Читать книгу The Art of Foreign Language Teaching - Peter Lutzker - Страница 61

The warm-up phase lasting between 30 to 60 minutes is the necessary prelude to the games and improvisations that follow. It is inconceivable to imagine how one could enter into the activities that follow without being ‘warmed-up’ in the different senses of that term. However, these exercises clearly have a purpose and value which go past their functional and sequential role in each session. As is evident from the feedback of the participants, a range of feelings is awakened.

There is undoubtedly a strong physical/physiological component to this preliminary work as many of these exercises involve movement. Yet, although this making the body more flexible and responsive is an important aspect of this phase, what happens to the participants and within the group goes well beyond this. It is in the awakening or establishing of inner connections between one’s ‘self’ and one’s physical being that the most substantial links occur and, paradoxically, this highly internal and personal process is also dependent on what is happening within the group. In an atmosphere of play and trust, the gesture of reaching out and connecting to others, a basic and primal emotional need, is being encouraged and facilitated. As will become evident, this process is intimately tied to the art of clowning itself, but, at this point, the emphasis is not on art but on creating a sense of freedom and authenticity:

The physical warm-ups are to do with connecting to your inner life and not necessarily with how you are going to give expression to that. At this stage the concern is not with the artistic process. It is an inner journey with feelings and thoughts coming up. (…) This sensitivity to your inner life is important. I have previously mentioned authenticity. Authenticity is not a technique. It comes from connecting to your inner life which at first has nothing to do with expressing yourself. Then, you are invited to become aware of these feelings and thoughts and to give expression to them. That leads you on to the next stage. (Interview 2)