"Days of the Iron Woodcutters",

or How to Fight the Clamp

(Clamp - what it is, why and where it comes from - travel games - "working with the body" - plastic training and their examples)

Clamp as excessive physical tension, as Konstantin Stanislavski proves to us, paralyzes any creative activity, shackles the mental life of a person. The manifestations of clamps in children are unexpected and diverse. Only one boy, Vanya, came to my class, covering his cute little face with his hands - an honest clamp - "I'm shy of you and I don't hide it". Others have more sophisticated and hidden manifestations: someone laughs desperately, even if it's not very funny, someone is always telling me something, someone speaks very quietly, someone starts to stutter, and someone comes and fearfully announces that he is not Petya (Sonya, Katya), but someone else, i.e. hides behind a mask. For a girl named Arina, the clamp manifested itself in a demonstrative indifference, she was so afraid of the audience that when she came on stage - she forgot why she came out, did not get carried away with the task, but just stood and looked at the audience, apparently getting used to being watched. I was surprised when her mother said that Arina was very upset that she couldn't do anything - I took her mask of indifference for a lack of interest in our business.

Of course, one of the best ways to fight psychological clamps in children of this age is to engage them in a game. And it's good if the game is long and interesting, like a journey. And in this journey, you need to prepare a lot of dangerous, funny, joyful and scary surprises, from experiencing which children emotionally open up, forget that they are on stage, stop being afraid and shy of each other. The main thing is for the leader to be inside the game, i.e. to play with the children, not to control them from the outside, because in this case, children have the right to their own development of events, and they may not have trust in an adult who ignores such a pleasure - the game!

For example, the game "Airplane".

I tell the children: "Imagine, we decided to fly to the sea! (Here the children offer all their experience from Egypt to Crimea, and it's better not to specify where exactly we are flying, the details will go in the games later.) We take backpacks or bags, collect things (this is all imaginary, but we try to observe the truth of life), check tickets and go to the plane". Chairs are set in advance, or in the process, as in the cabin of an airplane, it can be simpler, just so that everyone has their own place. "And who will play the stewardess? - I say. - After all, we need to check tickets!" I immediately prompt the text to the chosen stewardess: "Hello, dear passengers, please prepare your tickets!" Those who have checked tickets, the stewardess politely offers: "Please come in!" Here you can already play a small event, as children push, want to go faster, formally show "tickets", I encourage someone bolder: "And you as if you are nervous and want to go faster, come on, push and say "Let me through!" - And the others are outraged: "Why, we are also flying, we also need!" The stewardess calms everyone down: "Please don't worry, don't push, show patience, everyone will fly!" - Here the stewardess needs to show not only courage, but also leadership qualities: firmness, persuasiveness, energy. In the cabin of the plane we arrange our bags, sit down, and again you can allow an event to happen (although, you can do without it, as you feel the children and the game). For example, I take a child by the hand, as if I'm going with him, I approach another child and say: "Well, why did you take our place?" The main thing is to choose a bolder kid, so that he does not get upset, because they believe in the game as in reality! "Where are your tickets? Here are ours, see, place 3 and 4!" And the unfortunate one, who has come under everyone's attention, I suggest: say - here are my tickets, here is also 3 and 4! There are many ways to end the situation, but the best one is the one suggested by the children, because it is important for us to put their imagination and courage to work. You can call the stewardess, and if she is chosen successfully, she will definitely come up with something. "Oh, - I say, - we didn't choose a pilot, who will drive the plane?" The pilot sits in front of everyone on a separate chair. The stewardess announces: "Dear passengers, fasten your seat belts, we are starting our flight to the sea! The plane is piloted by first-class pilot Danya (Kolya, Lesha)". The pilot should be applauded. Here we all "take off" together with the sound "U-u-u-u-u-u-u!", rising in tones upwards, imitating the sound of a taking off plane. "Dear passengers, - again you need to prompt the stewardess, - drinks are offered to you". And on an imaginary trolley she carries drinks. You need to approach each person and ask: "What would you like?"; listen to each one and if possible give in an imaginary glass or mug what he wants - tea, juice, water. Children here often say what they are not allowed or rarely allowed in life and by their cunning funny faces it is clear, they enjoy feeling free in the game, and I encourage this, not destroying the pleasant illusion. While the stewardess is collecting dishes, we look out the windows. I again prompt someone: "And you saw a beautiful cloud and shout: "Look, the cloud is like a crocodile, it will swallow a mouse now!" We all get involved in the game of examining imaginary clouds. And someone can say: "And there are mountains in the distance..."

