FRS 002BB — Sec. 001
— (2 units) — CRN 76157 — W 8:00-9:50am —
U. 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 nine 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 Hangzhou branch of the Chinese Wushu Association. This CPC
program offers
a syllabus unique to most other European 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. Some elements of this research have formed the
theoretical basis
for the introduction to the Arden Shakespeare edition of Romeo
and Juliet
that I am co-editing with theatre director Peter Lichtenfels, especially the
work on mask, gesture and voice. 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:The
classes cover: Dao Yin (breathing exercises), Kai men (muscle
extension, yoga),
Tai Ji, The Dance form, Partner work (balance and responsiveness),
Chi expressions,
Pushing exercises, the Sho Pe Fa form, Rollaways (dynamic movement
with partners),
and some elements from the Fung Shou. 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.
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.
Zarrilli, P. Acting (Re)Considered: London: Routledge; 2002.
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.