Open. Reach. Breathe. Be.
This phrase serves as a short reminder in Flowing Dragon Swords, a practice of personal and interpersonal connection. Participants play a game using wooden swords (bokken) while reaching for “flow” with their partner. This game encourages its players to connect deeply with each other and to use that connection as inspiration for the movement- or stillness- of their swords.
By playing with other people, the game can become a sort of metaphor for how we connect with other people in our daily lives. Flowing Dragon Swords borrows from Jungian psychology and the work of Joseph Campbell to help players reflect on their experiences during these games and learn from them.
The sincere practice of Flowing Dragon Swords is one way (of many possible ways!) to help us learn how we might travel along our personal journey of life. At the end of the day, Flowing Dragon Swords is about figuring out how we can be better humans together.
Flowing Dragon Swords can be a practice for anyone that wants to practice. It has been played by people of all ages and genders, from wheelchairs and hospice beds. Whatever your capability, we welcome the chance to meet you and play your unique game.
They fight.
These two little words are scattered throughout countless scripts, conjuring a rich buffet of violence. As a director, plenty of questions might cross your mind: How can we capture a particular tone or emotional impact for this fight? Where are we going to find swords that won’t break on contact? How will the actors stay safe in the midst of all this violence? How on earth are we supposed to shoot an actor with a crossbow bolt on stage?
The expertise of a Stage Combat Choreographer and Stunt Gaffer is extraordinarily helpful when a show requires answers to these questions. They can help most (and best) when called into the production process as early as possible. Working with the director from the start, these professionals can offer advice and guidance in shaping these visions into something practical while considering the time and budget available. They can test actors during the casting process, finding valuable pieces of physical information which might save an amazing amount of time and energy down the road.
With 40 years of experience and 400 shows successfully staged, Richard is ready and able to make these important moments in your stories memorable.
Richard Squeri 