Working with the women of FAVILEK has been amazing. On the first day of workshop, Sylvie, an older woman, comes up to me when she arrives and gives me a big kiss on each cheek. Such joy and spirit and love! There is a sense of great enthusiasm and excitement for our work together.
In the midst of all the playfulness, it's easy to forget that these women are not young spring chickens, and that they have endured a lifetime of intense hardship. Little by little, tidbits of their traumatic past come to the fore. Suddenly, Suzette excuses herself from an exercise because her knees hurt. But it's not because she is getting old or out of shape. No, she happens to have bullets lodged in her knee from being shot during the coup back in the 90's! She proceeds to pull down her pants and show me the deep scars on her hip from her other bullet wounds. Many of the women have scars, I notice. Maricia injured her arm in the earthquake, and now there's a big chunk missing in her bicep. She hesitates to do certain exercises, but we suggest adjustments and she sees she can still participate -- and then she goes for it with gusto!
We start the workshops off with warm-up games for fun and play and energy. We do trust exercises such as leading a blind partner, running blindly into another's arms with all your might, and letting yourself fall trusting that the group is there to catch you. Not only are these 15 artist members of FAVILEK learning to strengthen their core ensemble as a theater group, but they have committed to share this training with other women and girls in their own sessions. So we try to include creative exercises that are useful for psychosocial support, to build self-esteem, confidence and empowerment, as well as for theatrical work. We explore physical and emotional expression through mime and movement play and we do simple acrobatics, too.
But mostly, we work a lot on focus and cohesion as an ensemble. We have everyone walk around within a designated space focusing on being aware of themselves, the space and each other. We then work on choreographic movement and on moving together as a chorus. First, the women are scattered and unfocused and all over the place. There is no purpose to their movement or engagement. But then a beautiful transformation takes place as they start to develop a shared sensitivity with the ability to create powerful images together. Christina described it this way: "imagine the transformation of 15 individuals walking around like psych wards patients in nonsensical circles within a square on the floor to 15 empowered, strong women who command the space and move as one." Well, it's an apt description in a way. And the women felt the difference.
At the end of our three and a half days of workshops, we sit down together in a circle to talk about the experience. How do you feel now, what did you gain, what did you enjoy? They exclaim: "We feel so much stronger now!" Individually, and as an ensemble. Now we feel like we can do anything. Merina, who's quite the spitfire, tells us how here in Haiti things can get dangerous, there are demonstrations and shootings, and now we are strong to run and to fight! Wow.
Grandma Sylvie, the eldest, walks up to me and puts her arms around my hips and lifts me up. And she can easily! As if to demonstrate her newfound strength. And then she cradles me like a baby and sings to me. She then goes to Josh to lift him (and Josh is a big guy), and she probably would have done it, but Josh preempts her action and swings her up in his arms instead. And after that they dance.
"Voulez-vous danser? Oui, danser!" I discovered last time I was in Haiti how much people like to sing and dance, and Favilek is no different. So I introduce this little dancing game I learned from the gals in Grande Goave. And we had a blast with that. "Alors, fais comme ca!"
Then the women teach me and Christina a song from their last show, which was really beautiful, and sad. But at least it ends on an upbeat note with "la vie est belle" or "life is beautiful."
x
In the midst of all the playfulness, it's easy to forget that these women are not young spring chickens, and that they have endured a lifetime of intense hardship. Little by little, tidbits of their traumatic past come to the fore. Suddenly, Suzette excuses herself from an exercise because her knees hurt. But it's not because she is getting old or out of shape. No, she happens to have bullets lodged in her knee from being shot during the coup back in the 90's! She proceeds to pull down her pants and show me the deep scars on her hip from her other bullet wounds. Many of the women have scars, I notice. Maricia injured her arm in the earthquake, and now there's a big chunk missing in her bicep. She hesitates to do certain exercises, but we suggest adjustments and she sees she can still participate -- and then she goes for it with gusto!
 |
| Maricia triumphs on top |
We start the workshops off with warm-up games for fun and play and energy. We do trust exercises such as leading a blind partner, running blindly into another's arms with all your might, and letting yourself fall trusting that the group is there to catch you. Not only are these 15 artist members of FAVILEK learning to strengthen their core ensemble as a theater group, but they have committed to share this training with other women and girls in their own sessions. So we try to include creative exercises that are useful for psychosocial support, to build self-esteem, confidence and empowerment, as well as for theatrical work. We explore physical and emotional expression through mime and movement play and we do simple acrobatics, too.
But mostly, we work a lot on focus and cohesion as an ensemble. We have everyone walk around within a designated space focusing on being aware of themselves, the space and each other. We then work on choreographic movement and on moving together as a chorus. First, the women are scattered and unfocused and all over the place. There is no purpose to their movement or engagement. But then a beautiful transformation takes place as they start to develop a shared sensitivity with the ability to create powerful images together. Christina described it this way: "imagine the transformation of 15 individuals walking around like psych wards patients in nonsensical circles within a square on the floor to 15 empowered, strong women who command the space and move as one." Well, it's an apt description in a way. And the women felt the difference.
At the end of our three and a half days of workshops, we sit down together in a circle to talk about the experience. How do you feel now, what did you gain, what did you enjoy? They exclaim: "We feel so much stronger now!" Individually, and as an ensemble. Now we feel like we can do anything. Merina, who's quite the spitfire, tells us how here in Haiti things can get dangerous, there are demonstrations and shootings, and now we are strong to run and to fight! Wow.
Grandma Sylvie, the eldest, walks up to me and puts her arms around my hips and lifts me up. And she can easily! As if to demonstrate her newfound strength. And then she cradles me like a baby and sings to me. She then goes to Josh to lift him (and Josh is a big guy), and she probably would have done it, but Josh preempts her action and swings her up in his arms instead. And after that they dance.
"Voulez-vous danser? Oui, danser!" I discovered last time I was in Haiti how much people like to sing and dance, and Favilek is no different. So I introduce this little dancing game I learned from the gals in Grande Goave. And we had a blast with that. "Alors, fais comme ca!"
Then the women teach me and Christina a song from their last show, which was really beautiful, and sad. But at least it ends on an upbeat note with "la vie est belle" or "life is beautiful."
x
No comments:
Post a Comment