Brooklyn is Moving to West Side Story Project

Five Notes

It doesn't get any better than this...  yet, I know it will.  But this was really great!

After a robust movement exercise where the participants created characters and relationships in response to the music of the Prologue from West Side Story, I lifted a five note phrase out of musical score, to become the centerpiece of our final sharing at the end of the evening.

We sang this phrase over and over again as a group.  The 5th note in particular of the melodic phrase above, the group decided, set the stage for an unexpected event, a surprise happening, a mystery full of crazy suspense, and yes, tragic endings.  The note, they claimed, was whack!  It tore a deep hole that nobody saw coming.  It was totally ill.  The entire phrase and its shocking 5th note, were then hummed out loud by the entire group as an ending line, a coda if you will, to each and every story about real life events the group individually went on to share.  Stories about their personal experiences with regards to their memories of conflicts between themselves and the police.  As difficult as some of the stories were to share out in the open, the ability to then process each event was made possible by the brilliant 5 note phrase from Mr. Bernstein.  The music transported everyone, instantly, crystalizing the enormous impact made by a simple decision, attitude, gesture, expression, tone, appearance, etc., in each story told.  Just like the 5 notes above.  The first 4 notes then became a way back through each story, to look at the origin of the circumstances and debate over a replay of how things went down.  Brilliant evening.
Tommy Demenkoff
Artistic Director

PossibleArts

Reflections on another solid session.

West Side Story Project Session pens a The Jet Song: REDUX

if you are down for something

(When you're a Jet,)

you've got to rep it to the fullest

(you're a Jet all the way.)

from the bottom to the top

(From your first cigarette,)

from your birth to your box

(to you last dying day...)

Leonard Bernstein's Music Informs Characters in Valuable Role Play

From Inside The West Side Story Project:  Those instantly recognizable melodic phrases that inform a great many of the moments for characters in West Side Story have proved to be a most valuable point of reference for all participants.  In sessions for the West Side Story Project, Police Officers and Young Adults, are learning about this through a movement  based exercise, building characters from their own daily life, who mirror the characters from West Side Story.  Using the opening prologue as a traditional warmup in the background, this team building exercise has been allowing everyone to observe and discuss: gestures, body language, intentions, misunderstandings, attitudes, fear, hatred, cool and uncool...  This gem of the project, employing improvisation, choreography, and authentic movement, fully engages participants in the importance of music as a key element within West Side Story, and how to use these vibrant splashes of rhythm and melody to arrive at the heart of a character when making choices and decisions from moment to moment.  Tom Demenkoff - PossibleArts