Teachers’ Resources

Prepared by Sam Mackie

Years 3 - 12

artscentremelbourne.com.au

Arts Centre Melbourne presents Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Force Majeure’s

Jump First, Ask Later

Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

About this resource Jump first, Ask Later is an exciting piece of youth theatre. It deals simply with the journeys of 6 young Western suburbs ‘movers’ - Joe, Justin, Nat, Pat, Johnny and Jimmy. It looks at their pasts, present and even a glimpse into their futures. Interwoven with an array of physical theatre routines is the honest telling of their stories: stories of family, surroundings, injuries, training, success and failure, but above all the freedom that movement has given them. The language is honest, almost un-theatrical. Their actions are anything but. It is a delight.

With this document I have endeavored to provide assorted approaches that can be the building blocks for further dramatic exploration, be it in the study of this production or the development of the students’ own work. Teachers should critically study them to decide on the merits and relative complexity of each task: both in human development objectives and art form objectives.

I hope that the exercises, broken down with each segment of the show, provide the scaffold for any classroom teacher to explore physical theatre and encourage their students to push the boundaries of how they can express themselves through their bodies. At the same time, the connections they have to their own families, their own urban environment, and their own expectations for what they can be, should, I hope, stimulate that work.

As with all theatre, what happens one night may not happen the next; that’s why we love it. Consequently, some descriptions may vary to the students’ experience. That’s a good thing too; it encourages them to focus on their own recollections and interpretations and challenge mine.

These are not the answers. They are just one person’s gathering of materials and ideas, combined with his reading of the play and performance. The aim is to give everyone a few starting points. There is so much to this production. I am sure there is so much more for your students.

Enjoy … if after you jump you want ask something else … please feel free to send questions – or indeed any feedback – to smackie@tps.vic.edu.au.

Regards

Sam Mackie

Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie About – Force Majeure

“Is this really contemporary dance? Is it really theatre?

Does it matter? It’s Force Majeure and it’s brilliant”

– Stage Noise

Force Majeure began its contribution to the Australian Stage back in 2002 with Same, Same But Different, which took its inspiration from ‘our enduring ability to keep on struggling for love… whether from one relationship to another or in one, the same, relationship.’ It created imagery of various states of co-dependence, frustration, tenderness and humour, through a dexterous blend of film, dance and theatrical virtuosity. Within a moving set of frames, the action was exposed and edited before the audience’s eyes. Live action interacted with life-sized film imagery evoking the multiplicity of thought within each character…their fleeting desires… their unfulfilled expectations. It won the Helpmann Award for best piece of physical theatre, an impressive achievement in a company’s first year.

Over the last 16 years the company has won international recognition for the skill, originality and depth to their work, including: ‘The Age I’m In’ (award winning show that grouped dancers from 11 -70 years of age together in a poignant, witty and revealing portrait of how we inhabit the age we’re in throughout our lives; ‘Never Did Me Any Harm’ a current project that explores ‘good parenting’ and contemporary attitudes to raising using a distinctive language of

dance, images and text; and ‘Nothing to Lose’ – a production that delves into real-life experiences and stories to challenge aesthetic norms and reclaim a performative space for people with large bodies.’

Alas, despite being at the height of productivity, with four current projects – including Jump First, Ask Later - on tour and one in development, Force Majeure has fallen victim to Federal cuts to the Arts through the Australia Council.

We can only hope they remain a ‘superior force’ in contemporary theatre for this country.

(Edited together from assorted resources on www.forcemajeure.com.au )

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie About – Powerhouse Youth Theatre Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT), a contemporary arts organisation for young people in South West and Western Sydney, has been operating for nearly 30 years having begun in 1987 as a one-off project for unemployed young people. Since then, PYT has provided contemporary community-based arts and theatre projects with young people living in Western Sydney.

Excerpt from their website: http://pyt.com.au/ :

Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) is the leading professional youth theatre company in Western Sydney, situated in Fairfield. We create new, innovative and inclusive performing arts opportunities led by collaborative processes and participation. Our work is inspired by our local community and engages with concepts of cultural diversity.

Our main objectives are:

• To create innovative and critical new performance works • To engage with the diverse cultures of our local community • To develop the next generation of outstanding artists from Western

Sydney. • To create opportunities for social and cultural innovation across local

and national audiences. • To provide opportunities for young people of Western Sydney to

engage in the performing arts • Our programs have diverse entry points and opportunities for artists

to research, explore and build skill levels across all levels of cultural performance practice.

Excerpt from a National Cultural Policy - Discussion Paper http://creativeaustralia.arts.gov.au/assets/Submission%20379.pdf

PYT has a respected and established track record of engaging with & responding to the wonderful cultural diversity of the Fairfield LGA and Sydney Metropolitan West in which it operates. Examples of this include working with the Vietnamese community in collaborations with Citymoon and Khoa Do (Mother Fish), African communities (Walking in My Shoes) Arabic speaking and South Asian communities (I do…but) and the disability community (Mixed Abilities Ensemble; Beyond Vision). The company has also very successfully worked in partnership with primary and high schools and Intensive English Centres through Outreach Programs, and has brokered highly fruitful partnerships across sectors with other youth and community organizations, including recently with The Street University in Liverpool and BYDS (Bankstown Youth Development Service) for the Hero Project.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie About – Jump First, Ask Later Jump First, Ask Later will shift young adult audience’s perception of what theatre can be in so many ways. It might also change their view on who the theatre can belong to and for. And that is a very good thing.

Joseph Carbone, Johnny Do, Patrick Uy, Justin Kilic, Jimmy James Pham and Natalie Siri are every bit of themselves as they hang about the stage and the audience arrives. A series of warm-up exercises does as much for the audience as it does for the performers. Casual jibes and smirks tell us there is nothing to hide here. Relax and get ready. Honesty is front and centre as Joseph breaks from a series of sprints, turns to us and smiles, introducing himself and the first move he ever learned. The others do likewise emerging from the worlds of break-dancing, gymnastics, hip-hop, martial arts, or just playing in the park with their dad. This is biography in movement.

Like a Biomechanical stage from early 20th century communist Russia – look up an amazing guy called Vladimir Meyerhold - the set provides these six dynamic young people with a playground for acting. It is like the streets of Fairfield, a conduit for their creativity where movement is expansive, emancipatory and like many Western Sydney adolescent lives might straddle the tempting edge between risk and security, the familiar and the unknown … when to jump first and ask later.

Jump First, Ask Later is an urban choreographic portrait of the streets of Fairfield,

Western Sydney — the most culturally diverse region in Australia. The work tells the collective stories of six young champions of Fairfield’s underground parkour and street style community. Urban freestyle forms and contemporary dance merge to create a physical narrative that explores violence, migration, redemption and ultimately the collective freedom these artists discovered by mapping their city through dance.

