It began with an idea. A show with buoyancy, as if in a hot air balloon. A show to lift spirits as we continue onward, and now upward, through the pandemic. The invitation? Create an original character that then is constructed into a puppet. The sky is the limit---if there is one!
We focus on our own breath which then initiates movement. We explore shapes and lines with our bodies and then on paper with crayons, markers, and paint sticks. We experiment with different styles of puppets---paper bag, sock, and stick. We return home to our own breath over and over.
Melody presents one of her stick puppets.
Making a Stick Puppet with Ross
Visiting Artist Ross Smart teaches a stick puppet building workshop made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Watch the video below to learn how to build your own stick puppet.
A Jaguar Collage by Elijah.
We explore Power Animals---is there an animal that speaks to you? What are the qualities of that animal? Powerful, majestic, beautiful, graceful, loud, quiet, and fearless.
Is there a special relationship between the puppet and the human? What is the story that wants to be told? Who are the characters that are revealing themselves? Imagine that…we are sculptors, we are artists, we are dancers, we are storytellers, we are performers.
In class Katharine shares her journal writing about a character she is developing, “The Famous Singer.” What joy!
Our April show, Daydreaming is taking shape. This show will be a culmination of a semester-long exploration of character-creation, puppet-play, story-invention, worlds-discovered, and poetry-crafting. A lightness of spirit will be our guide as we lift off reveling in a hot air balloon escapade.