Something to scream and shout about by Charlotte Arnold (2nd Year)

Today in Choreography we were studying voice; something that I know fills a lot of dancers with fear.

I’m not sure why.  We speak and laugh and sing everyday using it as a means of connecting with everyone around us. Nevertheless I know that I too get a little bit nervous making noise while dancing. We’re so used to being watched and judged in a visual sense, not in auditory one.

Using authentic movement practice- eyes closed, one witness, using sound to instigate movement I feel like we started to tackle our hesitation to make sound.

Although tentative to begin with, 2nd Year gradually shed its inhibitions and became a screaming jungle of noise. Afterwards we did three minutes of automatic writing, and I feel like my response to the task is the best way to explain my experience:

I felt like I was schizophrenic. I was putting on loads of costumes, feelings, personalities and disguises. Just going along…