Tic Project- Different Voices

Having a creative approach to my Tourette Syndrome has been important to me so far in my recent diagnosis. Having a creative mind has almost allowed me to see my TS as a project. Using my TS as a stimulus for creativity has given me a more positive outlook on the whole experience, and the down days can be spent dreaming up ideas and plans for new dances, community projects or movies.

Today, with my fellow dancer friends of Far Flung Dance Theatre, we made a dance sequence comprised of some of my most commonly reoccurring tics. We booked a couple of hours in the dance studio and began to explore them together. It was important that I worked with my friends as I wanted to know what they could see when I tic, I could see my involuntary movements being made voluntary right in front of my eyes, in the form of dance.

The choreographic process was familiar to us, we used descriptive words to initiate movement material. We scanned through a list of nearly 70 tics that I had named in my diary, and used them to make one movement each, that then made up a phrase. We then layered on top of the choreography situations and dynamics so that we could move through the sequence in different ways. For example- you are in a busy city and you are in a rush or, you are moving through thick fog.

An example sequence:

My next step with this choreography is to use it in a film project that I am working on with Bigger House Films as part of the Different Voices 2 project. Please see link for more info http://www.biggerhousefilm.co.uk/.

Over the next 3 months I will be working in Bristol at the Arnolfini with 7 other neurodivrese film makers. *…… neurodivergent – i.e. being dyslexic, dyspraxic, autistic, or having other learning difficulties or neurological/cognitive conditions, or experiencing yourself as someone whose way of relating to the world and other people is outside of the norm.

Different Voices fosters a new generation of film makers working from a voice that is under represented in mainstream cinema. I will make a film that captures the experiences of people living with Tourette Syndrome. I will be interviewing 10 people with TS of all ages and capture their experiences through moving images. TS is a spectrum condition and each person has unique experiences. I would like to capture this through imagery, moving and still images, dance and soundscapes. Once the film is complete their will be a sharing at the Arnolfini in Bristol and I hope to further develop the work in Plymouth.
I would love to hear from people with TS and I will soon be posting a series of questions for people to answer which will inspire the direction of my movie...watch this space.

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Brewing in the Basement

As I sat and sipped my coffee in a trendy London cafe, I reflected on an incredible night of Theatre hosted by Jess Thom the Tourettes Hero. If you don't know Jess Thom, she is a super hero. She is a super hero with Tourette Syndrome, she is is one of my idols. (Check out the link for more on Jess and her adventures: https://www.touretteshero.com/) Here in this moment I felt a real sense of contentment as I pondered what I was going to bring back to Plymouth from this amazingly positive experience at the Pit Party. I felt inspired and wished all events and theatre shows were like this. My brother and I went to the London Barbican Centre to attend the Touretteshero Pit Party- Brewing in the Basement. This hands down, was the best theatre experience I have ever had. I was beyond excited to the point where I completely let go with my TS and I felt 100% welcome, accepted and 'normal'. The whole evening was BSL interpreted, there was a resting plac

Tic Files

I have Tourette Syndrome...and I want to learn more about it. I also want to spread awareness of this often misrepresented condition. I have obsessively watched documentaries, youtube videos, read blogs, books...and no TS experience is the same or like mine, because it is different for everyone. So I guess I am going to use this very self indulgent blog to explore TS... my TS, and hope that I educate people along the way. Like any disability or condition most people find it hard to describe what they experience or *tic* one box when it comes to explaining it. It's a beautiful spectrum of colour and uniqueness. To keep myself in check and so that I don’t babble on about all sorts of nonsense, I am going to have 3 key themes: Information and awareness: - When I started searching on the internet about TS pre to my diagnosis, I didn’t find a lot of information that related to my version! I want to add into the mix of what is out there on the world wide web and

Hidden Voices- Grace and Eczema

This is the third interview of my blog series 'Hidden Voices.' Hidden Voices shines a spotlight on talented local people based in and around Plymouth (and Cornwall for this interview!) This blog gives a platform for those who wish to talk about an element of their life that they keep secret or hide from society. The more I speak out about TS the more I gain understanding of it. When I speak to people or write about it, I feel like I can be comfortable with with it, I get to know it. I can also see parallels between different conditions and the experiences can be so similar. Speaking loud and proud about my condition has given me opportunities to connect to a diverse community of people and it has given me a whole new perspective to the work I create. Since posting and vlogging I have had a fair amount of people come to me saying that it has inspired them to ‘come out’ about something they might have been hiding. This is the inspiration behind this blog series.

Tic Files

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