Fireside Chat

My performance for the fireside chat was both a visual experience for the spectators and one that was interactive.  I wanted to give the audience the feeling that they were watching and experiencing the exercises with me. For this reason, I did not just stand up and explain them.  Instead I performed some of them whist an explanation of the reasons behind them were being played with the music.  This blend of performance art showed what I very passionately believe to be true: that the connection of body, mind, and spirit is so strong that releasing physical tension can help improve aspects of emotional and spiritual well being.  As we discussed in class, what we believe can have a heavy influence on the art that we produce.  Believing in the physical work that performers do has made me more aware of the complicated nature of human behavior, helping me to understand how to mold my craft into a realistic acting performance that audiences can connect with and relate to.  This belief absolutely affects the art that I create because I attempt to convey the same feelings that one may experience through emotions that can be captured in the creative process.  In my fireside chat performance, I felt nervous, but was able to get more relaxed as Marcelle helped me work out some of my tension during my monologue. It requires a great deal of being in tune with the spirit in order to connect with others when doing this performance work, and this connection with the spirit helps mold the art and the artist as he or she tries to convey messages to the audience.  I felt this in my performance as I really tried to become vulnerable during my monologue.  Most of the time an artist has to become vulnerable in some way in order to really create art that expresses themselves.  Some become vulnerable by telling a lyrical story about something personal.  Some become vulnerable by painting something that may look dark or disturbing to others but that shows a part of their past.  As actors, we show our vulnerability through our bodies, our voices, and our very countenances.  The audience could see through my vocal and body work in the performance, such as "breathing machine" that aspects of my posture and vocal quality was changing, and the media was being played expressed the relaxation sensation that I wanted to create.