At the heart of parkour is a mindset of creativity. A notion that the obstacles you encounter shouldn’t be avoided but rather deliberately engaged with in order to find your path — jump first, ask questions later.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

Jump First, Ask Later … breaking it down In this section I will take you through the production bit by bit. Each bit will be followed by one or both of the following:

AFOs – Art Form Objectives:

These are activities designed to explore the world of movement and theatre-making in similar ways to those the company may have used. As always, ensure that any physical activity is conducted safely, with the knowledge of the skills required and potential physical risks. In this case we probably need to ask first, then jump. That said, many of these invite students to explore the potential in their voices and bodies where other risks can be a factor. Invite them to stretch themselves. Remind them that as a group they can create an environment where ‘social’ risk is not a factor; where trying something you haven’t done – and maybe looking or feeling a bit foolish – is the best thing you can do. You can’t juggle if you don’t drop a few balls.

HDOs – Human Development Objectives:

These are activities designed to explore the world of our 6 storytellers and transpose that across to your students; to think about how different parts of their growing up has shaped them as young adults. Students will be invited to share past experiences and personal stories, to consider the impact of their own culture and community. ‘Safety’ here is just as important as when trying to do a double back flip off a concrete block. Students must feel the drama classroom is one where their history, their anecdote, their opinion, their idea is worth hearing. These are the building blocks for creating their own Jump First, Ask Later. And we all know parkour needs buildings and blocks.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Warm-up exercises Pre-show - All 6 performers upstage on bars warming up / stretching as audience enter. Joe stops the music and they form a circle to complete warm-up exercises led by each performer. They could be the same every show; they could be different. Here’s what I saw:

All group members face each other in a circle. Everything is done together.

• Push up ‘twists’ – standard push up but at the top you twist back towards your feet and open onto one arm

• ‘Crunches’ – on your back bending knees and head upwards & inwards. • Jumping ‘lunges’ – bouncing up from a lunge position and jumping into a lung

position on the opposite leg. • Elbow ‘holds’ – strength and balance as you balance in a push up position on your

elbows, counting down around the group (Jo reminds Jimmy to keep his bum down). • ‘Squats’ – holding your hands together in front of you, bouncing in and out of a squat

position (from straight legs to bent) trying to stay balanced on your toes. • ‘Supermans’ (I think – it certainly looks like him when he’s flying) – lying on your front

(arms and legs stretched out) and lifting upper and lower parts of your body so only your stomach touches the ground. Quite quick.

• Finish with mountain climbers rotating circle – all in push up position but bums bent right up. Jog around the circle on all fours – small steps with hands and big steps with legs.

AFO -

Warm-ups:

Option 1 – as a class work through the seven exercises described above. Share which ones you find easy, hard, painful, and share those you have had to do for your own sport or activity. Try and work out what aspect of your body’s wellbeing it may be helping: strength, endurance, flexibility, dexterity (you can always ask your PE teacher).

Option 2 - bring exercises from the students’ worlds into the drama classroom. Each class invite 6 students to lead a warm-up activity for 10 repetitions. It may come from sports training, health and fitness regimes, rehabilitation, dance or some other source. See if they can explain the benefit of the activity and provide clear, safe instructions. Some will be ready and keen. Others may need to do some research. Music is a great stimulus to this.

First steps and next steps The crew start running back and forth across stage - still as one – adding in pace and other demands (‘high knees’). Each performer breaks from the running centre stage and describes their first move and where they learned it.

HDO -

Discussion - Where and when do we learn stuff outside school classrooms?

Everywhere and anywhere. Ask the students to think about childhood skills and tricks they have taught themselves – from a forward defensive to the Rubik’s cube, a somersault off the diving board to hanging off the monkey bars – with a little help or inspiration from others:

• From their mum or dad. 6

Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

• From their copying siblings, especially big brothers or sisters. • From watching older kids or friends at primary school, especially in the yard at

lunchtime. • From YouTube tutorials • From wanting to be like their heroes (Jackie Chan). • From anywhere or anyone else.

(These might not all be seen as positive skills but share them nonetheless)

Why did they want to learn them?

How much trial and error did it take to master it?

Who is trying to master something right now?

AFO -

Follow the crew: below is the list of moves each of the crew described followed by accompanying tutorials. Choose which ones the class could enjoy learning. Don’t just do it as a one off. Make it part of the warm-up routine across the term.

• Jo – break-dancing and the six-step. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPdQ1gN7Ngo

• Nat – cartwheel copying her brother. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFKRFRTYoF0

• Patrick – the one-step copying older kids at primary school. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swId_MFHywI

• Jimmy – Hook kick from martial arts. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avr54VCNMXY

• Johnny - The running man from shuffling in grade six. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYpRasK4c9k

• Justin – front hand spring in the park with my dad. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jUAdJzs0HM

This last move will require skilled supervision.

Show off ourselves: invite every student to present a ‘trick’ or ‘move’ that they can do. They must introduce themselves and where and how they learned it, just like the crew. No matter how big or small it is the class my go crazy with applause (one of my kids has a rubbery little finger which simply wobbles back and forth – the class went wild).

The Thumb Master

Here’s how Jo explains a ‘thing we do’ to keep everyone on their toes:

‘So how it works – the last person to put their thumb on their forehead is the loser and has to do 30 push-ups or 3 backflips as punishment. It just keeps everyone focused, keeps them alert. We don’t think of it as a game, we more think of it as a way of life.’

(Whoever loses becomes the Thumb Master and makes the next call).

AFO -

As a class come up with your own thumb-master punishments. It might be worth placing a limit on the number of times it can happen in one class. I.e. Twice. Remind the thumb-master that she is doing it to keep everyone focussed.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Next steps More moves reveal a bit more about each of the performers:

• Joe – coming out of a Performing Arts school and into break-dancing (also b-boying) – shows us a combo.

o Just a headstand - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP0zzDfjH3Q o And handstand -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_506622&feature=iv&src_vid=gc70fZ3I_qg&v=7j9bisZNYFw

o And one hand freeze - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc70fZ3I_qg • Nat’s parents put her in gymnastics school and learns an aerial (no hands cartwheel)

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d39xLrtOtFQ • Patrick learns his first power move – the windmill – but it takes 6 to 8 months and a

lot of injuries, before he takes it home to mum. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swId_MFHywI o You need to learn a backspin first -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izg50nID8as • Jimmy steps into extreme martial arts and on to the art form of tricking.

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJb7hIB0jkg • Johnny dazzles us with the ever quickening v-step

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQCIORBgnw • Finally, Justin talks about learning big fronts, big dive rolls & front somersaults, and

one time there was a pretty bad ‘snap’. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY5Wta8KFrM o But, you might want to look at safety rolls first -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x-cG9giKXY

Plenty more moves from a range of background activities to explore and master.

Injury list and counting AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Segued by Justin’s story they form a line and recite their injury toll year by year starting from 2011 (note Justin’s in 2014).

A metronomic sound sets up a movement sequence in counts of 8. It suggests the toll of pursuing their passion for parkour and other forms. We see: pointing out body parts (injury

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie points), handstands, warm-ups, twinges, pump-ups, injuries, visualising, hesitation, anger, slow motion, a playlist of injuries, waves, points, dancing, shaking, ground rolls and a final bouncing freeze.

Some of the counts are very individual and come back to unified movements. Others are very much as one crew, tightly choreographed. It is a journey through their training: 5 years in less than 60 seconds and 10 counts of 8

HDO -

That hurts.

