The question of performance and the role of the facilitator is by no means trivial, so far as I am concerned. So for me you are definitely not plugging up the airwaves!
However, I am not sure that my reaction to jugglers is the same as yours. Truthfully, when I watch a juggler (a good one) along with High Wire folks, I relish the technical excellence and am awed by the capacity to push the boundaries of human performance. Obviously there are "show-offs" in those professions, as well as all others -- but sooner or later the show-offs seem to end on the mat or drop their balls. Appreciation of one's skill is one thing, but making the mistake of assumed omnipotence is something different, I think. Humility always has a place. And really letting go seems to be the key to truly high performance -- the sort of performance that distinguishes itself from mere technical achievement. Anyhow, when it comes to OS facilitation, it is always a performance, which may be done well or poorly. Speaking strictly for myself I can say that over the years I have thought and practiced extensively every bit of what I do as the facilitator. AND -- when the moment comes I totally throw all that out the window, at least as far as conscious act is concerned. My single desire at the point of departure is to be possessed by a totally open, clear, and vacant mind. Nothing there but the moment and the people. Sounds a little weird, I guess, but it sure takes care of any and all control needs. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Phelim McDermott Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:24 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: Chaos/Juggling curve ball..question Yes i totally agree Harrison.. and forgive me for trying to make connections with performance which may not be there. For herein lies my question which seems to affect me on a very subtle level. I have spent years having a reaction to juggling as a skill... because it so often seems to be a skill practiced in eternity (or the bedroom) to go out into the world and demonstrate that someone has mastered the ability to control chaos... its a story of domination over the forces of nature. As a performer/audience dynamic it is also one of domination... Look what i can do You cant! So as a performer there is a route to impressive armour rather than vulnerabilty. This mastery or domination of the game often deliberately includes the dropping of balls to give the illusion of vulnerability whilst then being "really impressive" to show victory over the force of darkness that chaos surely is.. And as I watch my reaction always is: You want to get out more! On the other hand great performances make you think: I could do that too! and you want to jump onstage yourself. I have spent years trying to teach or communicate the idea that its important to not get better at stuff as you gain skills. If you think that Improvisation is about learning how to do something well, so the story is over then youre missing the point.. you can NEVER do it and thats what makes it and you interesting. The inclusion of your relationship to unpredictable forces is how you model a new way of being in the world and its what keeps the audience and us interested. So potentially the more hands shiva has whilst juggling (with a finite number of balls) the less interesting she actually becomes.... to me. What Im interested in is how she behaves when she really drops the ball or she trips whilst juggling and has to deal with it. Does she curse the arbitrary forces of nature for spoiling her plan or does she demonstrate humility and love by including them in her journey? This is what has always interested me in performance and why i feel i knew what open space was before i heard it named as such.... aaaaah. However I notice that this performer seems to be in a space where he has pushed his skill level into a new zone.. perhaps.. It relates to the fact that he seems to bring in an emotional story into his juggling journey.. Or that he challenges the gods by playing such cheesy music and daring to sport such a ridiculous haircut.. surely a temptation to the forces of chaos! Whatever... there is something in there that makes me like him and either he is a master of deception and its a safe journey for him..... or he is standing on the edge of chaos and Im responding to that? I dont quite know. But i do keep coming back to him.... and wonder if he might open and close space quite well. Or maybe he would just look good at doing it? its a big question for me.. but understand it might be a small one for others.. So sorry if Im clogging the string with a lot of talk about balls. Love and chaos. phelim xx On 28 Mar 2006, at 13:40, Harrison Owen wrote: > I think it is a great image -- but I do have a problem. As a > facilitator my > experience is that 250 people (recently in Seville) are juggling > 1000's of > balls, only a few of which they (individually) threw into the air, > but most > have come into the space from other places, including the other > people, > random events in the environment, and possibly from beyond time and > space > (wherever that is). And for sure, few, if any, of the balls came > from my > hands! Heck in most cases, I didn't even know the balls were in the > air, and > certainly could not name them. If I am supposed to be "The Juggler" > I would > need infinitely more hands and arms than Shiva ever dreamed of. :-) > > If you carry this one on out -- the OS facilitator places him/her > self in > the position of enabling a finite number of people (5-2000) to > juggle an > infinite number of balls coming from every conceivable direction and > dimension of space/time -- which might just be the standard 3 > dimensions, or > 6 in Phase Space, or 13 if String Theory is correct. Gosh -- Just an > ordinary day's work in Open Space. Lots of luck , Folks! > > Harrison > > > > > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Drive > Potomac, Maryland 20854 > Phone 301-365-2093 > Skype hhowen > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org > Personal website www.ho-image.com > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the > archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of > Phelim > McDermott > Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 6:13 AM > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Subject: Chaos/Juggling curve ball..question > > Ok folks being from a performance background and not usually liking > juggling.. i can't stop watching this clip.. > > http://s158645047.onlinehome.us/video_5290_10558.html?sid=5290 > > and want to ask the question where does this connect to open space/ > chaos/control what are the links? are there any.. > > one thought i had was.. what would it look like if we couldnt see him > and just the balls? > > any thoughts? > > phelim > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist