Clean Socks : A Contortion Documentary
The Clean Socks Documentary project is a film supported by still photography on Mongolian Contortion and it’s development in the west by looking into teacher and student relationships as well as the cultural importance of a traditional Mongolian art form bestowed upon children which is currently being taught to foreigners of all ages. From a lineage of artists this style is now taking a new shape in America.
Serchmaa Byamba maintains the classic training technique passed from her teacher but encourages her students to ‘own the movements’ themselves and create their own style. As a world renowned performer and trained by the founder of contemporary contortion- Serchmaa brings not just technique but a perspective on living that she passes on. She feels the greatest thing she can give students is not just flexibility but a positive change in their life and attitude towards living it. She also believes contortion is something that can physically benefit anyone, that is can be practiced safely and easily, she wants to open contortion up to everyone who is inspired and interested by it. The techniques passed from her teacher are beneficial to all kinds of people with all kinds of goals.
Lance Centanni-Sachs has been a student of Serchmaa since 2007. When he returned to the U.S. after time in India and Nepal as a Buddhist monk he felt disconnected from his body and without direction. He began taking classes with Serchmaa through random connections and it resulted in finding something he never imagined a possibility and one that he wanted to dedicate himself to learning and promoting in the future. He has trained with her since then and feels that there is an unsaid insight into the self through the process of training and the trust that is developed with a coach.
In 2009 Serchmaa took Lance and Kristina Canizares to Mongolia to begin to feel the origins of this form and learn the history behind Serchmaa and her training. This visit was a research visit to see if further trips and a larger project would be possible.
Our goal is to create a full length documentary and artistic photo gallery presentation about the teaching techniques of Serchmaa, the history and process of training and a look into students’ experience as an adult. We hope to include interviews with many students of hers as well as interviewing students, coaches and legends of contortion in Mongolia. The four of us plan to go in Summer of 2012.
If you would like to be kept up to date on this project, get involved, hear about events we put on, or photo/video sessions we organize for those currently (or in the past!) who have trained with and benefited from Serchmaa- please email Lance: cleansocksproject@gmail.com
