FAMILY AND BEREAVEMENT – DRAMA

TASK 3

Creativity is often described in other ways and linked to our sense of happiness. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discovered that human beings find a state of ‘flow’ when they use their creative abilities, they get so absorbed in the activity that they do not think about anything else. Billy describes this as ‘electricity’. Take a look at the song below where Billy tells us about the feeling he gets when he dances: “Just one more thing. Can I just ask you, Billy, what does it feel like when you’re dancing?” I CAN’T REALLY EXPLAIN IT, I HAVEN’T GOT THE WORDS IT’S A FEELING THAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL I SUPPOSE IT’S LIKE FORGETTING, LOSING WHO YOU ARE AND AT THE SAME TIME SOMETHING MAKES YOU WHOLE IT’S LIKE THAT THERE’S A MUSIC PLAYING IN YOUR EAR AND I’M LIST’NING, AND I’M LIST’NING AND THEN I DISAPPEAR AND THEN I FEEL A CHANGE LIKE A FIRE DEEP INSIDE SOMETHING BURSTING ME WIDE OPEN, IMPOSSIBLE TO HIDE AND SUDDENLY I’M FLYING, FLYING LIKE A BIRD LIKE ELECTRICITY, ELECTRICITY SPARKS INSIDE OF ME AND I’M FREE, I’M FREE Ask learners to use the song as a springboard to create a series of images in freeze frame from the words that are HIGHLIGHTED. From the five images, start to add words, allow the images to spark new scenes, where does the improvisation go? The images can form a five scene structure to create a new story that is more personal to the learners. Ask learners what activities make them feel this way? Do they have a hobby or ambition that they can share? Ask permission to use this to help develop each of the five images. This can be a non-verbal exercise through imagery and can also be sketched or designed as an animation.

REFLECTION

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN A CREATIVE ROLE?

How do you think the theatre creatives got their roles? What kind of questions would you need to ask in an interview to know if someone has the right skills and attitude for a role in the creative industries? Following on from this, ask learners to discuss what makes for a good interview; this may be prompted with ideas such as insightful questions, approachable conversational delivery, relaxed environment. Once learners have discussed both points, ask the group to write their own interview questions they would choose to ask the cast and creative team of Billy Elliot The Musical. Ask learners what activities make them feel like Billy does when he dances? Do they have a hobby or ambition that they can share?

FOLLOW UP

Ask the group to reflect on the question “How is individuality important to your work?” Ask learners to identify ideas of their future career aspiration, and then to think about why individuality may be important to that job role. This can stem further discussion or set as an independent writing task.

PROTEST AND ACTIVISM –DANCE AND MOVEMENT

CONTEXT

Mining was a significant part of industrialisation across the United Kingdom. A miners job role was to travel underground down lift shafts and excavate tunnels to find coal. Coal is a fossil fuel that is burned to make heat and subsequently power. Due to the increase in power needed in the United Kingdom, coal was in high demand. Within towns where there were mining pits, minors were required to work shifts round the clock to not only supply coal, but also to ensure the dangerous and volatile working environments remained safe. Mining is a dangerous job with high injury and mortality rates. The National Union of Mineworkers were a representative body for the minors, and much like rail unions today, would call strike action to help protest unfair treatment or inequality. In the story of Billy Elliot The Musical, Billy’s father and brother are both striking miners. The Miners’ strikes in the 80’s took place as a protest towards the government’s planned closures and privatisation of coal mines across the country. The strikes Billy’s family are part of began in March 1984, when the National Coal Board announced that the Cortonwood Colliery in Yorkshire would be closed, causing the 850 miners there to lose their jobs. Only days later, the National Coal Board announced plans to close 20 coal mines, with a loss of 20,000 jobs.

ACTIVITIES

THROUGH THESE DANCE TASKS, YOU WILL:

Use visual images to inspire actions related to the idea of a protest. Choreograph as a small group to use protest actions in unison, canon and contrast. Explore a variety of group choreographic relationships responding to picket lines and mining underground. Structure movement phrases which communicate visual interest, varied use of space and a clear intention to the dance idea. Music suggestion: Shortwave by Shackleton.

TASK 1 PROTEST

PREPARATION FOR INSPIRATION:

Look at photographs of crowds protesting. These can be of the miner’s strike and in relation to any protests or marches young people are aware of today. Discuss the body shapes and actions you see in the photograph. The physicality of the protesters and what this evokes emotionally. Do facial expressions support this? Each dancer creates 3 protest actions. These need to be direct and staccato. They should last 1 count each. Think about each one being at a different level, or in a different direction to provide interest. Action 1 is taught by the leader and should be in unison – suggestion strong punch into the air, stance is solid, legs stamp one foot out as punch into the air. Decide on the order of your 3 actions and perform together – 1 (punch up), 2, 3, 4. Come together in a close group (The size of the group can vary. It could be anything from 4 people to a whole class/group). Perform your phrases at the same time as each other. Count 1 will always bring you into the unified action. Repeat this a number of times and create variety by using pauses, canon and unison in each person’s phrase. This does not always have to be at the same time as each other. Suggestions: • Unison – all moving on all four counts. • Canon – all perform one of their actions following on from each other. • Hold & Action – stop and start dancers at different times, or each person decide on their own timing.

