The Lecoq school

L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a physical theatre school. Its two year course emphasises the body, movement and space as an entry point in theatrical performance.

The grande salle where half or our classes take place

Why the Lecoq school?

I first came across the Lecoq pedagogy during a workshop in the Bytom dance festival (Poland) and I was struck by the simplicity of the work. Yet it is the simplest, purest of actions that can be the hardest to do.

For example, one of the exercises we did was, "I turn, I see the ocean." Theoretically simple, but I kept seeing the ocean in my mind beforehand, instead of turning and seeing the ocean.

Then, in my final semester of Swarthmore, I took a physical theatre course with another Lecoq alumni (Quinn Bauriedel) which gave me a more better taste of what the Lecoq curriculum and method was like. Quinn was quite rigorous in giving constructive critcism. From his class, I learnt to put aside my ego and listen objectively as to how to improve my work.

Silesian Dance Theatre: Thoughts that got ruffled much. Choreography: Jacek Luminski

However, the decision to study at the Lecoq school didn't occur to me until my second summer in the Bytom dance festival. During the festival, I saw a dance piece choreographed by Jacek Luminski. What struck me that evening was how the dance transformed from image to image, from metaphor to metaphor. And I thought: this is how I think. I need to do more of this. And so, in the cogs of my brain this sequence unfolded:

1. I want/need to integrate movement into my life. This is what I want to spend my life doing, and not just on the sideline.
2. Hmm. I need more training, both for myself artistically, but it will also be useful professionally (teaching, getting grants, etc).
3. Where to get training that would suited for me... hmm Lecoq?

In this sense Lecoq is a logical/intuitive outcome of a decision to commit myself to making movement. (As to what form my creations will take I am still not sure).

Friday autocours presentations

Surprises

Despite a semester of Lecoq with Quinn Bauriedel two things surprised me when I came:

• The variety of experiences in our student body.
  I had known it was an international school, but it was like United World College again. There were people from South Africa to Columbia to Japan. There was also a huge range of professional background, ranging from people who have their own companies to fresh graduates. And then there was this huge range from people’s personal experiences: fathers, mothers, grandmothers... yes, we have someone who is over fifty in our year.

• The collaborative atmosphere in the student body
  One of the things the school emphasizes is collaborative creation. Every week we are given an assignment where we are given a theme, and have to work on apiece in small groups to present on Friday. This self-directed structure (or "autocours") can be frustrating at times, but pushes us to engage creatively with our classmates and really get to know them.

Links and recommended reading

• The official website of L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq
• The Moving Body (Le Corps Poetique) is a book written by Jacques Lecoq on the pedagogy of the school.