Share the students’ history of injuries and accidents. Try and get them to capture the moment and the actual pain involved. It should sound unique, personal, immediate.

Have any of these come from training and trying to master something?

AFO -

Here is a metronome count at 100 beats per minute (you might prefer something faster or slower; they are all there): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GFTNEbu2FU

It hurts when I do this.

Ask them to develop a gestural sequence like ‘injury list and counting’ that works to the rhythm of the metronome. It is to be based on their own experiences with pain: from injections to sunburn, grazed knees to carpet burns, waxing legs to squeezing zits, concussion to ACLs, appendicitis to migraines.

If this is too tricky let them do it based on anything. The aim is to get them expressing everyday gestures into a rhythmic sequence.

Their piece should aim to:

• Operate in a straight line. • Work through at least 4 counts of 8. • Have sequences of unified movement. • Have sequences of individual movement that returns to unison within a count of 8. • Have at least one ‘break’ in the metronomic movements (for a count of 3-4 beats)

where movement is fluid before snapping back in to rhythm. • Option - Have one distorted time sequence (slo-mo or speed-up)

o Often just a word is all that is required to stimulate an action, a gesture. Eg

ankle twist, hesitation, funny bone, blinding, faint, shock, smile. Brainstorm a list. Experiment with these sorts of instruction to build a ‘vocabulary’ of moves. Then choreograph them into sequences based on what you see.

o Hint – don’t try and move to every count. The crew mainly work to every second count.

Share and respond. Make recommendations to each other as if you were to take over their choreography.

Extension: join groups together to make something twice as big. 8 looks way better than 4. Invite one or two students to take all the moves and develop a whole class piece of choreography.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Discuss simple ways of recording and documenting these sequences.

Copying/Duet – Justin and Nat AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

i. Joe talks to us about his journey into parkour, starting back in 2008. He speaks of the importance of Fairfield as their place to practise; it’s importance as their community, even with the cops, and being shut down anywhere else.

ii. As he does this Nat and Jason meander through a graceful series of gymnastic moves, while the others move behind Joe and gently mock his movement and gestures, occasionally echoing his words too.

iii. Joe talks of growing up and not having anyone to look up to; of wanting to change that for the 150 kids that they provide classes to.

iv. As he snaps into a motivational speech from the start of one of their classes the rest of the crew all form a disciplined straight line, eyes straight ahead:

v. On his instruction they move through a strong physical regime of cannoned spins, flips, rolls and the like. Below is the choreography in annotated form:

Backflip

Pause facing DS

Circle arm to knees facing OP

Cross fists

Stand facing DS, right arm to side

Prayer, feet together

Jump squat to OP, fists to hips

Guard – feet together, arms up (left in front)

Jump handstand, to knees

Forward roll

Hands to ground, legs straight out – shuffle forward

Time Movement

Lie on back

Jump to feet, squat

Kick legs out

Kneel on one knee (right knee forward)

Spin 360 on knee, face OP

Swap knees to face DS, right arm in air

Side roll to PS

Circle arm, to knees facing OP

Forward roll to standing

Leap to OP

Slide to C

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie (PS = prompt side of stage (left as he actor faces), OP = opposite prompt side of stage, C = centre, DS = downstage (near the audience)).

HDO/AFO -

i. My place.

Discussion

Joe begins talking about the importance of his community. How important is community to you as a kid? What makes your community unique, special, yours?

Ask the students to share the important childhood places as they were growing up: places where they could meet, hang out, hide, take their bikes, boards, scooters, whatever.

Practical Exposition – setting the scene of your own adolescence

Improvisation - Picture Postcard (an oldie but a goodie): assuming the class is from the one ‘neighbourhood’ (this could be a suburb, region, town, district) - get them to build their own geographical exposition. Otherwise, a conglomerate one could also be interesting.

One by one students build a three dimensional postcard of their ‘neighbourhood’. The enter saying something like, ‘ My name’s Sam and … I’m the Anderson Street Hill where every skater hangs out after school.” … “I’m Trev and I’m The Milkbar on Tooronga road run by John Peslis’ mum and dad, where we always try and get free aniseed balls or sherbert bombs.” Then they freeze in some sort of representative tableau. Kids can – and should build and join off each other. The aim is to paint a big picture of the geographically adolescent landscape.

When everyone is out there just keep going. Kids can de-tableau and re-tableau in a new geographical feature. Do it till the run out of ideas.

Hints:

• It’s useful to have a scribe who documents everything they come up with. They can just make a list or convert it to some sort of visual map-landscape.

• Remind them that this is about their landscape, not Melways or Google Maps.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

• Add in connections to other characters in your world: ‘…where that kid in Grade two got hit by a bus and why I always use the lights now.’ or ‘…where Nick Gregoriou first pashed Linda Tabart in Grade 6, and told everyone about it.”

Extension:

Invite someone to write a short monologue – a bit like Joe’s – that pieces together your community as a place (for adolescents). Ask someone to choreograph the group to the creation of the picture postcard with movements onto stage and between tableaus.

You could layer it with a streetscape of sounds or an appropriate soundtrack.

ii. Copying

AFO -

Exercises designed to make you good observers and better at mimicry, ergo move as one.

Who’s the leader?

Students stand (or sit – good leaders achieve both) in a circle and one student leaves the room. A leader is nominated. Everyone must follow the movements of that leader – and nothing else! The student returns and stands in the circle and tries to work out who is the leader. They have three guesses and two minutes. Play the metronomic sound effect to add rhythm to the leaders movements.

Hints

• The leader must be constantly changing their movement. It could be that they are scratching the back of their head, then their neck and down their arms, into brushing down their pants, into checking their shoe for gum on the sole.

• Everyone shouldn’t stare at the leader. They should stare across the room, concentrating on any change that they see. There should be trust in unity.

• Don’t make changes that the rest of the group cannot predict and follow. Everything should be gradual.

• Aim for actions that are life-like, mimicking everyday activities.

Blend and break

Play a suitably ambient soundtrack. Ask students to move around the room. Remind them not to move in circles because that means they aren’t concentrating. They should always be aiming to balance the space in terms of people. Allow their own tempo and demeanour define the way they move. It can be exaggerated, but it must be consistent. At any point call out the name of one student. She continues to move as she does. The rest must gradually inherit her movement. Tell them not to rush. They must observe and slowly mimic the individual until they are all moving as one. Once they have achieved that ask them to break into their individual patterns. Select someone else and repeat.

Words and movement

Break the class into groups of 4-5. Invite a selected individual to tell you – the audience - an anecdote: the worst injury they ever had; the worst Christmas, a time they were really really scared, their proudest moment. They may keep walking, or stand still. Either way, the

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie rest of the group tries to mimic their posture, their gestures and occasionally the way they speak. Friends and mates will do this easily. Let them lead the way. Just ensure no one is mocked unfairly.

iii. Role Models

Discussion – Joe tells us, ‘When we were growing up we didn’t really have anyone to look up to.’

• Where can young adolescent boys and girls look for role models (family, school, clubs, the media)?

• Is there a difference between heroes, idols and role-models. • Who are yours?

