Day 8 - 15. 6. 2015

[Ondřej Pšenička]

I overslept, so I woke up at 8:46 which was still enough for me to get to school on time.

We started with a warmup and then got lecture from Tom about Ramsay’s theory of gaze management. Or that’s at least how someone on the cafe called it. It doesn’t have a name according to Tom. If someone talks about Ramsay’s postulate, that’s when you want the audience to look at something, look at it yourself. If you want them to look at you, look at them.

Then he talked about foreshadowing and gave us an assignment to make two simple tricks and foreshadow the second one in the first one. My group was I, Carl, Hans and Markus. Hans again was very good with ideas, Carl had some as well, Markus though was a weak link in the chain constantly having ideas not making anything better and questioning other ideas without a good reason or a better counter idea. Anyway, he got convinced and agreed upon what the other three agreed upon.

Then we had a lecture by Ulrika - DOCH’s dancer, choreographer, teacher on our week topic Movement and Stillness. She talked about the importance of pauses that helps the performance being clearer and therefore more interesting for an eye of the viewer.
She also played a video of an old choreographer whose name was Haye I think, who said he automatically sees in which direction the audience is. But what if the audience is all around us? Great idea for a show - magic from all sides.

After lunch we presented our assignment which was a pick a card trick and a cut and restored rope trick. We did the foreshadowing by introducing an executioner with a rope to hang anyone who would mess up the card trick and then he would cut the loop as a revenge and provocation.

After a little feedback session we went to brain storm our theme of the week projects. I came with a very clear idea about how my routine should look so I was a little sceptical about what kind of input can I get and I was nicely surprised. Carl, and again Hans had very good ideas for the presentation.

Later we had student lectures again. Edith talking about sewing, Jacob talking about his problem solving process with his cups & balls routine and finally David T. about his 100 day project when he would create, shoot and upload a video of a little trick every day.

Afterwards I went to the centre to buy a hand puppet to the store that Johan recommended to me. The puppet’s not great, but for 30 SEK sufficient.

Then I got back to school and tried the method that I envisioned for my trick. It turned out, that a card folded in quarters can’t stay in one’s mouth for too long to remain presentable. Especially when there is 6 of them. So I have to try a new method. I already have one in mind that I will try tomorrow in school. I have to sew a bag that can be put over my head.

And I’m doing table-hopping at the Magic Bar tomorrow! Very exciting. And a close-up show on Wednesday. That’s a little bit scary, but I think I’ll somehow manage. I have to figure out this triathlon routine I have in mind tomorrow though.