Rasaboxes: Completed

I can't believe that I've already completed one of my graduate courses...  The week has absolutely flown by, and I'm exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time.

Intensive movement class for an entire day (literally) will really take it out of you, I guess.  At the beginning of the week, I was definitely worried about how much I would be able to do and how in-depth I would be able to get in the class, and I'm fairly pleased with how I progressed and "clicked" into the theories and practices that we were experimenting with throughout the week.  It was really difficult for me to let go of my insecurities and loose myself in the work, but I feel like yesterday and today I made improvements.

Yesterday's class, we took a "Rasawalk" and experienced the campus through the eyes of different Rasas.  I saw a family of Quails and quail babies (they're so adorable--  the male has a bobble thing on the top of his head, and it was really fun to watch him run in and out of the bushes guarding his babies), and we walked through this absolutely GORGEOUS Japanese Zen garden that they have on campus.  I will have to post pictures later--  it was so tranquil and beautiful, and the sun was shining so brightly it just FELT GREAT.

Today was like a Rasabox experiment "crash course".  We did a TON of different activities in short bursts and I'm really looking forward to implementing some of them in the classroom.  The great thing about Rasaboxes is that you are taking all of the "thinking" out of acting and having a physiological response in the rasa (emotion) or combination of rasas.  We did an activity today where we were vocally (using different sound resonators in the body) and physically interacting with a partner, allowing their breath and sound to move your body through the space in different ways.  I was working with Keith, who is one of the acting professors here, and it was the first time I really felt good about being able to really get into the activity, and instead of being so worried about whether or not I was doing it right, I was really able to enjoy myself, have fun, and play in the boxes.  It was a little intimidating at first (working with one of the professors) but I think in the end it went really well.

Tomorrow, I start Intro to Grad Studies bright and early.  I have to write a 10-page MLA formatted research paper in three days, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared about the course.  I'm just feeling very ill-prepared right now, and I'm not quite sure how to get through the fear, re-discover what it's like to be a student again, and buckle down to settle on a thesis, do a ton of research, and write a perfectly formatted paper in such a short amount of time.

In fact, I'm going to stop waxing philosophical about my experiences thus far and my fears for tomorrow, and go read something that may (or may not?) be useful.