Happy Christmas

Well, a fun day last Friday in the main company with lots of exciting "play/open space" after a good warm up with seasonal but obscure music, we went on to play - my favourite- ..i gave them a 3 min exercise, no music, open improvisation structure, and (none of us are sure how long) it was extended to, 20 mins at least, as everyone played! no great dictator - music - just the fun of it and the opportunity to be yourself, extend yourself, work to your own rhythm, be sparked by others creativity and ideas, no end product needed. We talked quickly about it at the end, you could write a thesis on this work and people do / have, but it really suits us, and we have been so busy the last year that we have enjoyed freedom to play.

We finished early for our Christmas party (this time in Newlyn) and everyone from the main company was there!

Our Christmas photo is one by Zoe on her fantastic new camera, a prize from a competition.

improvisation gone horsey! and group chat

trying to capture some of the "play"

thanks to Simon who brought in this seasonal and beautiful instrument ....I loved Toby and Sam's hats! and grins...

after music came hearty Carol singing ( now a tradition) led by Tina and Glen. Visitors included Andy, and baby Ruby. 

 last some images from Moving Words second session and next time we will have Barbara with us!

Thank you to everyone for their fantastic support this year, it has been busy and rich in variety, and we hope next year will be the same, with many interesting projects on the horizon, and a commitment to maintaining all that is good.
We always build projects and groups from the ground up: developing the ideas, needs, passions, inspiration of those we know and work with and those we hope to reach!
So here's to continuing! and many thanks to Colin who dropped in on Monday and talked about the beliefs and ethos behind the work for him!

a week in pic stitch

Some of my week captured in pic stitch!

First Moving Words workshop run by Jo and Demelza with Home educated children and young people, kindly hosted by Falmouth Art Gallery and funded by Clore Duffield. The first of 16 events!
My favourite sources were Black a strong and beautiful BSL poem by Paul Scott and Christina Rossetti's poems especially, What are heavy?
Some good work produced and more to come....
great to have a Beth and Oak with us, Oak really enjoys audio, poetry and stories at the moment.

 main co photos:

Rowan and Jewel join us in the afternoon for art and production!

Trevor did some amazing work and i managed to capture some of this improvisation with Star and Anna.

costumes made from bin liners, paper and masking tape.

paper

bin liners, trying to capture the light on the plastic

Alan and Anne
Alan's medieval faery creation

a meeting yesterday with lots of "cooing" and dear Ruby very bonnie, charming and expressive!

i became fixated on trying to capture the dress in it's glory Anna said it's what she would have liked when she was younger, and Tallula aged 9 went home in it.

last not least Shallal 2 they do so much amazing work and i still need to document it better and find us more performance opportunities, sadly it's a group still awaiting funding, and as it's new hasn't yet the support structure for framing the work, but here's hoping...

Statement from Myfanwy Moran, fundraising and Christmas Party

Sometime ago i posted an essay by Jamie Moran about the film Pina.
Now i would like to post something written by his wife Mayfanwy an impressive and remarkable woman and it is good to hear her voice.

STATEMENT

[Myfanwy was asked by a Tamil of Sri Lanka to write something for the first Tamil language newspaper in the UK]

I am in my ninety second year, so I have seen several generations pass since I was born. I grew up in several countries and different cultures, all of which gave me something that I remember with gratitude. A strength in my heart against the blows of life. In later years I have met other peoples from the mountains of Tibet to the jungles of New Guinea, and what has always rejoiced me is the similar character of all common humanity. Kindness, hospitality, family life, generosity with what they have; and their pursuit of the sacred in whatever shape it has been shown to them. This is the ‘highest common factor’ that unites us all.

Time passes and things change. Man has discovered that the resources of the earth are finite and that we can use them up and destroy the animals. Global Warming accentuates the violent face nature can show us when disturbed.

Since my youth man has created the atom bomb and gone to the moon; played with dangerous powers of destruction, inherently irreversible.  

Most striking is all the various new forms of communicating that have drawn the whole world together. We have learnt the pleasures and sorrows of others far away. History has revealed many wrongs and injustices that have been wrought over time between nations, that cry out for redress. This has polarized us. On the one hand, there are those who listen and try to heal the wounds. On the other, there are those who demand vengeance for their wrongs.

People move from continent to continent, and now we have multi-cultural societies thrown together, and what will be the result? In some quarters there is a growing lack of respect, and without respect nothing flourishes. Respect for parents, respect for the opposite sex, respect for the innocent souls of our children. There is growing disrespect for the people in society who are doing their best to look after us, sometimes inadequately. 

Do we want a mishmash society, without beliefs, without roots, whose only commonality is the pursuit of money? Like a stew I once made in my ignorance, that tasted of absolutely nothing.. Or a dish where herbs and spices, each distinct and separate, mixed with a loving hand that will all blend together to make something greater than the sum of its parts?