He goes on to say, ‘we not only want to motivate them, inspire them, help guide them to become better in life.’

• In what way do you think you can be a role model to those around you? • How do you imagine do this in the future?

iv. Motivation, focus and mindfulness

Here’s Joe’s motivational speech:

… In today’s session you’ve got to push yourself. You’ve got to be faster, you’ve got to be stronger, you need to stay focused. I don’t want you thinking about work, school, home, whatever. Whatever’s going on in your life, it does not matter. Once you enter this room, once you enter this training space, training is on your mind 120% of the time. I’m going to be straight up with you – tonight’s session is not going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. You’re going to go through some pain. You’re going to want to give up. I want you to push through that pain. I want you to land that move. I want you to nail that combo you’ve been working on. It’s going to be worth it.

AFO/HDO

Discussion • Why is motivation so important to training and game-day? • When have you experienced a truly motivational speaker?

Mindfulness & focus

• How important is it to cut out all other thoughts when you need to really focus?

• What sort of thoughts creep in when you’re under pressure? • What experiences have you had when your focus had to be at its absolute

best?

Acting and focus and mindfulness.

Actor training is very much interested in focus and mindfulness.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie There are some valuable exercises you may like to do with your students, especially in relation to Stanislavski’s preparation for acting. Most senior Drama textbooks will give you some great exercises on focus and role preparation that involve extricating your mind of your own world and filling with the world of the character.

v. Wave lines and cannon movements

AFO

Set up groups of four to six and get them to stand in a wave-line: one behind the other.

Put on some appropriately lively music.

Invite the leader to lead his group with a movement that then cannons through the line. Eg. A sideways lunge, a cartwheel, drop to knees, star jump, salute, fall side to push up.

Allow time for the movement to cannon through the group before initiating a second, third, fourth movement and so on.

At any stage the teacher or group can call ‘change’ and the leader retreats to the back of the line and the new leader takes over.

After everyone has had a go invite each group to choreograph a sequence of movements that looks effective in a cannon wave-line.

How crew started AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

The crew break into a series of tricks, dance moves, gymnastic moves, parkour jumps, spins, flips, cartwheels and the like, over and under, through and beyond each other.

Joe talks of the emergence of the crew and his own background in performing ‘anywhere where there is a crowd.’

Jimmy and Joe share ‘some great memories’: 10 minute shows involving ‘just the two of us’ that would be when ‘we worked out that this was what we want to do.’

HDO-

Investigate the DMC – Dauntless Movement Company – website: http://www.dauntlessmc.com.au/ Report back on:

• Who they are. • What they offer for assorted events. • What sort of classes they offer. • What sort of events they have done.

To help, watch: http://www.dauntlessmc.com.au/ - a short video where assorted members share their thoughts and feelings about being part of DauntlessMC in its first 365 days.

Discussion

• What is there to admire about what these young people have achieved?

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

• What sort of ‘business’ would you (and a friend) start up if you could? Be as open and as imaginative as you can

o What would it take to make it happen? • Is there any sort of ‘business’ you would like to see started up for your community?

o What would it take to make that happen?

AFO-

Friendships, acting and ‘emotional memory’.

Individual task.

This is a simple spoken word task.

Preparation

Set the room and students up so that the atmosphere is calm, reflective, private.

Each person is to take time to reflect on someone who is one of their closest friends. Think about one episode from early in your friendship that illustrates why you have that friendship. What is the bond built upon: a shared interest (skateboarding), shared location (we live in the same street), shared experience (we both started at a new school on the same day), something else (we were the only two kids into Frisbees). Help them remember one episode that embodies that friendship: the time, the place/s, the senses and the sensations. ‘Remember how it felt to be with your friend.’

Jot down some key bits and pieces and think about telling someone else that ‘story’, that episode.

Set up a chair in a single gentle spotlight. Bring the audience of peers in quite close so the actor-audience relationship is intimate, trustworthy, shared. Remind the audience how important it is to create a ‘risk-free’ environment.

Each person in the class has to sit in the chair and simply describe that one episode. Without telling us directly (‘she’s my best friend because …’) you must capture the bond of friendship that makes it yours. It must be unique. Your friendship is!

The actors aim here is for ‘truth’ on stage. Help capture the humour, the danger, the surprise, the sadness, the anger, the exhilaration, the silence, the boredom; whatever states of mind and being you remember and associate with your friendship. You want your audience to empathise with you: to ‘get’ the friendship that you have, in the same way they might see one of their own friendships.

Tricking Text AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Jimmy and Joe sit on one of the boxes and ‘share’ their need for tricking and how much it is part of their lives: ‘we live it, we live and breathe it’.

HDO-

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Discussion: what sort of things do you live and breathe? Invite students to share the passions that invade their everyday lives: a sport, a hobby, a relationship, food, a musical instrument. You can decide if you want to include mobile phones in this list.

I’ll be there stuck in traffic and I’m sucking in my gut so it won’t touch the seat belt. I’m tensing my core.

When we’re there waiting in line at the bar I’ll be there doing butt clenches just ‘cause I want to work out.

Share the different ways it insinuates itself into your everyday life: sitting down to breakfast, in the car or on the train, walking to school, sitting in class, lying in bed, hanging with friends, anywhere where it isn’t.

AFO-

Shared Story

Jimmy and Joe talk in tandem. It’s about the same thing. Gradually their sentences become phrases, become words until they share the final thought one word at a time.

Grab a partner. Agree on something you can both talk about with confidence: Year 7 camp, the Hawthorn Football Club, the prices at the tuckshop, Mrs Gotsky’s fashion sense.

Sit down facing each other.

One starts talking. Every time one finishes a sentence the other person takes over, back and forth and back and forth. It must be fluid, continuous, like one person is doing all the talking. But, the other person must be frozen when one is talking, and visa versa. Only one body should be alive at any stage.

In the first instance they can talk from their own perspective.

When they are confident they must speak as ‘one voice’, sentence for sentence.

When they are ultra-confident push it into phrase by phrase, taking over each other’s sentences.

When they are uber-confident go word for word.

If they enjoy this, invite them to script the piece – just like Jimmy and Joe – about a page and a half – so it is precise, especially as the thoughts merge into words. ….. ….. Rehearse and present.

Option 2 … when a passion takes over your life.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Working in small groups creative a satirical scene that shows what happens when one person’s passion takes over their life; when their daily routines simply become another training exercise for what they would rather be doing.

Family – part 1 – family disapproval AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Joe tells us about his parents encouraging him to get a job and his first one in a bakery.

The rest of the crew talk about family expectations and ‘get[ting] a real job’.

Discussions:

• What jobs have students got, had, tried to get? o What do you have to do? o How hard are they to get?

• What sort of expectations do parents have for you? … job … uni … doctor … take over the family business … don’t care … whatever makes you happy … ?

o Are you in sync? o What sort of things do they say? o What are your expectations?

Does it revolve around your passion? • Who else talks to you about the future? … other family members … friends …

school?

Family – part 2 – origins Joe: Anyway, my father’s name is Anthony.

Justin: My Dad’s name’s Charlie.

