Divine Ridiculous Berlin: Performance Rite

The culmination of a 5 day intensive in Berlin for 22 people exploring Clown, Mask, Theatre, Ritual, Mythology, Taro, Movement and Clay... This art happening is an environment where the boundary between performer and audience is non-existent, therefore you are encouraged to feel inspired to participate your own performative interventions within the field, understanding that you should be sensitive to others who are also moving the energy in the room. The space will contain any combination of the following modalities: Art Installations, Shrines and Altars, Butoh, Dance, Masked Performance, Monolog, Clowning, Poem, Live painting, Clay Performance, Film and Photographic work, Interactive Performance, Musical and Sound installations, Mistakes. You are asked to wear a costume or adornments inspired by the Tarot, or to alter your appearance to look in some way beyond your usual self. The doors open at 8pm. PROPOSAL Workshop | Rite | Presentation At the time of the Spring Equinox, in the city of Berlin, we will gather a group of 22 explorers for a five day workshop culminating in the presentation of a theatrical mystery play, loosely based on the 22 Major Arcana of the Marseille Tarot, as re-imagined by psychomagic practitioner Alejandro Jodorowsky. The images of this Tarot are just a starting point, and practitioners will be encouraged to create their own journey and find their own mytho-poetic inspirations for the piece. Working with principles adapted from Jodorowsky’s ‘Psychomagic', each participant will craft a ‘Poetic Act’: create a piece of transformational theatre that will be woven into a durational performance piece open to a select audience on the evening of the last day of the workshop. Each person will bring a question from their life into the work, a mystery, riddle or conundrum of their own liking which will relate to their research during the workshop. The focus of the work is physical and embodied, and will draw upon my own research into the worlds of Clown, Mask, Theatre, Butoh, Haitian Vodun, Carnal Alchemy, Ritual, Myth, Bodywork, and a plethora of experiential somatic and movement practices. During our process we will... - build and populate an altar - craft and work with a mask - work with the primal material of clay - work in blindfold - sing, dance, move, stretch and do bodywork - access the world of clowns, tricksters, outcasts, masquerade - draw and write - be seen in front of the group working solo and in ensemble - create, perform and document a durational performance piece with a live audience In addition to this we will make a film with a professional filmographer including 22 one minute solo’s which will be projected at the presentation. All archive footage/photographs will be made available to the participants for their own use. Time will go quickly and the pace will be intense. We will probably be left with many more questions than we began with. The group is quite large, so, talk-time will happen within a clear framework that will favour direct experience of the territory over conversation. This means that it is important for participants to be willing to take responsibility and care for themselves in this experimental space. The work will adapt according to the flow of the work and the needs of the group. The closing ritual piece is not limited only to ‘performance’, and players can incorporate their chosen form of any combination of artistic medium. All practitioners/curious minds are welcome. In this work we can imagine a presentation space into which any combination of artistic act is woven - examples: opera, installation, ensemble, kink, dance, magic, experiment, trance, ordeal, butoh, circus, cabaret/burlesque, monologue, improv, poetry, music, film, painting, performance, experiment, interactive piece, mistake. Upon paying their deposit, participants will receive an image of their tarot card, picked at random - so that they can start their own research, along with supporting reading materials, including a monologue written by Jodorowsky for that card. Registered participants will gain access to a secret Facebook group where they can meet and network, share resources and ideas, and see each other. I will share many resources with the group and give a lot of supporting materials for the work as we build up to the workshop and performance. No experience is necessary. To register, please send a statement of interest of less than 200 words to [email protected] - including ONE photo of yourself, any relevant links, and a QUESTION/mystery of personal resonance and importance from your life, in one sentence/riddle. PRICE: €150 (limited concessions available by application) Drop in €5 (morning session 11-12.30 only) VENUE: https://www.facebook.com/modulartberlin/ about me: My name is Daniel Hernandez. I am an itinerant mischief-maker exploring the ritual roots of performance. The deeper I have dived into teaching, performing, and living in this rich territory, the more I have seen archaic/ shamanic clown and mask cosmologies become fascinating and colourful routes into individuation: containing a vast treasure-box of rituals, dance, liminal states, grotesque archetypes and clown-lore. My performances, projects, ceremonies and workshops draw upon a wide variety of related traditions: These include Clown, Bouffon, Butoh, Contact Improvisation, Tao/Tantra, Tarot, Haitian Vodou, Mask, Psychomagic, Art, Sacred Sexuality and Breathwork. I am continually researching and developing my practice through trainings, readings, writings, ceremonies, experiments, and mistakes. My first love was music. I don’t claim to be a master of anything. https://www.facebook.com/groups/divine.ridiculous/ SCHEDULE: 17-21th April: 11am - 12.30 (Open Session) dynamic movement, somatics, stretching, bodywork, butoh, CI, breathwork and stagecraft 12.30-17.00 Intensive 21st April: 11 - 12.30( Open Session) dynamic movement, somatics, stretching, bodywork, butoh, CI, breathwork and stagecraft Daytime - preperation 8pm Performance (open to public)