Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Leonard Bernstein's Music Informs Characters in Valuable Role Play

From Inside The West Side Story Project:  Those instantly recognizable melodic phrases that inform a great many of the moments for characters in West Side Story have proved to be a most valuable point of reference for all participants.  In sessions for the West Side Story Project, Police Officers and Young Adults, are learning about this through a movement  based exercise, building characters from their own daily life, who mirror the characters from West Side Story.  Using the opening prologue as a traditional warmup in the background, this team building exercise has been allowing everyone to observe and discuss: gestures, body language, intentions, misunderstandings, attitudes, fear, hatred, cool and uncool...  This gem of the project, employing improvisation, choreography, and authentic movement, fully engages participants in the importance of music as a key element within West Side Story, and how to use these vibrant splashes of rhythm and melody to arrive at the heart of a character when making choices and decisions from moment to moment.  Tom Demenkoff - PossibleArts


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