Playing with Swords

     Monday's at LDA are definitely our most taxing and physically tiring days of the week. Aside from our Physical Theatre class which Shea talked about last week, all of our physical classes are on monday which leave us physically exhausted come 5pm. But, no matter how tiring it is, I still look forward to our Stage Combat class every week with our instructor Gordon Kemp.
   
     The aim of the course is to understand and apply the principles of safety and performance in regards to unarmed and armed stage combat. Starting with unarmed techniques, we learned how to craft slaps, punches, chokes, and falls and make them appear dangerous to an audience while keeping us completely out of harms way. After a few weeks of that, we moved on to our rapiers. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't immediately become a child as soon as Gordon opened his crate of swords. Images of Jedi, pirates, and ninjas rushed through my head as soon as I picked up my sword.

     What followed was an extensive training program that culminated in a choreographed fight that looks like we're really trying to kill each other. But enough talking. I"ll let you guys be the judge while you watch mine and winter's final duel choreographed by Gordon Kemp.

-Danny