Introduction to Six Viewpoints Workshop (In Person, Philadelphia)

"The Six Viewpoints is a study that establishes and expands the base of performance by inquiring into the vocabulary of the basic materials that are found in the creation of all art." - from Mary Overlie's Website

The Six Viewpoints is an extraordinary system of inquiry that allows performers to encounter, study, and deconstruct the phenomena of performance, similar to the way a visual artist studies color, line, and form. In this introductory workshop, we'll get acquainted with the materials Mary Overlie lays out in the Viewpoints: Space, Time, Emotion, Movement, Shape and Story/Logic. We'll be able to meet these materials on their terms and begin to explore their depths (though in 6 hours we'll truly only be able to scratch the surface!).

I am offering the workshop for a sliding scale of $40-80 total, ($20-40 per 3 hour session), no one turned away for lack of funds so please contact me if that cost is prohibitive. You will be prompted to pay after submitting your registration. I strongly encourage you to register for both session as we will be covering different materials in each! All interested humans are welcome! While Mary was a dancer primarily, her work is used widely in the theater world. She was also adamant that the Six Viewpoints are in fact material for life, not just performance.

About Miryam: I am a dance/theater artist, writer/critic, and educator. I first encountered the Viewpoints through SITI Company's Summer Training program in 2014. There, I learned Anne Bogart's modified Viewpoints system. I began to use the exercises and theory often in my improvisations and compositional work. A few years later, a collaborator suggested I read Mary Overlie's book, Standing in Space which revolutionized my understanding of this work as a way to be transformed by the materials rather than shaping them as an originator. Since then, I've been able to study with Mary's student Deborah Black, which I highly recommend! Viewpoints training forms the basis of my approach to performance. Mary Overlie, the Original Anarchist, desired her work to fuel others' individual, unique research. I am offering this workshop with the hope that the Philadelphia artistic community engages with and expands this deep research.

About Mary Overlie: You can read Mary's biography and view performances from her archive through the Six Viewpoints website. I had the privilege of interviewing several of her collaborators and students in tribute to her legacy for thINKingDANCE in 2020. You can read that two-part article here and here.