Mask and Clown Intensive "Baby Clown"

This 16 day workshop is the foundation course of the Pochinko technique of clown training.

Richard Pochinko was a Canadian visionary who developed a style of creative exploration and/or performance training, drawing on three traditions: American circus clown, European clowning and North American Aboriginal mask work. John Turner studied with Richard for the last two years of his life and has continued to develop the work through 22 years of creating and performing professional clown shows (Mump & Smoot) and 20 years of directing and teaching across North America.

The workshop begins with a strong focus on the art of listening. Games and exercises are used to awaken and encourage a sense of pleasure, to heighten awareness of one's immediate environment, and to develop an honest response to internal impulses and external events. Individual creativity is explored with colour work and body work and eventually the students begin the making and wearing of six masks. These masks mark out the playground for the clown (creative self), guiding the participants through their innocence and experience, extremities and normalcies, culminating in the "birth" of their individual clown.

This workshop is an intense blast and furnishes the student with a malleable structure for continued creative exploration, with limitless applications. It is not necessary to be a perfomer to take this course. All are welcome, from all walks of life.

Baby Clown Dates & Fees

July 3-18, 2010 (arrive July 2, depart July 19)
$1,130.00 (incl. $130 HST)

Clown Boot Camps

These six day intensive workshops are designed to be a catalyst for a more expansive concept of what clown is and how it can be used.

Using various writing and development techniques and exercises to evoke both left and right brain involvement, the participants explore their own unique approach to the creation of material and performance.

There will be some emphasis on the Bouffon perspective as well as the exploration of a clown/bouffon synthesis. Each day will consist of a minimum of 3 hours focused on creation, and 3 hours focused on performance. There will be many additional hours for exercises, discussions, and the exploration of themes that arise out of the classes.

Students should be aware they will be extremely challenged and are to bring 2 short prepared pieces in addition to other work to be discussed after registration.

Although a Joey/Auguste (duos) workshop is not offered, duos wishing to work together can be accommodated within the regular Boot Camps. Please state if this is your desire.

Prerequisite: Pochinko style Baby Clown (or From Mask to Clown or Clown Through Mask)

Boot Camp Dates & Fees

1. July 24 - 29, 2010 (arrive July 23, depart July 30)
   $565.00 (incl. $65 HST)
   
   Boot Camp 1 is full. There is a waiting list in case a spot opens up.
   
   
2. August 14 - 19, 2010 (arrive August 13, depart August 20)
   $565.00 (incl. $65 HST)
   
   Boot Camp 2 is also full, also with a waiting list.
   

Kinetics Retreat with Fiona Griffiths

Spend 3 relaxing and rejuvenating days listening, sensing and moving, surrounded by nature. For more information about Fiona, see our Teacher Bios page, or visit www.fionagriffiths.com

Featured body parts: your fabulous feet and sumptuous spine

Techniques to be explored include Kinetic Awareness, Authentic Movement, Body Mind Centering, Contact Improvisation, Viewpoints and Kundalini Yoga, as well as drawing, painting and clustering.

Friday evening reconnect with your body through the Seaweed game, discovering your physical self joint by joint. Saturday, release tension from the soles of the feet, restore the flexibility in the ankles and put a spring back in your step. Saturday eve, commune with nature and restore the body clock with Kinetic walking. Sunday, improve the suppleness, and strength of your spine as you rediscover the flow of spinal muscles in motion. Monday am, explore Viewpoints, body games to connect with others and explore the space between each other. Friday eve and Monday am sessions are optional.

Kinetics Weekend Retreat Dates & Fees:

September 3 - 6, 2010
Friday eve, Saturday, Sunday, Monday am. (Friday eve and Monday am sessions are optional)
$250.00 (camping fee included)

To register or for more information: filogriff@yahoo.ca

Kinetic Awareness, a gentle yet profound technique developed by Elaine Summers, offers holistic movement education, experiential anatomy, and increased technical and expressive range. Lying on various sized air-filled balls, quieting the mind and relaxing muscles, releases the weight of the body onto the balls. Slowly moving the body part from the ball enables the discovery of all the ways that body part moves with as little tension as possible. This concentrated work enables the participant to reconnect with sensory and intuitive self. Easily learned, Kinetics becomes an essential tool in educating, restoring and rejuvenating the participant’s body/mind.

“…By becoming aware of our body we give ourselves access to our entire being – of body and spirit, mental and physical and ever strength and weakness, representing not our duality but our unity.”
Therese Bertherat

Accommodation
Accommodation, transportation and food are NOT included. For the hearty adventure seeker there is plenty of room to set up a tent for free. Bathing is done with outdoor, sun heated shower bags. Very nice, high end port-a-potties are provided for toilet facilities. Barbecues are supplied for cooking and a freezer is supplied for food storage. All camping gear, cooking utensils, bedding etc. must be brought by the students.

For those requiring indoor sleeping facilities there are very reasonably priced cabins and B & B's nearby. Once each session's class list is set the group will be put in touch with each other for the co-ordination of transportation and supplies. Further details and recommendations will be provided at this time as well.

The luxuries that ARE offered are fresh air, room to go off on your own for peace and quiet, and a pastoral setting ideal for a creative adventure. There is also swimming nearby in Lake Huron, the North Channel, or in small inland lakes. Classes will be held in the studio, in the fields, in the forest, in the swamp and at the beach.

If you're coming from Toronto it's a full day journey. From Sudbury it's two and a half to three hours.

How to Apply

To apply for Clown courses
Please send a resume, photo (photo copy is fine) and a brief discussion of your reasons for applying for this course by email to jackturns@gmail.com

Address, telephone number and email address (if available) should be included with application.

Students are selected according to application information, date of application and possibly a telephone interview.

To apply for Kinetics Retreat weekend
Contact Fiona at filogriff@yahoo.ca