What moves you? What moves you to voice? To sing? To create? And what holds you back?

As performers, we sometimes find ourselves singing in fear of our emotions. We're fearful of being overwhelmed by our emotions and of losing control of our voices, viewing emotion as a hindrace to artistic expression. When we sing a song or improvise, our expectations of ourselves are enormous and we focus more on what we want to achieve rather than on what we might discover.Have you ever wondered what music might be hiding within your voice? What voices and emotions might be revealed by venturing into new musical landscapes? How to manage emotions in the process? In this workshop, we will focus on the relationship between emotion and musicality in vocal improvisation. We will explore specific emotions and their energetic sounding qualities and the fire and water they carry. We will also learn to experience emotions that are simply there in the present, and how tuning into our moment-to-moment emotional life can actually move us toward exciting vocal discoveries. Our emotions can help us release physical tension and open up hidden potential in the voice. They can become our guides, leading us to what we have to say on a deeper level, beyond what we think we want. When we allow our emotions to move through our voices, we find a wealth of creativity to inspire original melodies and poetry, or bring fresh authenticity to our interpretation of a song.

Through musical accompaniment - piano, percussion, and/or voice - Maryline, Audrey, and Andrès will support and guide each student’s personal vocal journey through emotions, beyond any aesthetic expectations or traditions. We invite you to see what happens when you let yourself be taught by the music itself.

Through collective and individual guided improvisation we will explore new ways of relating to music and discover how musicality appears in the emotions that surface. Rather than feeling stuck in our emotions, we will develop imaginative and technical skills that allow the performer to find ways for free vocal and musical expression.

Along the way you will be guided towards a final performance where students and teachers will give a public presentation featuring improvisation. Please prepare a song that moves you: something meaningful to you that you are also willing to explore playfully with others. We may use the songs in the performance, or they may serve as inspiration for original work.

Schedule
Day 1: 9.30 AM - 12.30 PM / 2.30 - 5.30 PM
Day 2 - 7: 9.30 AM - 1 PM / 3.00 - 5.30 PM
Jour 8: 9.30 AM - 12.30 PM / 2.30 - 5.30 PM / 7.00 - 8.00 PM (performance)
Jour 9: 10.00 AM - 12.30 PM / 2.30 - 5.00 PM

Week end ROOTED VOICE

Hours:
Saturdays from 2pm to 6.30pm and Sundays from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm.

Objectives :
- Become aware of your breathing and develop the breath-body-voice link.
- Connect to your body sensations through relaxation and letting go
- Enlarge the palette of your voice: timbres, colours, resonance, registers...
- Travel and improvise with your voice around imagination and emotions
- Develop your own listening skills
- Sing with confidence, taking your place in the group for the pleasure of sharing and giving.

Contents :
- Body exercises, relaxation, massages, anchoring...
- Breathing opening exercises and vocal warm-up
- Vocal games, individual or collective improvisations, work on imagination
- Exercises on space and movement
- Learning simple songs
Please bring comfortable clothes for body work.
We work without shoes, on a wooden floor: barefoot, in dancing shoes or socks.

Beginners, advanced singers and voice professionals are welcome and our approach means that everyone will find the right shoes for them! Thank you for registering as soon as possible, to facilitate our organization (the workshop requires a minimum of 4 participants and will otherwise be cancelled).

We will end 2023 and begin 2024 with voice, movement, and celebration of your hopes and wishes for the New Year. Beginning in the morning with movement, breathing, and singing, we will move through the day with improvisation and vocal exploration around the themes for the New Year. How would I like to cross the threshold between the years, to wrap up the old year and the past, and launch the New Year with new energy and new ideas? The workshop will include singing lessons in 2 groups.  We will close each day with traditional polyphonic Georgian singing that we’ll perform together on the final evening.

Laurent Stéphan has spent many years exploring the traditions of Georgia especially 3-part harmony singing, and the traditional ritual of the ‘Supra’ where those sharing a meal are invited to sing and speak from their hearts, and to listen deeply to one another. Laurent will direct the New Year's banquet inspired by these Georgian traditions. We will prepare the meal together and invite the other residents of Malérargues to celebrate the passage of the year with us. For further information please contact: laurent_stephan@yahoo.fr

Thursday–Saturday: 10am -1pm/3p - 6pm. Sunday 31st 10am -1pm/2pm - 4pm/7pm - 12pm. Monday January 1 st : 12am - 4pm.