Spring, Rasaboxes & Haka.

…and we’re back. Spring Term 2019!

The sun is up when I get out of bed at 6.30, the flowers are starting to bloom, and the beautiful Japanese Tulip tree in the garden at Bristol Old Vic has been restored to its leafy glory.

It’s Friday of Week 2, and our class has been in somewhat of a holding period since we returned to school last Monday. Lots of bits and pieces of work, but it certainly feels like the calm before the storm. In ten days time we begin rehearsing our final production of ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle‘ by Bertolt Brecht. The show will be our (almost) sole focus for six weeks, until the seven show public season at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatre from June 25-June 29th. To be perfectly honest, everyone just wants to get started on the thing now!

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However, it hasn’t been complete thumb-twiddling over the last two weeks- never a dull (or relaxed) moment at BOVTS. On Wednesday we explored ‘Rasaboxes’, a system of movement and physicality invented by Richard Schechner in the 1980’s and 90’s.

“Rasaboxes offers performers a concrete physical tool to access, express, and manage their feelings/emotions within the context of performance”.

Rasaboxes originates from the Natyasastra – a Sanskrit text- that explores how eight key emotional states can be used in relation to theatre, dance and music. Blending ancient theory with contemporary emotional understanding, the goal of the methodology is for an actor be able to blend the body, mind and emotions into a single system for performance. The Sanskrit word Rasa, meaning “juice, taste flavour or essence” inhabits the work, suggesting at the ideology of visceral states of energy or emotion that we can feel (both in and out of performance contexts)- salty, blue, heavy, sweet etc.

The eight rasas are:

Adbhuta (suprise, wonder, awe)
Sringara (love, eros)
Bhayanaka (fear, shame)
Bibhatsa (disgust, revolt)
Hasya (laughter, the comic)
Karuna (sadness, compassion)
Raudra (rage, anger)
Vira (courage, the heroic, strength)

There is a ninth rasa, called Santa.
Santa is seen as the perfect balance of the other eight states – peace or bliss-.

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In giving examples of the different rasa states, our movement teacher Michelle (without my prior knowledge) brought up haka as an example of Vira (courage, strength, the warrior). It was fascinating to have haka used as an example within an actor training context, completely removed from the environments in which the haka is most often used or experienced. All of Michelle’s points linking haka and Vira made complete sense. Vira is all about accessing the raw emotional surge that makes you feel powerful beyond your physical human form- feeling the surge of adrenaline that gives you a jab of other-worldly, animalistic, courage. Performing the haka gives you that in a unique way.

With only limited time available, Michelle quickly taught the rest of the class a somewhat simplified/dance-ified version of Ka Mate, which was then performed to a recorded version of the haka. The rest of the class were enthusiastic about the emotional uplift they experienced, however I didn’t think that a recorded version of Ka Mate quite does the haka justice. So I offered to lead a proper, live version of Ka Mate while my classmates did the version they had been taught.

This was a very profound experience for me.

To share an aspect of New Zealand culture with my friends and theatrical colleagues, showing a side of my national pride and upbringing that might otherwise never be seen, was incredible. Judging from the reactions of my classmates, it was quite a special experience for them too.

The spirit of the Vira Rasabox emotional state was certainly achieved.
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In a bigger, non-theatrical sense, my experience of doing a haka for my class was quite moving, especially having been away from New Zealand for so long. It has now been 14 months since I left! Sometimes I feel quite removed from the current events and general social happenings going on back home, so it was nice to have a moment of connection with something so specific to New Zealand culture. I was transported back to secondary school haka competitions, playing rugby and watching the AB’s on TV with Dad.

For those two minutes the Kiwi flowed through me in its purest form.

And I was so PROUD to be a New Zealander.

JCL. xx