Participant- Maria Sermpou (GR)

Viento Perdido - Arts Festival 2014
I kind of stumble when I think about trying to describe myself. I don't want to start with the usual "Hi, my name is..." because this is a place to describe my artistic work and practice (plus, you can see my name at the top!). 
And I don't want to say too much either because the rest will follow by a chronological exploration of the process of the 2014 Lab. 
So, here goes:

In the past few years I realised that I want to be a fully engaged artist, mainly in the area of contemporary dance, but not necessarily exclusive to it. Up until a year ago, I would tell you that I consider myself only as a dancer/perfomer/mover, but now I dare to add to that the description aspiring [choreographer] or rather [creator of movement]. As I am relatively new to this whole thing, I am constantly searching for ways to broaden my horizon and my vocabulary in terms of my artistic practice and methodology. That is why I am participating in the Lab - for the second time in a row! 
Having just graduated from my BA studies in Communication, I naturally believe that individual and collective process comes from communicating with various different people who come from a variety of disciplines (interdisciplinarity and collaborations between artists is a major thing for me!), countries, cultures, etc. And in at age where novelty and originality are hard to come by, I believe that it is through constant and restless contact with other people, that we can achieve a whole new level of thinking and formation of methodology. For one can begin to understand his or herself much better when they open up to stimuli received from other people. And for me, this is also true in terms of movement research and artistic practice. So, my artistic practice will most likely transform throughout the duration of this Lab.

Contrary to last year's process, I have decided to be more laconic in my description and documentation of the process - especially the course of the workshops with the various visiting artists.
This is a new step for me because I'm not usually able to be laconic when I'm writing about something that really interests me; or when I'm writing in general..!

Before I get into the whole workshop experience I find myself wanting to take some time to guide you through the questions that come into mind and will play a role when reflecting upon each workshop's process:

  • What do I [keep] from this workshop/methodology/process now? Can I use this in some sort of way to further develop my artistic practice?
  • What can become [food for thought] for later? Just to keep in mind, bear with me until it makes more sense..
  • What does [not resonate] with me and my artistic practice at all? Or esle, a healthy contradiction..!

A series of experiences:

I've worked with Ana on numerous occassions and we've known each other for quite some time know through my university studies that led to last year's Lab which led to this year's Lab..!
And I simply enjoy working with her over and over again because no two sessions are ever the same. There is always a new piece in the puzzle and even though you might enter the studio being all sorts of confused about yourself and your artistic practice, you will come out of it having figured something out; even a tiny, miniscule piece of the puzzle will be put into place and the world will make sense again!

My feelings and thoughts when I enter the studio are those of negativity and a sense of disorientation. Like I'm not supposed to be here...
So when the following are presented "I'm here." "Who am I today?", I kind of stumble because I realise I do not want to be here.
Therefore, I must ask myself: "Why am I here?"
In a spur of the moment I just decide not to OVERanalyse, as I usually do, and just take this thought and guide my movement or non-movement in the space.
What comes out of the movement and the questioning of "Who am I today?" in literary form is the following:

"I want/need distance from the world - to cover my eyes and ears. Do I want this or do I not want this? Do I want to be here or not? Reboot--> close down/turn to myself and REdiscover/REdefine. Can I move on now? Take a step forward? I must REdiscover/REdefine who I am first. Change for the better can only be achieved through this..."

This was my trace for that workshop; a trace that led to a material that is now significantly transformed into something inherently different after all this layering from the workshops. An everyday thought - I think about these things more often than not - that became extraordinary because it was allowed to be unravelled into the studio environment and be translated into movement. Resonating precisely what Ana said about performance: "an everyday moment being extraordinary".  

So, who was I really on that very first day? 
Looking at me from the outside, what does SHE reveal?

"She steps into the room alone. 
She walks slowly as if every step weighs too much. 
She pauses for a second to listen, but she can't hear anymore. 
She covers her ears to block everything out. 
No more distractions. 
She falls and falls and falls. 
She is back, but she is afraid to open her eyes to the truth, to the outside world. 
She sees but in her own way. 
She rediscovers the world with blind eyes. 
Until she is ready to give in. 
Slowly, she lets the light come in. 
She attempts to lift her feet. 
Do they still weigh too much?
Slowly, she is walking. 
Her feet are lighter. 
She can be part of this world again. 
She stands, redifined and confident."


Excitement arises before the workshop with Androniki. I remember last year was a true somatic exploration and I can't wait to dive into something similar again. 
I simply love the fact that Androniki likes to explore movement with various material/objects too, so I'm anxious to see what she's brought this time! 
Basically every material or object is different from the previous time except a wooden stick. I remember my dear friend Maja playing with the wooden sticks last year and I kind of had the curiosity to explore my movement with them. So, I'm glad I was given the chance this time around! 
Androniki's workshop is a fountain of inspiration for me as I drew from my exploration with the plastic material last year to develop my project proposal for this Lab. 

Kinitiras Choreography Lab 2013

But back to today and the game with the wooden stick: 
I kind of see it as an extension of my body and a part of my limbs - mainly my feet. 
I grap it between my toes and intertwine it with my regular movement by passing it through my other body parts. 
I stand, I sit, I balance myself, I lie of the floor and I am one with the stick. 

"What is the most extreme/new/weird/comfortable vs. uncomfortable movement I can product with my body and the stick?"

Through a series of tasks there are various layers sedimenting on top of the 'original' exploration. 
Through partner work - with Anka who also chose the wooden stick! - the 'material' becomes even more interesting. 
We cannot see each other while we explore together, but the other girls mentioned that there were many times that we were in accordance, doing similar or even identical movements without even realising it! 
There is certaintly a connection worth exploring here!! 

When the question "Was there an idea/emotion?" arises, I can't really define my experience as such because there was a lot of focus on passing the stick safely through my limbs. This felt uncomfortable at first because the stick was foreign to my body and movement, but as time went by and I grew more accustomed to it, it really became an extension of my feet. It didn't feel unnatural anymore. The entire process was just playful and challenging in some sort of primal way. Which was refreshing for me because most of the time I work by deriving a rather complex (emotionally speaking) idea which drives and pushes the 'work'/my practice forward. So this purely somatic experience is something I want to continue exploring further both in the present and the future. 
This just makes me realise how badly I enjoy moving!