Mapping the Pre-Expressıve Level: An Analysis of the Paper Canoe

Abstract

The Paper Canoe is one of Eugenio Barba's seminal works in the field of theater anthropology and focuses on the performer's ‘pre-expressive’ level of stage behavior. Drawing on observations distilled from Odin Teatret practice and ISTA research, Barba links the question of ‘scenic presence’ to the corporeal-vocal organization that functions prior to represented meaning. The book's central proposition is that the audience's attention is often sustained not by a message, but by the quality of kinesthetic vitality and decisiveness produced in the body. This quality can be established through an extra-daily use of the body-mind, distinct from daily techniques; through ‘repetitive principles’ involving work on physiological factors such as weight and balance, the spine, and gaze. Barba calls this level ‘scenic bios’ and discusses it alongside the idea of the ‘dilated body’. Rather than relying on the ‘East/West’ duality, Barba discusses the differences between traditions coded with the ‘North Pole/South Pole’ distinction and uncoded areas; he concretizes the relationship between energy and technique with examples such as ‘sats’ (impulse leading to action), ‘koshi’ (hip-based alignment), and ‘otsukaresama’. The book's pedagogical promise is the idea of ‘learning to learn’. This definition means that the performer can switch between different techniques and rebuild their own instrument. This review explains the basic concepts by following the book's flow; it discusses the methodological tools it provides for theater pedagogy and performance analysis and offers substantive recommendations.