Student writings\ Strangers

Last night in rehearsal we mostly wrote. We did a 30-minute improvisation warm-up and I pre-populated it with asking them to think about a time that they were "a stranger in a strange land" or when a stranger "saved" them, or they took a stranger in.  I told them three stories of mine - saved, and taken in. 

In preparation I told them that they didn't have to share anything they didn't want to, and that anything I would use I would check in again to see if it was still okay to use. I told them that the first write - the free write, I would not ask them to share at all.  If they were to share it would be on the edited section.
The free write began with guided meditation, after they were tired from the improvisation they lay down on the floor with eyes closed or soft focus. I asked them to imagine a singular moment in their story and focus on that moment.  To see that moment as if a photograph.  To note all the visuals: colors, shapes, shadows, sources of light.  Then a tactile sense - textures, smooth, soft, rough.. Then an auditory - what were the sounds, background and foreground.  What didn't you hear?  Then smells and aromas. Lastly, to swallow and taste that moment, as a metaphor.  I asked them to start writing with the taste.
They free-wrote uninterrupted for 10 minutes.
Then I asked them to partner up, finding a friend. Someone they felt comfortable sharing with, and that I was also available as a partner if they wanted.
Each partner had about 4 minutes to tell their story, and then the other partner told theirs.
After this exchange, I asked everyone to come up with an edit of their story - it could be a poem, a paragraph of writing, drawing - however they would like.
This took about 15 minutes, maybe 20. I worked with some students, others worked on their own or with a friend.
Then I asked if people felt comfortable giving me their edit, that I would like them so that I could incorporate them into the piece.
Just about everyone gave me their edit, some are still writing.

We then started on some solos.  Working with this text:
Do not neglect to show hospitality to the stranger, for by doing so some people have welcomed angels without knowing it.  - Hebrews 13:2

They took the following words:

neglect

hospitality

stranger

so

angels

knowing

And created a movement expression for each word, and then strung all the movements together. We will continue working on the solos on Monday. I think some of the solos could be text + movement solos that appear in the work.

I am working on scanning the writings, I will get them to you as soon as I get that process done.
I have several ideas of what to do with them - one idea involves a streaming role of projections - some of the handwritten ones seem to so rely on the handwriting, and there are also drawings.  I would also like to possibly record some of them, to create parts of the sound score.  Here are four, just to give you a taste:

I was a stranger, my body and mind the strange land.

She got me, she welcomed me.

But I do remember the faith that this gave us. 

We make homes 
out of each other
I have decided to rest
You have decided to breathe
We have built this home softly
For how long do I live here?
Do we share this space?
We make homes out of
each other.
Only one day to change the locks
and become homeless.