BALI AND GROTOWSKI : Some parallels in the training process

Abstract

The Objective Drama project was a special research project conducted at the University of California-Irvine (UCI), formulated and directed by Jerzy Grotowski. The direction of the project was to isolate the performative expressions of several traditional cultures and introduce them to performers outside of their original cultural contexts. Once the technical aspects of a form were internalized, the effects of the relationships among performer, form, group, and environment were the subject of observation. A 1984 and Development Report described the project:(Focused Research Program in Objective Drama) Each cultural form was taught by an expert performer native to that culture. The traditional cultural forms included: Haitian voodoo ritual, dervish dances, Korean shamanistic dance and songs, Balinese incantation and mantra, hatha yoga, and Japanese karate. A number of exercises were also developed throughout the project. Literary texts such as the Gospel of Saint Thomas and some literature from Hinduism were used in the newly created songs.