Nat: My Dad’s name’s Pon-Sai Siri.

Joe: My mother’s name is Natalie.

Patrick: My mum’s name is Chan Chan.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Here we learn of the diverse backgrounds of the crew; from Cambodia, Italy, Vietnam, Turkey. We discover who came when. They then expand into the demographics of Fairfield (Western Sydney) and we find out cultural, religious, marital and educational statistics.

AFO/HDO-

Family Circles – chain history

Stand the class in a circle. Go around the circle by two. Each person delivers a simple statement about their family:

• My dad’s name is … • My grandfather came here from … • At home my mum speaks … • Grandma’s first job was… • My family’s first house was in …

The person two to the left repeats along the same lines or, if they don’t know or can’t apply it, begins with another statement. The aim is to get a flow of information in and out of different topics about family backgrounds. Keep going and see what emerges.

If they don’t know much or want to know more, make it a research task to do some investigation and repeat the exercise. It might expand to more interesting aspects of their family’s background:

• My grandparents arrived in … • My father left his country because … • My mother came here by (boat) …

Discussion: what are the links you share with those arrange you?

AFO/HDO-

The Fairfield Comparison

Find out what sort of a place Fairfield is like. There are some starting points below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Fairfield

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/

What sort of reputation does it have? What might be a fair comparison in Melbourne?

In small groups focus in on some aspect of your exploration and doing comparative research for your own council region, community or town.

You might look at: cultural representation, adolescent services, parks and wildlife, leisure opportunities, the Arts.

Present your research back to the class in a mode that is both informative and engaging.

You could do a hard-hitting current affair expose, a travel show feature, a tourism promotion, an historical documentary (like those old movie-tone news features they ran during the war).

Option:

Combine your research with images and work an imaginative way of presenting them akin to the use of the rostra in ‘Jump First, Ask Later’.

Jimmy Text - Vietnam Jimmy tells about a trip to Vietnam, seeing family, his heritage, and different side to his father, exemplified in single story with a martial arts flavour.

AFO/HDO-

Monologue – my mum, my dad.

Capture the essence of one of your parents (or a grandparent) in a single monologue.

Again, try to build their character through anecdotes: stories they have shared with you, shared moments between the pair of you. Can you capture the way they talk, move, laugh, brood, relate. How has your relationship changed as you have grown?

Brainstorm thoughts and ideas.

Organise them

Improvise the telling of them.

Get feedback from a partner on what works.

Script a final version.

Rehearse and deliver.

Option: Accompany this with images. You could simply present photographs from your hand or project onto something larger.

Video Game

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

So why do it in a game … when we can do it in real life?

To a supporting soundtrack the crew play out a video game movement sequence a-la some 90’s hand to hand combat game, beginning with player selection, before playing a duel between Johnny and Jimmy. Note the brilliantly, tightly choreographed movements of the two crew members, all timed to the soundtrack.

AFO/HDO-

Warm-up Games –

Zip Zap Boing

Have a group of people form a circle. Essentially a ball of energy moves around the circle through the following actions:

• ‘Zip’ – said as you swing your right arm across your body to the left (or visa-versa). This passes the ball of energy to the person on your left (or right).

• ‘Zap’ – said with two hands in front of you as if holding a gun and aiming at anyone but the person on your left or right.

• ‘Boing’ – said as you hold up both hands in the direction that the ball of energy is coming as if to create a wall.

Rules:

• The game must start with 5 zips. • Then you can say anything. • A zip must continue in the same direction. • You can boing anything. • You cannot zap back the person who zapped you. • It must be fast, loud and dynamic. The gestures must be bold and snappy.

This becomes - Harugan (street fighter)

As per Zip zap boing but with the following ‘Street fighter terminology:

Harugan (= zip) stomp and pass ball of energy to person on left or right.

Tiger upper cut (=boing) open mouth of a hippo whilst balancing on one leg.

Yoga flame (=skip one person) delivered in meditative voice with one leg balanced on opposing knee, whilst hands form arch above head.

Sonic boom (zap) – delivered with sonic boom-esque gusto, stomp and two hand ‘zap’ gesture.

The wooden sword of Paris

For more choreographed movement training:

Two groups facing each other, with a leader in front of each group. They fight a duel as if they bore wooden swords in their hands, taking alternate strokes. Each leader can give six different strokes:

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

• 1 as if to chop off the head of the opposing leader – in which case all the opposing team must duck, simultaneously;

• 2 as if to chop off the legs – all the opposing team must jump; • 3 striking clearly to the left – the actors must jump to the right; • 4 same to the right – the actors jump left; • 5 a clear strike down the middle – the actors jump right if they’re on the right, left if

on the left; • 6 the leader thrusts his sword forward – the adversaries must jump back.

The game starts with the workshop leader instructing each leader in turn to make a single strike at a time. The leaders are rotated. The workshop leader can suggest two blows at a time; then three, four, five. Then the workshop leader allows the leaders (who should change frequently) to fight however they wish.

Extension: like Jimmy and Johnny – invite pairs of students to create their own set of choreographed ‘fight’ moves that has an action and a reaction. It could be anything from Vikings to chefs to kindergarten kids.

AFO- Main Activity:

Brainstorm:

How many video games can you name from your childhood?

Bring a Game to Life – physical theatre

In groups, choose a video game from the list.

Stage One

• Break down the movements of the game to their essential elements. o Eg. Just as Jimmy and Johnny did with a combat game. o Eg. The left, right, forward, back movements of ‘Crossy Road’ characters.

Practise moving this way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3pTw0jmxlg) • Add in the environment: the obstructions and challenges

o Eg. Things they can roll over, jump across, shield themselves with. o Eg. the assorted road traffic, speeding trains and river crossings. Get

members of the group to create these obstructions. • Add in the sound effects

o Who can mimic the sounds of the game? Warm-up activity – what sound is that? Invite people to mimic the

sounds of life and all its noises: machines, critters, characters, house-hold noises, whatever. Set up in a ‘blind’ space so that students have to guess who and what.

o Download the sound fx through assorted free sound fx websites https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/27-video-game-noises-

that-you-will-never-be-able-to-forget?utm_term=.leq10kojd#.yqDrJpRBK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz-WqM6mGTw http://www.soundsnap.com/tags/video_game

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

http://www.sonniss.com/sound-effects/2000-game-sound-fx/ * (this one you pay for)

• Improvise the game being played out on stage. • Rehearse a choreographed sequence and present.

Stage Two - If life were a game.

• Same groups. • Students to create a scene where everyday life does become a game.

o For example, a simple morning routine of getting up, getting into the bathroom, getting breakfast and getting to work becomes a Crossy Road experience; where family members, pets, pedestrians and traffic all get in the way.

o You could do the same thing with Mortal Kombat and brother and sister fighting out assorted morning needs, especially the bathroom.

• The aim is to mix the stylised movement into the everyday. • Use the sound fx. You could even download a soundtrack sequence – say from

Mario Brothers – and choreograph it to the soundtrack.

