The Jumping Off Place
phone: (503) 265-9551
info@thejumpingoffplace.com“Those moments when you’re actually there, [at one of your own jumping off places], and your heart is racing and your mind is saying “yes-no, yes-no” and you are imagining all these embarrassing scenarios… The Jumping Off Place is a training ground for those moments”
– Student testimonial, winter 2007
The Jumping Off Place
Philosophy
The Jumping Off Place was born out of a desire to call forth a sense of play that many of us have left behind in childhood. Designed to create a space for people to challenge the barriers and boundaries that have entered our lives as adults. We face together the things that hold us back—that make us hesitate to express ourselves.
This class is an opportunity to take first steps—to build trust for self and others, to explore body and voice in a safe space, to laugh and play with unfamiliar people who will become familiar as a result. It is a class meant to help us experience art not as something we are responsible for, but as something that comes through us to help us experience expression without judgment.
Using movement, improvisation games and exercises, we explore body, voice, resistance, fear, spontaneity, center, trust, habits, risk-taking and more all in an attempt to express freely, share fully, and build a more loving, playful community.
Class Description
Starting June 8th, we will be holding a spring/summer session with drop-in option at Hipbone Studio. In this 6 week session (schedule, rates), we will use improvisation games and exercises to get out of our own boxes and face fears of using our bodies, voices and imaginations. In a typical class, we open and close with simple rituals that bring us all together as a group. The body of the class consists of various exercises that work with movement, sound and verbal improvisation. Some exercises are for the individual to explore alone, some are done with partners or in small groups, some consist of the whole group playing together, and some utilize a theatrical audience/performer format. We will spend some time reflecting about our experiences of the different exercises and games.
The class is called, "The Jumping Off Place" to emphasize that we are making space to acknowledge and challenge that edge at which we often stand, hesitating, wishing we would jump off and express ourselves. This is a great place to try out this kind of stuff if you are shy or scared of the performing arts, but are curious. You are welcome and encouraged to participate regardless of your level of experience.