feeling of
delight. Exploring these territories is of interest to people
from many walks of life. For everyone, the exploration offers
opportunities to engage one's sense of humor, to enjoy. For performers
looking/working to be consistently funny, this requires
an intensity brought on by a depth of understanding and training.
As
a teacher, I am interested in exploring this 'clown' from the inside
out, rather than the outside in. The
moment by itself may be funny, but how you play that moment is
where the magic lies. My interest is to develop
one's clown world, populate it with humor based in human expressions.
To explore the ability to play them from the greatest degrees
of subtlety to over the top exaggeration.
Throw
into the mixing bowl, one's sense of trickster, of the fool, a
healthy dose of ridiculousness and/or absurdity. Throw in spoonfuls
of exuberance, zaniness and rigor, and you almost have it. A friend
of mine has an expression "Think
Chaplin, not Bozo".
Teaching
in Zen Centers and teaching/working with Zen Masters these past
6 or 7 years has led to greater understanding of parallels between
Clown and Zen. Both strive for being present in the moment.
Both engage the major theme of
listening. In Zen, to listen to one's breath is
the basis for meditation. In clown one listens a lot: to the audience,
to stage partners, to one's own impulses and actions. Other parallels
include the idea of amplifying and expanding the moment, of a sense
of relationship, of being connected within and without.
Richard
Pochinko, my clown teacher in Montreal in 1984, he too, placed
great emphasis on listening; asking us not only to hear the impulse,
but to let it build up inside before releasing it to the audience.
There is a complicity developed with the audience, and the stronger
that engagement, the more opportunities for laughter unfold.
"Listen
to the garden" Zeami Motokiyo, noh playwrite
(1364-1443)
Moshe
brings into the workshops what he has learned from his teachers
over the years which include:
Clown: Richard Pochinko, Ctibor Turba.
Physical theater: Sigfrido Aguilar, Phillipe Gaulier, Monika Pagneux,
Jan Ruts.
Butoh Dance: Kazuo Ohno, the Tamanos.
Kyogen Theater: Kaoru Matsumoto, Juro Zenchku
Kabuki : Mr. Nakamura
Taoist Health Exercises: Nirton
Voice : Members of the Roy Hart Theater: Ahkmatova, Marita, Rossignol,
Saul and Vincente.
Zen: Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao
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