Fighting Text and Justin Jumps 1 AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Justin and Joe talk about fights: Joe has never been in one; Justin has been in about 20. Justin teaches Joe how to fight. Well, everything you do before you fight:

Well first you have to staunch up, then size or square up, then shape up and then you fight … staunching … Shoulders forward. Head forward. Walk towards them. … you can yell at them … And the next one. Sizing up. You want to come right next to me and go head to head … And you’re just looking at them. You can still yell at them … Yeah. And you can head butt them. You can push them if you want … And then after that you want to shape up … Yeah you’re just watching them… You see if they’re going to fight…

AFO/HDO-

Discussion:

• How many fights have you been in? • Who has been taught how to fight?

o Who by? o What did they teach you?

• Who remembers their first fight? • What happens before a fight? • What happens afterwards? • How do you feel afterwards? • How do you feel when you see others fighting?

Activity:

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie In groups of three create your own ‘How to …’ video demonstration/instruction guide parodying some aspect of fighting:

• Like Justin and Joe – how to look good leading up to a fight. • A guide to fighting without ever getting hurt. • A quick guide to avoiding a fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzxfivZF9Yk - watch ‘opposite George’ from Seinfeld.

Fighting Text and Justin Jumps 2 & Jam Justin gets to tell us his story.

HDO-

What can you remember?

• How many schools? 11 • Anger management schools? 6 • Head-butted holes in the wall? 3 • Who has he lived with? Parents,

grandparents, other grandparents, back to first grandparents.

• Where does he live now? Reesby • Where does Mum live now? Bankstown • Where does Dad live now? Villawood somewhere (what does this tell • you?) • When did the anger go? ‘Since I’ve been doing Parkour’. • What does he do when he’s angry? ‘Train … aggressive movement … Big kind of

stuff.’ • What happens if he can’t train? ‘Everything starts building up. I don’t go

outside, I stay inside. Everything comes back to me. I start over thinking things. There are even some nights I cry myself to sleep.’

What’s your story?

• What makes you angry? o The little stuff … my laptop, other drivers, my own stupidity. o The big stuff … how we treat asylum seekers, school, people who hit their

pets. • What do you do when you’re angry? • What could be some good outlets for your anger? • What’s the difference between anger and aggression? • Is it okay to be angry? • Is it okay to be aggressive?

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

AFO-

Cool Boy!

Watch this clip from ‘West Side Story’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wugWGhItaQA

Brainstorm from the discussion the physical things we do when we’re angry: kicking cans, punching walls, screaming at the moon, messing up your room ... etc.

In pairs, preferably one boy and one girl, get one student to turn these into single gestures or movements. Then invite the other student to ‘stylise’ it: give it a heightened sense; something that can be worked into a choreographic sequence and repeated.

Repeat the idea – like cool boy – where you try to repress it, then it explodes … or slowly builds and pops like a champagne cork. Give it levels of energy.

Give each movement a name. Try and describe the action in words (as if to teach someone else).

Get each pair to come up with a sequences that works in three or more movements, anyway they want to.

Share these with the class.

Collate the full list of movements and their names and instructions.

Extension: form larger groups – six to eight – and choreograph an extended sequence. You could use the music from ‘Cool Boy’ or something of your own (make sure it has the building tension and release moments that support the theme).

Natalie Text AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Natalie tells us and the crew how she discovered parkour from gymnastics.

HDO-

Girls in a boy’s world?

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Natalie is the only girl in the crew on stage (DMC has others).

Discussion:

What impression do we get of her amongst the boys? Is she treated any differently?

Do you think girls bring a different skill set to the worlds of parkour, free-running, tricking and the like?

Is our community’s attitude to boys and girls and sport changing? What evidence is out there?

Have any of the girls in class felt they’ve missed out on physical opportunities because of their gender?

What gets in the way?

HDO-

Johnny: ‘What is parkour?’

I’ll let the experts explain:

Parkour is a non-competitive training method originating in France. It encompasses a set of principles combined with a way of moving within your environment and overcoming obstacles of any kind, be they physical or mental. The physical aspect of Parkour involves practical movement techniques guided by the notions of escape and reach. For example, Parkour teaches you ways to move that can be used to reach a person in need faster. Similarly, these movements can also be used to increase distance from a pursuer during an escape. Parkour training methods involve running, crawling, jumping, climbing, rolling and balancing, as well as and other methods of catching yourself, grabbing and hanging, applied to all environments both urban and natural. The Parkour practitioner aims to become highly proficient in all of the above methods so they can be used in an emergency situation and to become a stronger more helpful person. A Parkour practitioner is defined not by the way they move, but rather the application of movement with regards to the philosophy and purpose of Parkour.

Taken from: file:///D:/Downloads/Melbourne_Parkour_Information_for_Schools_2013.pdf

Download this if you are interested in bringing parkour to your school or drama class.

http://melbourneparkour.com.au/ - Melbourne Parkour has been around in one form or another since 2004. Its members, along with Sydney and Canberra were instrumental in the creation of the Australian Parkour Association (APA), which is now the peak body for Parkour in Australia. Melbourne Parkour works in partnership with the APA, providing it with

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie support and training to instructors from all over Australia. All Melbourne instructors are recognised under the APA Instructor qualification.

Explore the world of parkour further:

Below are five short videos from David Belle, the man credited with creating parkour as we know it. These videos are all early footage from the 90’s of him and his friends developing their skills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjQS-xMr5U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QsvFptvy1k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiXPzh0-Znc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foaN1uPvR1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2VK3HyzjEE

… there are so many parkour videos to watch, and plenty of tutorials too.

This is one of the latest …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ToP0vgo-PM

For those who want to play parkour on line you can look at ‘Mirror’s Edge’ or ‘Mirror’s Edge – Catalyst’, its sequel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6GQEtUREWY .

Bars … calisthenics AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Patrick and Johnny play out a duet on the scaffolding. After a small game of blocking they share the ‘bars’ and move around in perfect synchronicity, all to a simple soundtrack.

AFO-

Duets:

Grab a partner.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Find a simple piece of classroom equipment: two chairs, two tables, a couple of rostra, short step ladders (anything that keeps the activity safe).

Play with movement. Find simple ways of manipulating yourself and the space around the object: over, under, around, through, left and right, above and below, slowly, quickly, balance, strength, smooth, stylish.

Find a simple metronomic soundtrack.

Build a movement sequence that focuses on synchronicity, perfect timing between the two of you. If it looks good, the degree of difficulty doesn’t matter.

Share and review.

HDO-

Patrick tells us of how he ended up doing his ‘ghetto street workout’ version of calisthenics, with the Bar Lions at Wetherill Park.

You can see his group training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Q0HLMmvEI

Here are some of the b-boy moves he started off on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4QfLqQeQts

Discussion:

• What reasons did Johnny give for originally starting to do this sort of stuff? • How did that change? • How does he describe his commitment to training?

• What is your biggest commitment?

o How long have you been training? o How much time do you put in? o What motivates you? o Has that changed over time?