Mrs. Myfanwy Moran

London, UK.

2 Dec 13

Some good news trickling in on the funding side, which helps us face the new year! but nothing that can be announced publicly yet!

The fundraising efforts this term have brought in over a £1000 and more to come!

Most sessions finish next week: so we look forward to lots of mince pies, sparkly props and fun!

Main Company Christmas Party 12pm - 3pm at St Peter's Hall, Newlyn, on Friday 13th December.

Moving Words, first workshop!

Here we are about to launch our first Moving Words workshop !!!

It is an exciting and truly unknown voyage we are about to go on:
a real exploration and sharing of worlds....
I know i will be surprised and excited, as i am when faced with peoples creativity,

so off we go,

thankfully in the hands of experienced facilitators and writers with talented artists,
and the skills of BSL interpreter Debbie Harvey to help us through! 
and Barbara Santi coming along to help participants give yet another creative and visual face to it all with film in each groups final weeks.

This Thursday Moving Words 10am -12pm
at Falmouth Art Gallery, Falmouth
free workshop for children educated outside school!

The New Year sees workshops within Nancalverne School and Shallal main company as well as with children who are deaf or hearing impaired.

Metaphor in Creative Sign Language Project
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/research/sites/micsl/
found this while searching for BSL poetry!

Costume at the Acorn

We had to use another venue this week and found ourselves happily back at our other old home The Acorn. With quite a few of us away we still had a good time, Daniela led a warm up, we did some "wintry" improvisations and after lunch we had fun making costumes.
Faced with a shortened art session and not wanting to make a mess, and inspired by Zoe's love of fashion, i revisited the old favourite - in our family - of newsprint, bin liners and masking tape!
..some of the results are below created in less than 40 mins!

Toby dressed by Daniela and Sam

making a hat for Sam

Zoe, Demelza and Zo dressed Katie

Skye dressed by Arron

Toby, Katie, Anis dressed by Anna and Jewel dressed by Tallula

 Andrew Lanyon exhibition has started at Falmouth Art Gallery and Eddie Callis ( Shallal 2) and dad Tony Minnion are in Open Studios this weekend at Krowji.

Tina's new website!

Tina Cockett,
is one of the best dance movement psychotherapists I have met. She regularly supports us in the main company. Tina has really helped members of the company by warming up with them and through her skill and experience extending their movement range and confidence. She also performed with Skye and Tina through 2iis, they made a good trio.
Tina ran a training session for Shallal facilitators and associate artists which we all enjoyed and learnt a lot from, I highly recommend her.

You can find out more on her new website:
http://www.movingwithbodyandsoul.co.uk

I found these rehearsal photos by Zoe while tidying up this morning.

Skye leaving the frame, Tina C and Tina B

and others: Karen joined in....

Joseph and Karen (visiting)

Zo, Kerry, Star and Jo

Thank you from the Small Picture Show

Big thank you to everyone: artistic contributors, helpers, musicians, bakers, ticket sellers

and audience, buyers and anonymous doners and all those who donated fabulous prizes for the raffle, and to Terry and Diana who helped get the raffle in motion.

A cheery set up team, Colin just popped home, so not in photo..new trustee Sue with tea pot...
Jo L, The Mackay clan: Jewel, Jem, Skye and trustee Anne, Anna, Sue and Toby.

A good crowd through the afternoon of old and new friends and supporters,
 over 21 works of art sold for approx £400!
and a £500 anonymous donation-- thank you to everyone involved.
Kerry was able to be with us, she has had 3 weeks in pain however thanks to Dominique's physio
 ( http://www.chpz.co.uk/) she is able to move around now

Skye's debut for Shallal already known as strong performer, she is a really good singer songwriter and I would like some of the dancers to create work to her newest song!

Thank you to Jem for open mic set up and to all performers and compare! I could write a lot about it, we should do it again, as again a wide range of people involved the youngest was Dylan on ukulele - thank you to them all.

It was a good event "a lovely day..... - one of my best Saturdays for ages."

Despite being in Newlyn, where it's hard to find parking, we had a lot of visitors - retrospectively i should have counted but I was too busy with nice chats and selling pictures. A wide range of work sold which was also satisfying from: main co members, 9yr old, to a painting brought in late and sold within 15 mins!

We will look at the format but would like to do it again and are looking at ways to keep the art side visible. Recently the art/production afternoons have increased in numbers so that is exciting to see the work grow. Joseph had an order to paint another cow on red background.

Also to survive and to keep the momentum of what is successful: a sponsored dance followed by AGM in the winter and a picture show in the summer, seem viable and importantly creative, accessible and fun.

Today I am off to meet lovely Lou Brett to see what we can brew with bids for the Shallal Studio artists and friends.