We're going to begin the Movement Composition unit in drama now. Ms. Weil told us that our final performance for this unit will be a...movement composition. Yes. We're choreographing movements, or pantomimes, to a song in order to tell a story. We don't know the specifics, but then again, we just started the unit yesterday. More information to come later.

Yesterday, we talked developed our own silent scenes of a sport and try to help the audience guess which sport we were portraying. My group decided upon ping pong and we discussed certain things that were important to keep in mind while we performed: facial expressions and large, exaggerated movements. The performance went well and we all had a lot of fun with the choreography of it. The class as a whole also talked about things that are important to keep in mind while performing a pantomimed segment.

Today, we sat down and learned a lot more about pantomime. We learned what it was and how it is one of the first things that theater students must learn in order to progress quickly. Pantomime is when an actor on stage uses only gestures and their body to tell a story. It is a silent performance, but distinct stories can be told throughout the movement.
Another thing we discussed were two activities that are required for any serious drama student: fencing and dancing. They help in many different ways. The physical aspect: provides cardiovascular activity and improves physical fitness level, which is crucial for stage actors. They also aid in concentration and focus.

The last thing we did in class today was pantomime telephone. The game is so much fun to play and really funny to watch. The first person in a line makes up a simple movement composition and it gets passed down the line as best as it can until it reaches the last person in the line, who then performs the passed down composition to the first person. It was quite fun and we're continuing the game tomorrow as well as more notes maybe?

I can't wait until we do more with movement composition. :]