Start of Bunraku: 

To get started in Bunraku we did 2 exercise. At first we weren't told what was the meaning of these exercises and they were just warm ups. The first exercise we were put into pairs and told with a peice of paper blocked with both our heads we had to get it down our bodies to our feet then up to our heads again. And we had to do so without the use of hands. At the start i thought it was going to be possible at all to do this but with Axel we tried lots of different possibilities to do it. I didn't really feel awkward when we were doing it because i wanted to get it done before the opposite team did. I realized the more we were trying different things out the more we were communicating with each other. When we started communicating and we found a way to get the paper down we got it much more quicker.

On reflection with the ensemble we found that the key thing to do during the exercise like this is concentration and communication. In Bunraku concentration is key to operate the puppets and because they are controlled by 3 puppeteers so communication is also key. If this doesn't happen the plays would be ruined for the spectators. The communication me and Axel had was key for us to make the piece of paper go down and back up but the thing we were lacking was concentration because we wanted to be the first to get it done.

For the second activity was to make a pencil balance on our fingers. We all went into our own corners of the room and tried doing it. This activity was much harder then the first and was much more concentration based. I found this activity really hard and it started getting frustrating when the pencil wouldn't balance. We then went on to try it with a broom pole which was much easier. I found when i was doing it i was getting the hang of it quickly and i was doing little movements if it was starting to go off balance. Abby at first couldn't get it - but when she tried the second time she managed a lot better. We helped her by giving her advice about how she could stand to get it right.

On reflection i think that the aim of this activity was to control movement, have concentration and always remember the help and respect from others. When Abby couldn't do it we were determined to help her and as an ensemble that is key. The concentration was key for ourselves to make the broom or the pencil balance. And the movement of our whole bodies to keep it balancing was also key because movement is also key in Bunraku the puppets are made to see as realistic as possible so even the movement of the puppeteer could effect the performance.