Wah! or The Lumberjack Game:
Description:
This is a good warm up for physicalization and concentration. The students gather in a circle facing each other. The goal is to pass the Wah! around the circle. In order to do this students must physicalize and vocalize the Wah!. The first Wah! is passed by the teacher. To pass the Wah! you lift your hands above your head with palms touching then you bend forward passing the Wah! by seperating your hands and making the noise “Wah!” while making eye contact with someone across the circle. This pass is similar to the pass of the energy ball but with lots of energy and motion. To recieve the Wah! the person on the other side of the circle brings it in by saying “Wah!” and lifting their hands above their head. At this point the reciever looks a bit like a tree pose in yoga. As soon as the receiver is posed the students on either side make a choping motion and a “Wah!” as though chopping down the reciever like a tree (hence, the lumberjack game pseudonym). As the tree is chopped down the Wah! is passed again across the circle. This continues and should eventually increase in speed as the Wah! is caught and passed faster and faster.
Application:
A great way to get the body up and moving and create energy within the group. The benefits of Wah! is that although there is a lot of noise and movement it is done in a very controlled manner and requires that students stay engaged and concentrate on their surroundings. This can also be very team building as it requires students to watch, listen and respond to one another.
Variations:
- The game side of Wah!- as students pass the Wah! the goal is to get it going as fast as possible. If any student hesitates as a lumberjack or misses the Wah! they are eliminated. Slowly the group shrinks and the Wah! is passed at lightspeed. In the end the final are crowned the victors.
Notes:
Will Whitten 