OPENINGS — REFLECTIONS

Week 1

Posted March 4, 2022

My first thoughts are how lovely it is that we can finally begin after so much preparation! It's been years, actually, considering all the applications for funding and the delays caused by the big "C" virus. It threw a spanner in the works, delaying the interviews with workshop applicants. But, we managed to reorganize quickly and do the interiews.

Speaking of the interviews, selecing participants from the pool of applicants was not easy. The working group members who were on the panel, Hanna and Malin, and I were surprised by the number and quality of applicants. The applicant group was especially diverse, and in every sense of the word – personality, culture, professional background…you name it! Choosing who would and who would not be in the invited participant group was a truly difficult decision that involved much discussion. Nonetheless, difficult choices had to be made. We very much appreciate all the interest in the project and the time all the applicants committed to the application process. We are grateful that they shared their presence, dreams, and aspirations with us. Also, we are humbled by the considerable interest in this project. It shows us that there is a need for projects like Openings. It also motivates us to consider organizing a project like this again.

And here we go... The group of eight workshop participants (one is stuck abroad and will join us next week) and I began work on Tuesday of this week. Our first day was spent getting to know each other and establishing working principles through discussions, warm-ups, and of course, (Inter)acting with the Inner Partner (aka "IwIP"). The photos posted here are from that session. Thanks to Diego Ginartes for taking them!

During our second session, we continued developing group dynamics, and had our first block of three rounds of IwIP. At the end of the working day, I asked everyone to take a moment to either mentally note or write down one discovery they made during the session in one word, phrase, or a short sentence. I'll conclude today's intro blog entry with their discoveries. (One person was sick, so there were seven responses.)

See you next week with more reflections on the Openings workshop.

Thanks for reading!

-Alexander Komlosi, Openings Leader and CC's Artistic Director

What I disovered during today's session (March 3, 2022)

"joy in movement"

"voice is connected to my emotions"

"freedom from mind"

"reduce performing, do for myself"

"What am I getting out of the play?"

"question the one who's quiet"

"watching the resistance without judgement"

Photo credit: Diego Ginartes, © 2022 Kulttuuriyhdistys Culture Current ry