Milòn MèlaResidential workshop

The workshop is focused on the work on one’s body and voice, attention, concentration, on the practice of the different disciplines, on the work with nature and with silence. The inspiration and the work-structure come from the work of the Theatre of Sources directed by Jerzy Grotowski, in which Abani Biswas had collaborated from 1979 to 1983.

The participants will work with the 19 artists of Milòn Mèla: Chhau dancers (Purulia), Baul musicians (West Bengal), Masters of Kalaripayattu martial art (Kerala), Gotipua dancers (Orissa), Actors from Calcutta.

The actions are a support for the physical and mental learning and participants can use them as personal techniques in their daily life activity. Some actions are conducted by traditional artists and involve practice of ancient dances, martial arts, traditional songs and Dhrupada vocal exercises. Other actions are based on techniques of attention, observation, breathing, and movements and on the voice-work.

The rhythm of work is very intensive; we start at the sunrise with The Bauls’ Morning Songs and we will continue all over the day with brief pauses. The workshop proposes an itinerary into ancient Indian disciplines and it offers the opportunity to witness ritualistic forms with valuable artistic expression. It offers an immersion in the living interpretation of sacred epic poems.

The Chhau dancers demonstrate choreographies from the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Gotipua present you the Ramayana, the Krishna-Lila. The Baul musicians

Workshop

chant poems by mystic medieval poets, the master of Kalaripayttu perform fights with sticks and the fire dance.

The participants will actively experiment a meditative attitude in the doing, as it is not our intention to flee the reality, but rather to fathom it. One of our objectives is the deconditioning from the automatisms of the daily life.

Modern performance can serve to express social issues, personal emotions and spiritual states; that is to communicate, but it is failing to develop its function as a cohesive force expressing the shared human needs for values, identity and continuity. More and more, these are made only into a personal search, the loneliness of the long distance viewer, and society. Traditional disciplines provide stabilized cultural structures, by knowing and keeping alive its roots, art can move forwards into a high technology age without losing sight of its essential values and purposes; it can continue to express the human spirit and in the same time to renew it.

The workshop sessions are providing the participants technical skills and creative experience. Participants experience how the elements of the technical skills work and which kind of impact they may have. They can use them as instrument to better the quality of voice, movements, alertness. This is necessary for the development of a practical methodology, which involves persons from different cultures and traditions. From the oldest exiting to the contemporary ones.

The work takes place in a hall and in the open air, in the nature.

Dramatic actionsMorning Songs with Baul Musicians. At the sun rise a practice of ancient devotional songs and Morning Ragas by the Bauls. This action is based on the voice and on the vibratory quality produced by traditional music and songs.

The Motions. A collective action structured by Grotowski in the Theatre of Sources. It is composed by a series of mo-vements towards the four cardinal directions and also towards the Nadir and the Zenith. Its aim is to keep the body and the mind in alertness and to stretch the dorsal spine. The time of practice increases from the initial 40 minutes to one and half: hour, it’s fundamental to keep a common rhythm. This action is guided by Abani Biswas.

Speaking with Body. An action based on free movements accompanied by the traditional music (drums and string instruments). The aim of this action is to overcome the tiredness and to demonstrate that our physical limits are strictly connected with our mental tiredness. The time of this action is increasing with the practice. At its end participants can verify that they are less tired than in its beginning.

Kalaripayattu. An action guided by two masters of Kalaripayattu. Participants practice the Basic Forms which consti-tute movements of defence and attack in the four cardinal directions. The aim is to develop our learning capacity and to wake up our body-memory.

Breathing. Abani Biswas structured this action during the Theatre of Source’s; it is based on the observation of our respiration. It is composed by two parts: the first with simple movements which are favouring the inhispiration and the exhalation, the second part is taking place in the immobility of the body. The observation is embracing both our respiration and our mental process.

Voice work with Bauls Singers and a master of Dhrupada. Dhrupada is a style of Indian classical religious music, which was in its prime in 16th and 17th centuries. Like many other ancient styles of music, the Dhrupada fell in oblivion in the course of time and is now all but extinct. It is alive in North India even today, though it has undergone conside-rable changes over the years.Dhrupada compositions are full of devotional content, heroic and erotic themes and quite often are elogious to gods and kings. It was traditionally sung with the mridanga (pakhavaja) and vina, today the tabala are much more used. The word dhrupada is the Hindi form od f the Sanskrit word dhruvapada (structured-syllable).

The Chhau Dance. A group of masters and Chhau dancers propose the practise of choreography of this tribal dance. The work is based on positions, cinetic movements and steps at the rhythm of a very energetic music by traditional Chhau drums.

The Gotipua Dance. A group of three dancers propose the practice of the Guru Bhandana (Salute to the Master) and basilar steps and position.

The Walking. A long walking in the nature, its route is fixed, in alternation every participant will guide it to ex-periment the different individual rhythm of walking. The attention on its own breathing and on the other walking rhythm is required.

The Marma. An action structured by Abani in collaboration with the Milòn Mèla artists’ team. The work is based on voice and movements. The Marma wants to wake up the most important vital and energetic points situated in our body.

The Turning. This action was structured during the Theatre of Sources. It has to be practised during the sunset: It starts with the light and finishes with the darkness. This period, called Shanda, is very important in Indian tradition; it’s the meeting between day and night. It’s a work about our perceptions, about the time and about the observation of our mental processes.

The Mother language. It is a series of monologues and songs in his or her own mother language by participants and traditional artists.

The Sanyoga. It is an action focused on the learning of the basic positions of each disciplines, which are coming from the classic Hata Yoga.

When

From 30th June to 9th July 2011In OZU, Monteleone Sabino - Lazio, Italy

To par tecipate is not required any previous experience but a good at t itude to physical work.

I t is possible to par t icipate for only 3 or 5 days.

For more information and reservationsPaola Simoni (OZU)

+39 0765 885027, +39 348 0044789

w w w.ozu.i t

info @ ozu.i t

This brochure was rea l ized by :A ssoc iaz ione O f f i c ina Zone Umane ONLUSLargo Mor i cone, 1 - 02033 Monte leone Sab ino ( R I ) - I TALY +39.0765885027 in fo @ ozu. i tw w w.ozu . i t

The co l laborat ion bet ween Mi lòn Mèla and Ozu , which i s based on the common in t re s t in t rad i t iona l and contempora r y a r t s , cont inues s ince summer 2007, w i th the o rgan iza t ion o f in tens i ve work shops fo r s tudent s f rom “La Sap ienza” Un i ve r s i t y o f Rome. S ince 2009, the Ind ian g roup has a l so chosen OZU as hos t ing cent re dur ing the i r summer European tour. The co l labo ra t ion i s in tens i f y ing w i th the o rgan iza t ion o f add i t iona l work shops tha t a re open to the pub l i c and w i l l t ake p lace in OZU dur ing the summer.