Johnny Solo

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Johnny Do’s voiceover tells us honestly, ‘I’m 17. Ah … I dance.’ In fact, ‘I don’t talk much’. Indeed, we watch him translate his thoughts about how and why he moves:

‘It’s what I do comfortably … It’s a thing I do when I’m… tired. Like stressed out or something … I like to create… ah… like to play around with stuff … If I can’t create… I just draft it and just leave it and just note it down … nearly every day … I think you build… it’s like...Building your vocabulary … You just create something. Like a movement piece … something tells how you feel … Your character … And, yeah… like … Everything has character.’

HDO-

Discussion

• Ask anyone who dances to talk about how it makes them feel? • Ask anyone who ‘creates’ how it makes them feel? • Why do you think it is important for someone like Johnny to have dance as a means

of expression?

AFO-

Stage 1

Self-expression.

Invite each student to record themselves – audio only – their phones will do the trick – talking for a minute about what they do that allows them ‘self-expression’, just like Johnny does. It could be dance, surfing, running, drawing, playing the guitar, writing, cooking … anything really.

Johnny’s recording shows how spontaneous the thoughts can be.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie But, if desired, the students could script the piece and re-record.

Stage 2

Talking in movement.

Warm-up

Put on assorted music sequences – everything from grinding punk to reggae to pop to jazz – just keep changing the energy and tempo of the students and the way they think. Show them the table below. Use it as prompts for their movement throughout the space. Get them to be direct or indirect, sustained or sudden, strong or light. Get them to pick one of each and highlight the effort action – punch, flick, wring, slash. Add in states of mind and being from Johnny’s monologue: clumsy, chilled, … etc.

Isolate body parts so they free up the way they limit their body movement. Then prompt them with simple ideas that might relate to their self-expression: escape, stress, apathy, freedom, focus, training, giving up, … etc. Encourage them away from the obvious and more towards the spontaneous. No one gets this right. Everyone does.

For more details on Laban you can look up several training institutes or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laban_Movement_Analysis

As a warm-up you could do silent disco … where everyone dances to their own music. It’s hysterical.

Main task:

Like Johnny, you are to use your recording as a voiceover and transpose those thoughts into movement. The easiest way to do this with a class is to have them all bring phones and headphones. Work one phrase at a time. Try not to be self-conscious. The more you let go, the easier it becomes. It doesn’t have to be a ‘dance’. If it means running across the room, jumping up and off the wall, doing the worm, or moving your little finger with delicacy, do it. There are no rules. It is simply about – as Johnny tells us – creating.

Make sure when each student presents (they don’t have to) that there is an ambience of absolute trust.

Reflect on what it felt like to let your bodies go.

Alternative: for a bit of fun

Here is a list of terms used to describe many of Johnny’s tricks, ‘building [his] vocabulary’:

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Gayners.

Cork.

Cork rounds.

Cart full.

Hook.

Hyper hook. Ah…

Butterfly twist.

Spider.

Spider twist.

Raise.

Touch down raise.

Dual head spins.

2000s.

Spinning knee drop

Sailor to the moon

Listen to Roy & HG Nelson’s satirical commentary of the men’s gymnastics at the Sydney Olympics back in 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKFWE1xt_x0. It does contain innuendo.

In pairs or threes provide a running commentary with your own ‘vocabulary’ of moves as one of your group performs a series of movements in any form you wish. Eg Gymnastics. B-boying. Tricking. Dance. Wrestling.

Duet - Arms AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

Johnny and Patrick share a rostrum, well almost. Body spaces are claimed, invaded, reclaimed and stolen until they are intertwined and seem to move as one. Legs, arms, torsos push, shove, slide and lock as they try to claim their space and find themselves in an array of positions, just trying to be.

AFO-

Pairs physical theatre work.

Inspired by this short but imaginative movement sequence you are invited to create a simple piece of physical theatre involving two people.

Warm-up.

Follow the hand. One student holds their hand palm open about 30cm from their partner’s face. The aim is for the respondent to keep themselves in that spatial relationship with the hand (separation and direction). Their partner moves the hand slowly up, down, left, right, backwards, forwards, tilting, rotating; anything that challenges the respondent to explore the full flexibility of their own bodies.

Mirrors.

An oldy but a goody. Partners face each other and try and mimic each other’s movements. The aim is to get to the point where the outsider cannot tell who is leading and who is following. Don’t just stay 10 cm apart. Play with space.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

Ball magnets.

Still in pairs, the students begin with a single point of contact, like two magnetic balls: it could be back to back. Swapping back and forth, the partners manipulate the physical relationship with each other so that there is always one point of contact.

Act and react

Agree on a starting position: sitting or standing together, beside each other or facing. Taking turns, enact one movement. The following movement must be a reaction to that movement. It can be to create symmetry, opposition, reflection, or something totally unconnected. The aim is to slowly intermingle the movements. Think of Johnny and Patrick. It might be as small as a twist of the wrist, the fold of an arm, the lean of a head, or as big as standing up, rolling behind, collapsing before. The aim is to be focused, aware, spontaneous, thoughtful, creative. Put it all together Inspired by Johnny and Patrick’s piece, develop your own piece of physical theatre where two people carry out a movement sequence that in part tells a story … who was on the couch in the first place … I’m so tired … two guards on watch … I’ve lost a contact lens … I think he has my handkerchief. The aim is for close, imaginative, stylised movement: two as one.

Parkour Set & Voiceover AFOs – Art Form Objectives HDOs – Human Development Objectives

The crew perform a final parkour movement set. As they wind down voiceovers from all of them reflect on the world around them:

Justin: Ah, people walk down the street and they’ll see a bench, they’ll see stairs, they’ll see a table, they’ll see like a pole … We go down and we’d like see a mad jump… or that’d be a mad wall climb or that’d be a mad arm jump there… dive cat.

Johnny: Same goes with like, planning your life ahead. It’s like, every direction that… No direction is wrong. It’s just everything has a consequence. … But it’s up to you if you’re prepared for it.

Justin: You just feel like you want to escape all the drama and whatever. If you’re skating or doing anything physical. Your mind goes to a different

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

place. You’re not focused on all the dilemmas or whatever it is that’s like… taking your attention. … so yeah .. You get to be free… in those moments.

Final Discussion:

What do you see when you walk down the street?

What does Johnny mean by ‘No direction is wrong’?

When do you feel ‘free’?

What’s the message for you in ‘Jump First, Ask Later’?

AFO-

Stimulus:

Justin:

When ah, the urban world is like very chk, chk, chk, chk, chk. Like systematic.

That’s another reason why I get into it.

Because of the freedom.

The free aspect, you know?

And ah, it’s not like we’re going out on the street and going like “Oh yeah, we’re better than you”.

We’re looking at the world a different way.

Final Physical Theatre piece.

Break the class into groups of any size. It could be a whole class project.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Drawing on the stimulus above, everything you’ve made across the previous activities, and anything else you can think of, brainstorm, improvise, script/storyboard, refine and rehearse a physical theatre piece that explores how they feel they belong as adolescents in their own urban environment.