"And I already see the sea!" And the main thing here is for the children to try to see and convey their impression of the imaginary spectacle at least a little truthfully. Again, the stewardess can announce: "Dear passengers, prepare folding tables, lunch is offered to you". After that she quickly distributes the same lunches to everyone (although we played that there was everything you order, this option is good for getting to know the children), and you need to make sure that everyone eats truthfully, not in a hurry, depicting the process of shoveling into the mouth endless mess, but really bite the sausage, chew, adding potatoes or salad to the mouth. Here I am not shy to praise the one who "deliciously" eats. Everyone can show how deliciously the child eats, and the rest will strive to resemble the truth.

At the end of the game, the stewardess announces: "Dear passengers, fasten your seat belts, we are landing!" And we all together with the sound "U-u-u-u-u!", decreasing in tones, land, shaking on the chairs, depicting the first uncertain movements of the plane on the ground. The stewardess again announces: "Our plane was piloted by first-class pilot Danya (Kolya, Lesha)!" We applaud the pilot again and after this noble tradition we leave the plane. The main thing is to pay attention to how the children leave: in a crowd, breaking through imaginary walls, or restrained, letting the girls pass. This also depends on us, dear adults. If we do not instill culture in children in games, it will be harder to instill it later.

In addition to this game or similar ones, in the fight against shyness and embarrassment, of course, it is necessary to conduct plastic trainings, at the elementary acting level, for some mastery of one's body, to cope not only with psychological, but also with physical clamps.

Examples of plastic trainings

1. We walk like robots, clamp the body, only certain parts move.
2. We fly like transparent soap bubbles, if we collide - we burst, leaving a wet circle.
3. We walk like wooden dolls, only their legs work.
4. We turn into rubber inflatable dolls, animals. Be sure to check their "rubberiness", i.e. does the body spring from touch. Check for "deflation" - remove the plug.
5. Rubber dolls move, but already filled with water.
6. We fly like balloons filled with air.
7. We walk carefully, like glass toys.
   
   Children love such a type of plastic-artistic training as "Fun workout"
8. Relax sitting on a chair so that it seems that you are sleeping. Arrange your hands, head, legs comfortably and relax. Close your eyes and silence...
9. Wake up slowly, stretch with pleasure, slide to the floor and stretch like cats. Remember how cats arch their backs, stretch their hind and front paws.
10. Run chaotically on all fours, like ladybugs.
11. Sneak like tigers in the reeds for prey.
12. Jump like kangaroos with a baby in a bag.
13. Run like scared giraffes, stretching your neck.
14. Crawl like crocodiles for prey.
15. Walk like sick turtles.

Exercises related to body fixation, such as "sculpture" or "photography", are very good.

• Children come out in pairs to the center, one of them is a sculptor, the other is a sculpture. The sculptor gives the body the necessary form, the sculpture easily gives in and fixes the form.

You can guess what was molded, you can suggest the sculpture "come to life" and move in the logic of the molded creature. Then they change roles.

• Mirror. Children in pairs stand face to face. One is a "live" person, the other is a reflection. The person at the mirror slowly performs some simple movements, the mirror - copies them.
• "Animated" shadow. One pair moves in the center of the playground, so that the first one does not notice the "shadow" behind him, i.e. the one who copies all the movements from behind.
• "Sticky" hand. One pair moves in the center of the playground, but the leader tries to get rid of the hand stuck to the shoulder (back, thigh, heel) of the partner.
• "Nose to nose". Stand in pairs face to face, set a "control" line on the floor at a half-step distance, which you cannot cross. Make each child with their hands the so-called "Pinocchio's Nose", i.e. attach the thumb of one hand to your nose, spread your fingers and hook your second hand with your big finger for your protruding little finger. Partners hook each other's little fingers and on command should start pulling each other to pull each other across the control line, without tearing the thumb from their nose! This game, of course, is more for a joke, to lighten the atmosphere. Although it tests the relationships in the children's team very well.

- We master various gaits, at least in the order of the game: clown, old man, baby, Carlson, Pinocchio, Baba Yaga, Koschei the Immortal...

- We lift invisible weights. With two hands a big stone, a heavy bag, dad's briefcase, a barbell. Watch for the correct tension in the hands and body.

- We throw invisible objects: a stone (where? did it hit?), a molded snowball, a flying saucer, a ball, etc.

I would include the exercise "Fixation of position with a chair" in the work with the body.

Each child has a chair and on it he freezes like a photograph at a clap, at the next clap - a quick change of position, and so on until their imagination runs out.

Exercises for this section can be found in textbooks on stage movement.