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An Online Movement Improv Accumulation Score
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Paying attention to others through a screen adds to a challenge in any collaborative improvisation: paying attention to yourself and to others at the same time. This score is organized in a way that fosters combining inward and outward attention.
It's helpful if those participating take a few minutes before the score to warm themselves up by exploring the appetite in the moment (and/or lack of appetite) to move. Just asking the question can be useful priming.
- To start we all have our cameras and mics off and have the video option "Hide non-video participants" activated. (We set this option so the screen allocates space for a participant only when their camera is on.)
- When someone feels ready they turn on their camera and mic and take a few minutes to do a solo: they explore movement, looking for what grabs them. They take just a few minutes to explore and maybe establish something, then let it settle and "exit" by turning off their camera and mic.
- The aim of the solos is not to impress anyone, but rather to look for what you find inspiring.
- You might not "find" anything. Exploration is worthwhile in itself.
- Next someone else takes a solo: explore, possibly establish something, let it settle, and exit, within a few minutes.
- We do some agreed amount of solos – maybe one for each person in the group, maybe fewer.
- After the agreed amount of solos, or some set amount of time, or when someone feels like it's time, someone announces that an accumulation of two people is next:
- Accumulation of two starts with someone entering (turning on their camera) and exploring, looking for some consistency.
- When the first person has had some time to possibly establish something another person joins by turning on their camera and exploring movement (and stillness) that is in some way informed by what the first person is doing. How they are "informed" by it is up to them. The first person may be influenced by the person who's joining.
- After enough time to establish what they're doing and play with it for a little bit one or the other finishes and exits. Not long after that the remaining one finishes and exits.
- The order in which they exit does not depend on the order that they entered.
- Note that each accumulation drains completely before the next one starts.
- After the two person accumulation finishes someone announces that a three person accumulation is next. It follows the same pattern but this time with three people. That can be followed by a four person accumulation, and five, and so on.
Depending on the number of people you might want to increment by more than a single person after two or three, and/or you might want to jump to the whole group at some point.
If there is enough time you might want to eventually relax the score structure, making it an option for people to enter and exit at will. - We continue until an ending bell at an appointed time (maybe preceded by a five-minute warning bell).
- We all turn on our cameras to gather for a "circle" and check-ins. This is an opportunity for all who participated to share something they noticed about the experience.
To recap:
- Everyone watching with videos and mics off, waiting for someone to take the first solo. (Everyone has enabled "Hide non-video participants".)
- First solo – video and mic on, a minute or so to explore and establish, a minute or so to continue and find an end, and exit - video and mic off.
- Second solo, same pattern, and third, up to agreed upon amount.
- Someone announces accumulation of two next, someone enters and establishes something, and someone joins informed by what the first is doing, and after some time to explore one finishes and exits and then the other does so.
- Someone announces three-person accumulation next, and then four, and so on.
- Maybe the number increments more quickly to the full group, maybe it goes to at-will entrances and exits, maybe relaxing the score rules, just agree in advance how it opens up.
- Then a sharing circle to finish.