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie Articles and Reviews

PYT supports young people’s lead in finding the sacred in their shared humanity Posted on August 26, 2015 - https://westsydneyfront.wordpress.com/tag/jump-first-ask-later/

One dictionary definition of Sacred is “worthy of or regarded with reverence, awe, or respect.” I guess it was that definition that caused me to link UTP’s film One Day of Peace, and Sydney Sacred Music Festival to Powerhouse Youth Theatre’s latest show in my last blog post. I had booked to see Jump First, Ask Later twice last Saturday and I wasn’t disappointed. There is usually so much depth of thought, range of skills and speed of delivery in PYT productions that I need time to absorb it all – well as best I can, anyway. Jump First, Ask Later was created by six young people from Fairfield who came together through their shared love of movement. Several were members of the parkour group Team 9 Lives, but by the time this project began last year, they had separated to become DMC (Dauntless Movement Crew), with a focus on art and movement. Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Force Majeure co-produced their show, which was directed and choreographed by Byron Perry, supported by AV designer Sean Bacon and sound designer Luke Smiles. Reviews have been full of praise. The show began with demonstrations of typical training, building strength, precision, timing, tight discipline and concentration – five young men – Joseph Carbone, Johnny Do, Patrick Uy, Justin Kilic, Jimmy James Pham – and one girl, Natalie Siri, right. The delivery was frequently tongue-in-cheek. Members teased each other, but even as they seemed to compete, they were there to help each other and improve their skills. Safety consciousness was paramount. Gradually, they began to tell their stories, how they came to be involved, seeing challenges in physical elements just while they were walking in the streets. It’s not showing off. If you are worrying about what others think of you, you are not focused, one said. As Joseph said, movement has become a way of life for all of them. They feel so good when they challenge themselves, exploring and experimenting and then passing on their skills to other young people. They love Fairfield, know its streets intimately and feel entirely at home there. They were making their way financially through teaching classes, commissioned performances, video and film recordings and bigger visions for the future. When you push yourself, it blocks out everything else. Movement is liberating, they say. They told stories of parents worried that they were just wasting opportunities to continue at university or to find a proper job, but expressed gratitude for their support and encouragement. Perhaps most poignant of all was Justin’s honesty in explaining how

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

training helps him manage anger provoked by fractured family relationships. His “fight duet” with Joseph was a clever and very funny send up of stereotypes.

The crew’s commitment to each other and to the other young people of their neighbourhood is inspiring. Patrick and Johnny each came to DMC through their love of street dance. Patrick’s Cambodian background and Johnny’s from Vietnam can sometimes mean tension and distrust. Instead, they delivered wryly humorous performances that included a relaxed and highly entertaining exchange of quick hand and arm movements that brought shouts of approval from their audience. Until they worked together on this show, crew members had never known each other’s stories, they say. That closer knowledge has welded them together as a totally interconnected team based on trust and coordination. For some like Joseph, who began 10 years ago, street movement was an underground activity distrusted by police. As they gained confidence and acceptance, they began engaging and training other young people. This week, lots of school groups have booked to see the performances and be inspired about their own potential. Classes are now expanding to Bankstown and Campbelltown and will shortly begin in Parramatta. Next year, DMC performs Jump First, Ask Later at Sydney Opera House, from where their show will be streamed live to regional schools. Reviews: Kevin Jackson’s Theatre Diary: http://www.kjtheatrediary.com/2015/08/jump-first-ask-later.html JUMP FIRST, ASK LATER Produced and Presented by Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) and Force Majeure, at the Fairfield School of Arts, 19-29 August, 2015, a World Premiere. Some Fairfield youth have explored and practised as individuals and, latterly, as an ensemble: The Dauntless Movement Company (DMC), to present a wide range of street physical engagements: B-Boying, Parkour, Free running, Hip-hop dancing, Tricking, a variety of martial arts, calisthenics, and acrobatics. In JUMP FIRST ASK LATER, six individuals, all founding members of DMC: Joseph Carbone, Johnny Do, Patrick Uy, Justin Kilic, Natalie Siri and Jimmy James Pham, all but one “born and bred” in Fairfield (the other from Bankstown), tell us of their background stories and of their entrance into this physical world. They talk of it as part of a street/park activity, that gradually cohered into a mutual 24/7 mind and body pre-occupation that they developed as a kind of ‘tribal’ identification –

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

they did it for fun; it occupied them and kept their minds busy (distracted) in a positive, happy way. Two years ago the Powerhouse Youth Theatre invited this loose collective into a project that partnered them with one of Australia’s leading dance theatre companies: Force Majeure. Two developmental, artistic residencies, one of two weeks, the other of five weeks, led by Byron Perry, has resulted in this astonishing work. Astonishing, many-fold, but particularly because of its theatrical sophistication and the physical skill and bravado (emotional, as well) artistry of all the participants. It is an entirely recommended experience for all ages. Inspiration plus. Exhilarating. This group of young people have honed their fearless crafts into a breathtaking kind of artistry, by themselves, over years, and now, in collaboration, with Mr Perry at Fairfield Youth Theatre, have produced a dance work, reminiscent in form, of some of the work of the great DV8 company: TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU (2008); CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS (2011). Says Choreographer Byron Perry in his Director’s Notes: This work is an onstage documentary about a group of six individuals from Fairfield in Western Sydney, and their shared love of movement. … It is as much a story about urban movement practises and the freeing and the unifying power of movement as it is an exploration of the lives of the people involved. … it is a reminder of how important our connection to place and to each other really are. The commitment to their street-inspired ‘culture’, the physical movement forms, and the development and disciplines of their skills is evident in the intensity and expertise of their performances. JUMP FIRST ASK LATER, begins with the group introducing to us a round of exercises as a kind of ‘warm-up’, and then, unobtrusively, segues into taking us on a journey into their worlds, both the public art form they are inventing, and the ‘private’ contextual motivations they individually have, to persist with it. Each of the artists get to show their ‘best’ tricks, and each subsume, integrate, their ‘tricks’ and skills into a series of ensemble pieces that are breathtaking to watch. My favourite was the comic physical construct of a computer game by the ‘gang’, and, here, the subtle but decisive skills of the AV Design of Sean Bacon, combined with the witty and beautifully judged contribution of the Sound Design of Luke Smiles, creates an unforgettable theatrical memory. It may have been, as well, that the floor of the Fairfield School of Arts, bounces and springs back at us, as the artists swing on the pseudo monkey-bar construct at the back of the shallow stage, onto the wooden blocks, to land in full flight in front of us, so that the audience’s seats bounce back in ‘a cause and affect’ conversation with them – a thrilling visceral inter-active buzz in our own bodies that

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Jump First, Ask Later Teachers’ Resources – Written by Sam Mackie

connects us in/to the action, and may create the delusion, as it did, momentarily, often, that I, too, was doing Parkour (I wish), with them. This is an amazing work. This is not just a good community project outcome. This is a terrific piece and time in the theatre. Get yourself out there to Fairfield. Take yourselves, your children (of all ages) and be made very, very happy. This is a DON’T MISS. P.S. The theatre, The Fairfield School of Arts, is just around the corner from the Fairfield Railway Station, and there are terrific Iraqi Restaurants, and others, to eat, or have a coffee and cake at, before the performance. The show is just sixty minutes long. One wished it was longer. But then, of course, I was only watching, not expending my physical energies in these remarkable acts of love in the pursuit of FUN.

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