This Saturday we welcomed our family group back into the studio for the 2nd in our series of family workshops and we had loads of fun!

Laura was assisting me with the workshops this weekend and we were also joined in the studio by Nicola Flower. We began by leading the families through a dynamic warm-up which got them moving around the space and working with others in the room. We then revisited The Princess Alice narrative and I was really impressed that two of the youngest people in the room (5 and 7 years old) were able to articulate the narrative brilliantly with specific details.

This week we worked on some beautiful character work. The participants were encouraged to think about how it might feel to be on an exciting boat trip and create a series of gestures. Using their own personal gestures they then worked in pairs or small groups to create a movement conversation. Their creations were all so beautiful and each group had developed their own narrative which they expressed through their movement conversation. Laura and I were blown away! Every person in the room contributed their own unique ideas, demonstrating the power of working with an intergenerational group.

As well as creating movement, the family group also had the opportunity to work with Nicola this Saturday. We rotated the groups so that some were dancing whilst others were crafting! Nicola has been working on a piece in response to The Princess Alice narrative. The work takes the form of a large umbrella which is embellished and appliquéd to reflect different elements of the story. Nicola had drawing and sewing activities prepared for the participants, which she will then include in the final work.

It was a wonderful afternoon and we are really excited to continue working with the family group next weekend!

The last part of the research and development project is a two week intensive with young volunteers at the National Maritime museum, culminating with a performance at the museum. The space we are performing is amazing, but the acoustics mean that the spoken sections of the piece will not be heard. Our solution is to record the speech and include it on the sound score. Sunday morning, we all met at Hannah’s house where Dan had set up a mini recording studio for us. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, courtesy of the wonderful Hannah, and then got down to work. We really appreciated being able to use Dan’s great equipment and got some really great recordings to send across to Portia the composer.

What a great weekend! Roll on the next family workshop!