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From:  Naomi Gurt Lind <omigurt@m...>
Naomi Gurt Lind <omigurt@m...>
Date:  Mon Aug 20, 2001  2:31 pm
Subject:  Re: group vocal warmup - LONG


Michael wrote:

> Right... - So, can any of you suggest some very simple and specific
> warmup things I could do with such a group? I guess the other thing to
> consider is, this warmup in its present form is meant to also
> accommodate my own warmup needs, which perhaps makes things a bit
> tricky. It could be argued that I need to warmup up separately, but
> this rather presents logistical problems...

One thing we did at the Wesley Balk Institute this season was a humming
massage, taught to us by our movement coach, Marilyn Habermas-Scher. The
benefits: it explicitly unites the physical and the vocal, and it creates a
feeling of ensemble and community.

Here's the basic gist:

Pair up. One member of the pair begins as the giver, the other as the
receiver. They switch halfway through. The whole thing is done standing.
The giver gently massages the receiver's scalp, neck, shoulders, and then
works down the spine as the receiver gradually folds over like a rag doll.
The receiver remains ragdolly while the giver rubs the receiver's feet and
legs and taps gently all over his/her back. Standing behind the receiver,
the giver holds the receiver around the waist and gently swings the
receiver, elephant style. They return to stillness. The giver gradually
rolls the receiver's spine back up into a standing position. Any other
creative and consensual massage is possible. ALL this is done while BOTH
people hum: any notes or just random sighs and sirens, whatever the
individual voice and body needs in the moment. The whole room is humming
and either massaging or being massaged.

If you try it, please let me know how your group responds.

Good luck!

Naomi Gurt Lind



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