Body Talk:

 

Movement for Actors

 

 

..and anyone with a body..

 

 

Body Talk is an invitation to:

become fully present in your body,
playfully open your heart,

release your natural voice,

and

create authentic conversations with your fellow players

- and your true, inner self!

 

 

Body Talk is "Yoga for the emotions".
You can stretch, exercise, and develop your emotional muscles.

 

Body Talk is a physical, emotional, spiritual,
and theatrical practice.

 * * * * * *

 

Every actor needs to move.  And the movement needs to fit the character, the script, and the director’s needs, yet come from within.

 

To act well, you need to move the body naturally, without seeming "forced", especially when playing a character very different from yourself.

 

But everyone - not just actors or actors-in-training - needs to develop the ability to "show up" physically - whatever their walk of life.  

 

Body Talk is for anyone with a body, who needs to communicate well.

 

 

In a Body Talk class you can learn:

 

• to move in a more relaxed, yet very aware way.  The exercises are designed to side-step your "inner critic" which causes self-conscious, inhibited, or 'wooden' acting. 
  
  
• to develop true actor's presence - to really "get into your skin" so you can act with authenticity. 
  
  
•  to invent fresh responses, when the director asks you to find new and different ways to play a line, a scene, or a role. (Very important for your actor's tool kit!)

 

 

The importance of exercise for an actor

 

Exercising, training, and relaxing the body, widely agreed as important to an actor's training, is often referred to as "tuning the instrument".  Many actors like to go to the gym, take Alexander lessons, or take dance classes.  

 

In a Body Talk class you can get a good workout - and you can choose the intensity: a gentle limber-up, or really vigorous aerobic exercise! 

 

But you will get more than just exercise.  

 

 

Connect your movement back to the art of acting

 

A Body Talk class also gives you very practical ways to incorporate movement into your craft.

 

When people think of movement for acting, they often think of mime, clowning, circus skills.. "physical theatre": highly energetic and stylized forms of performance. 

 

But not every actor is suited to these, and not every acting job calls for them!  Much of the acting you may be asked to do requires more subtle and naturalistic expression.

 

Voice work: Body Talk also includes the voice! Your vocal cords are part of your body. All voice acting requires being present in your body .

 

The techniques and tricks you will learn in a Body Talk class can be applied on camera, or in the most realistic styles of theatre - as well as in the most energetic physical theatre.

 

 

 

 

The importance of widening your emotional range

 

We all have habitual ways of moving.  The way we sit, stand, walk, breathe, and use our voice.. all conditioned by habit!

 

We also think in habitual ways.  We form habitual ways of feeling and expressing emotion. 

 

And the way we relate to others is guided and limited by habit. 

 

It is the actor's job to become aware of these habits, which form a palette to be used consciously in the art of performance.

 

In a Body Talk workshop, your own habits of moving your body are uncovered, and you can get clues to your habits of thinking, feeling, and relating to others. 

 

By exploring these habits in a playful way, you can widen your emotional range as well as develop interesting characters for performance, which are still authentically "you".

 

 

You also choose the energy level

 

 Whatever physical shape you're in, and however experienced you are, you will be able to do a Body Talk class.  You won't be asked to push your body beyond what it can or wants to do. 

 

 

So, what does a class look like? 

• You will be exercising your body, but also carefully observing it. 
  
• There will be some simple physical tasks to follow, designed to reveal your own body's inclinations and how it wants to move. 
  
• You will begin on your own, focusing your attention on these tasks. 
  
• Then, at some times, you will cooperate with another actor, or in unison with the whole group.

 

 

A vocabulary of movement

 

A Body Talk class gives you, as an actor or director, a vocabulary that can be applied directly in rehearsal. You will go away with a handy list of shorthand terms which will improve the communication and creative process among the groups you work with. And this can be adapted to the style and requirements of your ensemble or production.

 

    

To sum up: a Body Talk class:

• is fun and a great way to keep fit
  
• can be vigorous or gentle, to suit your body or the rehearsal space
  
• bonds and builds unity in a group
  
• provides a physical vocabulary for actors and directors
  
• can be adapted to the needs of you or your group