For example Action 1, hold, hold, hold, Action 2, Action 3, hold, Action 4 (The dance leader can direct this, or dancers can explore and set it themselves in groups, providing different levels of challenge for learners). Decide how long this goes on, how many times you repeat. Could you change formation or your spacing in the group? All of these will add choreographic interest and challenge and can be tailored to your group’s experience.

TASK 2 BARRIERS

In small groups find as many ways as you can to create a barrier responding to the idea of ‘a picket line’. You can be in contact with other dancers while you do this. It should be static and tense to avoid anyone moving through your barrier. It can be at any level. How many varieties of barrier can you make as a group? If you have more than one, you could devise transitions to get from one barrier to the next. (Adding on each of these steps to this task, provides new levels of challenge).

In small groups or as a class group choreograph 6-8 actions responding to miners work actions. Here is some information to inspire ideas: • Miners had to be low to the ground, they worked in tunnels. (crawling, sliding, pulling yourself along, crouching) • It was hot. • Lifting, carrying and passing along the coal. • Stacking blocks. • Shovelling, extracting coal rocks from walls. • Pushing machinery. • It was dark. • The work was demanding and needed a lot of physical strength. (For further challenge more experienced dancers could look at a professional dance work like Coal by Gary Clarke (2016), where you can see some actions and phrases taking inspiration from working in a coal mine). Here is an example of a short phrase we created in response to this task. Now structure the sections together. This can be led with the whole group or solved as a creative task by the dancers. (These provide differing levels of challenge and problem-solving to learners.)

Here are some ideas you could consider: • Half the group could be barriers and the other half miners.

Can you explore the going under, over or through the barriers with the mining phrases? • Do you have some of the group in the barrier/picket line and others protesting on one side of it?

What does this lead on to? • You can build in new group transitions to create a collage of all the ideas – this might form a narrative, or it could be a collection of responses related to the theme of protest, barriers and miners.

FOLLOW UP

• You could also translate this idea to Billy’s story.

The ‘picket line’ becomes his barrier to freedom to be who he wants to be – the dilemma between boxing and dancing. • Construct phrases in the same way as we did in the Identity Tasks. • Behind the barrier is one part of his life where he conforms ‘boxing.’ (Can you make this feel restricted and trapped? Is there anger as we see in the story?) • On the other side of the barrier – escapism and freedom. What actions and dynamics reflect this – turns, elevation, open movements, expansive pathways. Can you make the boxing material more fluid and free? Or, what is your freedom?

When do you feel free? Create a phrase that exhibits this.

PROTEST AND ACTIVISM – DRAMA

CONTEXT

During a large proportion of the 20th century, coal power was the primary power of the nation. Coal is one of three primary forms of fossil fuel, alongside natural gas and oil. Coal is a non-renewable energy resource, which means once it is used it cannot be replaced and there are only limited amounts of it. Coal, along with other fossil fuels are also highly debated as they emit harmful gases into the atmosphere that contribute to climate change. The whole of Easington as a community felt connected to the colliery. When the coal mine was established, Easington grew from a small village to a town as miners and their families moved to the area to fill the workforce demand. As the new community developed so did the town – new shops, pubs, clubs, and many rows of terraced ‘colliery houses’ for the mineworkers and their families. The colliery was at the centre of daily life and as such when it closed on 7th May 1993 the impact was unprecedented and felt in every aspect of life in Easington. Towards the end of the 1950s there was competition from cheap oil imports, and in 1957 the coal industry began to decline. At the start of the 1984 strikes there were 174 working pits. By 1994 there were only 15 working pits left, with thousands of people having lost their jobs. In 2022, there are only three Coal Power Stations left which are all due to be decommissioned by 2025.

TASK 1

As a group, discuss and list points of discussion from the starting point “for and against fossil fuels”. It will be useful to categories these into “for” and “against” lists. Separate the group into two groups and ask them to move to opposite sides of the room. Give one side the “for” list and the other side the “against” list. Each list becomes the relevant sides debate points. It may be the case that learners hold differing personal viewpoints to the side they are on, however encourage the learners to approach the activity as an actor and debate based on the role they have been given. Set a “picket line” in the middle of the room separating the two sides. One side are to take on the defensive role – resembling the police trying to hold the peace, while the other take on the protesting side – resembling the minors protesting while on strike. Both the “for” and “against” groups will get a chance to play both the protest and defence roles, so either group can start in either role. The protesting side take their turn first, to debate their points from the list, the defending side can defend and answer to the protesters, however, cannot put forward their own sides debate points. Once the protesters have concluded their debate points, the defensive side becomes the protesters, and they protest their own list of debate points. This shall allow both groups a turn in the role of a protester and defender, not matter their “for” or “against” stance. This activity encourages learners in the role of protesters to construct a well-articulated discussion points, while also encouraging the defence side to answer and defend using critical thinking and problem solving skills. Repeat the activity as above, this time using the starting point of “for and against industrialisation of towns”.

REFLECTION

Using prompt questions, get the group to feedback what they learnt from the workshop. Some ideas of questions you could ask include; • What communication methods did you use as the defence side / protest side? • Where you able to articulate your defence without bias to your groups “for” or “against” stance? • Did the “picket line” have an impact on this activity (i.e. literal separation, a non-literal barrier between sides). • Where you able to articulate your protest points effectively? • What other issues could you debate using this format?

FOLLOW UP

As a group, discuss what other for and against debates could be discussed in this manor; could this activity relate to other subjects or current political and global events?