FRS 002 — Sec. 026
— (2 units) — CRN 94095 — F 12:10-2:00pm — University
Club Studio
Traditional Chinese Physical Culture and Some Contemporary Applications
Instructor: Lynette Hunter, Department of Theatre & Dance, College
of Letters and Science
Description: For the past twelve years I have been extending
my performance work (especially from ‘Bodies in trouble’ (1997))
by training in a traditional Chinese Physical Culture (CPC) program accredited
by the Chinese Wushu Association. This CPC program offers a syllabus unique
to most other Anglo-American systems of traditional Chinese training in performance
skills, in that the syllabus is exceptionally broad and includes work on movement,
dance, breath, voice, energy, interaction, choreography, and is combined with
training in a western coaching curriculum that addresses the key fields in sports
education to do with musculature, body alignment, nutrition and psychology.
This course is offered as an opportunity to explore the impact of Chinese physical
culture and to develop ways of talking about its contribution to knowledge.
The course proposes to introduce students to the basics of traditional Chinese
physical culture as taught by the Weihai Lishi Quan Fa. The exploration will
involve discussion and exploration of the primary concepts informing the program,
practical work in dance laboratory conditions, and integration of practice with
conceptual analysis.
Format: Students will need to keep a weekly journal of their
learning, to demonstrate appropriate familiarity with and expression of physical
skills, and to write one 1500 word essay on a topic agreed with me. The classes
cover: Tai Ch’i Ch’uan, Stances (movements), Kaimen (Chinese yoga),
Dao Yin (breathing exercises), Pushing exercises, Chi expressions (energy work),
partner work and some elements of Feng Shou (Hand of the Wind). Because the
learning is cumulative and integrated, most of these elements are introduced
during the first two weeks and then extended over the following eight weeks
of the term. The lab work is accompanied by discussion of the physiological
impact of the exercises. The aim is to achieve basic proficiency by week seven,
so that the final three weeks can focus on the student developing ideas related
to the conceptual part of the course. Students will need to keep a weekly journal
of their learning, to demonstrate appropriate familiarity with and expression
of physical skills, and to write one 1500 word essay on a topic agreed with
me.
Discussion will address topics in my current research, to do with:
Traditional systems of knowledge
History and mythology
Cultural contexts
Physiological understanding
Contemporary applications in 1) theatre and performance and 2) the community.
General Background Resource texts:
Fleshman, B. Theatrical Movement: A bibliographical anthology. London:
The Scarecrow Press, 1986
Kleinman, S. ed Mind and Body: East meets West. Illinois: Human Kinetics
Publishers, 1986.
MacDonald, G. Illustrating Alexander Technique. London: Harper Collins,
1998.
Richards, T. At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions. London: Routledge,
1995.
Watson, I. Performer Training: Developments across cultures. Amsterdam:
Harwood Academic Publishers, 2001.
Grading:
Weekly journal: 25%
Practical skills: assessed in week seven 25%
Application of practical skills: assessed in week ten 25%
Essay: 25%
About the Instructor: Professor Lynette Hunter joined the department
of Theatre and Dance in 2003. Having worked in various disciplines such as biochemistry,
computing, publishing and printing history, philosophy, literature and cultural
studies, she has written a number of books on the history of rhetoric within
these areas. Her current interests lie both in the history of performance and
in the contemporary applications of performance not only in the arts and humanities
but also in health, education, sports, management, medicine and the law. She
has trained in the Weihai Li Shi Quan Fa under Desmond Murray for ten years.