Left of Bruise. Part 1: Clusters of Clues

I have always had this expression when working on the floor – ‘I see dead people’. Lifted of course from the movie Sixth Sense. But what I’m saying is that I have always seen accidents before they happen. But over the years I have broken that down even more and tried to work out how and why I have this ability. This musing is about sharing that knowledge.

A major component of my movement praxis is about being ‘left of bruise’. Specially in my practice of slapstick and physical comedy. Left of bruise is a term I have appropriated and tweaked from the expression ‘left of bang’. In military and law enforcement circles ‘left of bang’ is a reference to a timeline when a deadly force incident has occurred. The ‘bang’ is when the attack begins, or damage is done or as the maxim infers when shots are fired. On this timeline moving from left to right, ‘right of bang’ is what happens after the event. Therefore, in the ideal world practitioners of this theory like to remain ‘left of bang’. 

Consequently, in my praxis, being ‘left of bruise’ is about being alert, ready, prepared, and able to respond before the injury (‘the bruise’) happens! Which means looking for pre-event indicators. This can be done by looking for a cluster of clues that could determine the likelihood of an accident, incident and or injury before it happens. 

For me the basic stage combat parameters of eye contact and cue are a great entry point for safety procedures.  Up front I am not knocking them, and I am certainly not saying don’t use them. I just think we can be more modern in our collective approach to safety. They are great for a basic stage combat class and even generating choreography. I am just of the opinion we can be more sophisticated. This can be done by creating diligent and vigilant safety procedures and practices for operating under performance conditions founded on our natural instincts. Specifically training those instincts to be more present and more receptive when in performance mode. I posit that most humans know when something feels a little ‘off’, that instinctual feeling that something feels unsafe. 

Developing and training an actors instinctual and situational awareness I believe can be the mainstay of remaining ‘left of bruise’.  

Because of the amount of work involved in this type of training I would like to unpack this blog over a few entries. 

Left of Bruise Part 1: Clusters

One aspect of my process for staying ‘left of bruise’ centres around looking for clusters of clues that lead up to events. Eventually that cluster will form a constellation and that constellation will mostly likely be an incident, accident and or an injury. ‘Bruise’. If not at the very least, you have remained alert to the possibility. Examples of clues might be an:

•  actor’s shoelace may be about to come undone
•  the pommel feels a little lose during a sword fight
• fellow actor maybe running late for a fight call
• the fight over the last few performances has slowly changed
•  cast change
• lines have been dropped in the lead up the fight moment

This list is extensive from my experience but hopefully you get the idea. There is always a cluster of clues we can sift through to ensure things are going according to the choreographic plan or are about to go sideways. This level of instinctual work needs to be trained at a performance tempo so actors can gauge how they will respond under pressure. Which goes beyond those two basic components of eye contact and cue. 

In order to frame the clusters of clues I find it easier to view them in these broader concepts. This helps to orient the binos (binoculars) when looking a little closer and deeper at the actor’s performance in front of me:

• Atmospherically: The collective and individual attitudes, moods, and behaviours present in a given situation or place during rehearsals and performance and how that may impact on actors.
• Geographically: Ability to notice correct use of the floor plan prescribed in the original choreography; and if that changes under performance pressure. Noticing props or furniture placement that is incorrect that now impacts on the fight scene.
• Biological Responses to Stress: How do you or your fellow actors respond when the situation is going sideways? Have you trained for that? If you don’t know how you respond to stress, then it will just be a roll of the dice as to how your safety will turn out.
• Proximity & Measure: The use of space, time and distance. How do actors use time and distance to their advantage? What kind of operational tempo do you train at and perform at? Are you even aware of your own tempo?
• Kinaesthetically: Conscious and subconscious body language. Is your fellow actor aware of their body or not? Are they presenting body language that supports full knowledge of the choreography? Reading their eyes for clues.

Well this is a big subject matter which is why I want to unpack it over a few blog. But for now, I hope that helps you gain insight to how my brain sees safety! Lets all stay ‘left of bruise’ – safe fighting!

To be continued...