HELIKOS |

THE 20 MOVEMENTS OF JACQUES LECOQ

December 8th → December 12th, 2021 - Padova, ITALY

La rose des efforts, Jacques Lecoq (1997)

(The rose of efforts)

The 20 Movements (20M) are a series of movements devised by Jacques Lecoq and taught at his school as a form of practice for the actor. They contain some fundamental principles of movement in the theatrical space. Each of these movements is a “form” to be learnt, practiced, rehearsed, refined and performed.  As in martial arts or in any artistic discipline (music, dance, painting, sculpture… ), in the 20M we find the notion of “a set form” in which the artist applies some of the fundamental rules of this art. Similar to what in music is an “exercise de style” or a “divertimento,” each of the 20M is a piece of writing in which the actor practices and explores one, or more, specific techniques or themes. Like scales for a musician, the 20M are a form of practice that the actor is never too good to abandon. It’s a movement training that can continue for the entire career of the actor-creator.

As referential forms, they are “impossible” in the sense that it is impossible to perform them perfectly. Therefore they can be practiced over and over, in more and more details, in the quest for the “justesse” of gestures. 
They teach the humility of practice. You can always be corrected; therefore, you can always re-learn them and always teach them.  
Each of them is a referential movement that allows the actor to understand the many expressive variations of that movement.  They are practiced in a state of neutrality. The body is constantly reminded to stay in a pre-character state. The actor's persona disappears and THE movement appears. For this reason they are an excellent training of the neutral state.

Jacques Lecoq essentialized this notion with this statement "A verb has no opinion".
While a verb has no option, the character does, and their opinion will appear in a particular way they engage with the action. The 20M allows a extremely accurate observation of this process.

The 20M are practiced by the actor alone, so they teach the individual about the necessity of taking responsibility for space, time and action, and for refining the poetic body.

Many are the benefits and pedagogic gifts of the 20M. Here are a few:

Rigour, persistence, the necessity of rehearsing, discipline, facing one’s own limits and physical habits, quest for neutrality, commitment to space, commitment to silence, commitment to movement, the humility of making mistakes and the courage of stating them, responsibility of creating space and time, seeing the difference between everyday movements and transposed Movement, letting go of personal adjustments and comments, losing the opinions on movement, discovering the state of "economy of movement", integrating feedback, showing the relationship between neutrality and character and between neutral movement and expressive treatment... 

The Discobulus, attic cup ca. 490 BC

PRACTICALITIES

ADMISSION

This workshop is addressed to theatre practitioners with previous experiences in movement based theatre and in the Pedagogy of Jaques Lecoq.

HOW TO APPLY

There is no application form.
To apply please email a letter of motivation
Please include in your letter a short bio and your experience with movement-based theatre and in particular with the 20M.

Please send your application to

TUITION

The coronavirus crisis has provoked a significant loss of income to all theatre practitioners, so the tuition is following a sliding scale approach. The sliding scale wants to acknowledge the difficult moment we are facing and the vital urgency we all feel to practice our art and to support each others and the Poetic Field. Different countries have put into place different systems of public support of artists, if any, so different participants might find themselves in different financial situations.  
Please indicate in your application the amount that you choose to pay.

Tuition: Sliding scale from Euros 350 to Euros 450.

Once accepted, to confirm the enrollment, a deposit of EURO 200 is due.
Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.

Once the application is accepted, spots in the class will be given in the order the application was received.
The class will be confirmed as soon as it reaches 8 participants. Once 12 participants will be confirmed, the workshop is full, and a waiting list will be created

Please note that the tuition does not include accommodation and that participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Padova. Here is a list of useful information and contacts on how to organize your staying in Padova. WELCOME TO PADOVA

Enrolment situation as of November 15th: the workshop is confirmed and 4 spots are stll availble

Locomotion ondulatoire, (Undulatory locomotion), Jacques Lecoq (1997)

Once the workshop will be confirmed, participants will receive a message containing further practical details about the workshop, as well as the details of the safety anti-covid regulations that the group will have to comply with.

LANGUAGE
The workshop will be taught in ENGLISH and ITALIAN and a basic understanding of one of the two languages is required.

LOCATION
The training will take place in Padova, Italy, at the HELIKOS STUDIO , Via Monte Solarolo 16, PADOVA, ITALY.

SCHEDULE
From Wednesday December 8th to Sunday December 12th, 9:00 - 17:30

Grimper (Climbing) Jacques Lecoq (1997)

INFORMATION AND APPLICATIONS

For further information about the content of the workshop
and for applicatins, please contact Giovanni Fusetti at

A SAFETY MESSAGE IN TIMES OF PANDEMICS

The training will happen in the rigorous respect of the National and Regional anti-Covid regulations (social distancing, face masks indoor if the safety distance cannot be maintained, frequent hand sanitizing, sanitizing of surfaces in the studio).
All participants will have to agree in engaging with these rules.  

On the first day of the class, all participants will have to present a COVID negative test, taken in the 48hours before the start, or a valid Vaccination Certificate (Green Pass).

Given the extraordinary circumstances of the coronavirus global crisis,, the training will be confirmed ONLY if the Italian scenario will allow the safety necessary to travel and to practice in compliance with the health regulations. The final decision will be taken no later than November 21st, 2021. In case of cancellation, all paid deposit and tuitions will be refunded.  

Please chack which travel restrictions have been put into place by the Italian Government for visitors wishing to come to Italy. You can find the most up to date information on this websitse of the Italian Ministery of Health.

Also, some countries have established travel restrictions towards Italy and/or for travellers returning from Italy. You can check your own foreign office to verify what are the travel advices and requirements.

See you in Padova !