Singing as Life Practice Taster Workshop
Schedule
Sat Oct 19 2024 at 03:00 am to Sun Oct 20 2024 at 05:00 am
Location
London, England, UK | London, EN
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Welcome to this pop-up class!This two-day workshop is to offer you a place to taste and explore elements of the work of Singing as Life Practice. To see if it is for you and to check if this space may be able to support your vocal and personal creative journey.
SINGING AS LIFE PRACTICE
In this space, you will be guided and facilitated to find and build a relationship with your own voice. It is for you to explore the stories inside you and what it is that you have to say. It will be based on the song, sound, and polyphony, on movement and ensemble training.
PROCESS:
You will explore how your voice is linked to your body, which in turn holds your biography. How does your body block or lock certain flows of expression? How does your voice reveal either what stories you are yearning to express, or those you are terrified of but want to bring to the light? Through this exploration, you will be supported in discovering a greater ability to listen to others and yourself, to hold space, with strength and without strain, and to find and connect to your imagination that allows songs to not just be a collection of notes but a story to be shared.
THE RESONATORS:
This workshop will introduce you to a system of resonators - spaces in the body in which sound is placed and where the location of the sound and the vibration itself are linked to “vocal archetypes”. These vocal archetypes are emotional qualities - love or grief as well as “characters” such as The King or The Mother. While they are not absolute truths they offer the singer doorways into psycho-physical-emotional-vocal spaces. It is really a meeting of all the aspects of self, body, mind and heart and there is a huge amount to be learned, uncovered and discovered here. This is a powerful part of the process work.
TECHNIQUE:
We will work technically with the voice, looking at physical movement and systems (muscle systems and nervous system work) that both support and also can inhibit the freedom of the voice. This work draws in elements of craniosacral therapy, dynamic movement systems as pioneered by Mike Antonides and more well-known physical exercises that target muscles of breathing. We will also look at vocal emission in terms of placement and how to expand your range as well as how to imagine the internal space of the body to enable greater ease and flow of expression.
FORM:
This is the place where we interweave the process-based work and discoveries of what and why we sing, with the technical aspects of how we sing. This not only allows us to learn polyphonic songs and explore what we have learned, but it is also the training ground in which you can gain a sense of ownership over your own vocal practice.
WHO ARE THESE CLASSES AIMED AT?
These classes are for anyone who is a seeker and wishes deeply to find their own voice, use their own voice, discover, recover, celebrate and sing. It is for you, whoever you are.
The work is physical, and vocal and does not pull punches in terms of its rigour. It invites you to go to the depths and the places possibly outside of your comfort zone. It also aims to bring huge beauty and humanity into the space and requires participants to get on board with qualities and behaviours that nurture such an environment: generosity, respect, and support.
Participants need to be at a stage and internally ready to go on an exploration and journey where they jump in and say yes, get a bit sweaty, work hard and do all of this in a guided safe and friendly environment.
HOW WILL THIS HELP ME AS AN ACTOR/ PERFORMER?
This work has its roots in the Grotowski-based ensemble theatre practice and brings many of those aspects into the training. It will allow you to develop a way of vocal scoring of text work with the resonators. It will invite you to train in concrete ways the ephemeral nature of “honest and truthful” connection, it will allow you to uncover the subconscious blocks that are perhaps holding you back performatively from fully inhabiting your work and taking and holding the space, both as a protagonist and as an ensemble member.
I AM NOT A PERFORMER OR A SINGER I JUST WANT TO DISCOVER MY VOICE AND BE WITH MY VOICE WILL THIS WORK BE TOO FAR ADVANCED FOR ME?
In a word no. The work also allows people of all abilities to come and train. It may at times feel a little fast in terms of song learning, but don't hesitate to stick your hand up and for things to be repeated or explained again or in another way. Truly if you feel excited by moving and singing and being with others, even if it also scares the hell out of you. This is the place for you. The workshops on the whole are designed for the group that comes and will go at the pace and needs of the whole.
I AM IN A TRICKY MOMENT IN MY LIFE AND WANT TO SING IT OUT, MEET STUFF, UNCOVER AND PROCESS STUFF AND I HEARD THAT YOU DO THAT IN YOUR WORK, DO I NEED TO SIGN UP FOR A PARTICULAR WORKSHOP FOR THAT?
No at the moment you don’t need to sign up for a particular workshop. For now, all aspects of the work co-happen all at the same time, whether someone is processing or another is working in character, it is all life honestly expressed. The process work of the resonators is designed for you to meet those more personal aspects and the songs can offer at times a language beyond words through which to express it. However that said, I am not a therapist and I don't do trauma healing work and have no qualifications in any of those aspects. I hold a space in which you can meet yourself and your voice, that is where the work happens and I simply witness and travel with you into those colours and places. The work is ensemble work and also to that end no single person's process and need can dominate the work. The work is robust and can hold you and I can but please only come to do this work if you feel ready and have a degree of resilience to undertake the process.
REQUIREMENTS: Please come in clothes that are loose-fitting and comfortable for more dynamic movement. The work happens in bare feet, but you may want socks and a jumper for more static moments. Please bring water and a pen and paper to note down the songs.
RECORDING:
There is no recording during the workshop, but we will make time to collectively record the songs you learn at the end. Please let us know in advance if there is any condition or injury that we need to know of and which may require adaptations.
LOCATION:
The SDH Space
9 Havelock Walk
London
SE23 3HG
TIME:
Saturday 19th of October: 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 20th of October: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
EARLY BIRD PRICE: £140*
* early bird price ends on the 20th of September
FULL PRICE: £165
Please, bear in mind, that your place in the workshop is guaranteed once the full payment is received.
CANCELLATION:
Should you wish to cancel your booking one month before the event you'll receive 50% of your payment. Should you cancel two weeks before there will be no refund given. However, if you'll find someone to take your place a full refund will be given regardless of when you cancel.
COVID: If you can't attend the workshop due to COVID-19, we can offer a credit upon proof of a positive test result which can be used for future workshops with Emma.
SIGNING UP:
If you'd like to sign up for the workshop or have any questions please write to Paulina at [email protected]
ABOUT EMMA:
Emma Bonnici is an actor, singer, and pedagogue. Her biggest influences have been her years of working in Poland with two award-winning, Grotowski-based, vocal and physical theatre companies - Song of the Goat Theatre and Teatr Zar. This is coupled with extensive vocal work and research which has taken her from studying at the Met Opera House in New York to expeditions to meet authentic traditional - music singers in Georgia, Sicily, Ukraine, the Western Isles of Scotland and back to New York to work with Jonathan Hart Makwaia of the Roy Hart tradition.
Emma set up Singing as Life Practice which teaches songs, voice and music from a holistic perspective seeing song and voice as a vital part of life and a place for both communication /conversation and self-discovery and self-empowerment. Emma has given a TedX 'The Power of the Voice' about her vocal work
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Where is it happening?
London, England, UK, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
