Saturday 8.August 2015: 8th Children Class

For a long time we had no children class, but children from the surroundings have visited us a lot, some wished to see the paintings in the museum again and again, some came to sit for a while on the verandah having a look at the pictures in Alexander‘s art books … 

As always I've prepared music for the dance part with some ideas what we‘ll do. This time I‘ve chosen a south american music piece. The kids should first contemplatively listen to it to imagine which instrument they would like to dance. Very dominant were singers, rhythme guitar and a solo guitar. 

I really was surprised how deeply they concentrated sitting with closed eyes … 

Then I formed 3 groups, one will act as singers, another one as rhythme guitar, another as solo guitar. 

Of course, for them it was very unusual. That‘s why I joined each group for a while to show how the interpretation could look … 

We should forget any dance style, we should become the visible sound of an instrument …

Also we have to listen when exactly the instrument is playing… 

Again and again I had to explain …

We have to forget ourselves, just to become a sound, visible through our body and movements … 

And even we shouldn‘t controle the movements, but we should allow to the music of the instruments to move us … 

The easiest it was for the singers group. But they only should act as singers, when the voices were heard in the music. 

Slowly, slowly they understand and dare to express freely …

And while joining a group I have to give the signal to another group for their entry …

It is not easy being an orchestra, each one has to play an instrument and same time playing together as a group …

But with the time the idea being a dancing orchestra becomes visible …

After this loud and funny part follows the silent part … 

Everybody finds a place in the shadow of the garden in front of the Sylviander House, sitting with pencil and paper to draw what they see … 

For some it will be the banana plants, for those sitting along the pondside it will be the hibiscus bushes and ferns … 

Alexander walks from group to group to advise how to look at the plants and to draw what is to see …

For the group in front of the kitchen door, their view is the papaya plants, some with flowers, some with fruits … 

Always seriously concentrated our grand nephew Joyal who loves to draw and paint since at very early age … 

One boy of around 12 years makes a remarkable drawing from the banana plant. Alexander lets him know that he really has a talent and should keep on drawing.

Everybody tries to catch what they see, which is something new for them. Mostly they copy from magacines, mostly comics …

Finally everybody takes an impression back to home … 

When all kids have left, I saw many papers thrown into the pond, which told me clearly, what will be the theme for the next children class …