Physical Training and Movement
Physical Training is important for everyone.
We all want to move well, be strong, and look good.
But the requirements of Actor/Communicators present additional challenges.
Actor/Communicators require training for various reasons
♦ aesthetics
♦ range of motion
♦ ability to perform difficult physical feats and postures in
front of an audience and through a character
♦ period style work - including work in corsets and other
restrictive clothing
Actor/Communicators face the challenge of doing all of these things while sounding good and remaining physically and emotionally available to the audience and their scene partners.
The complexity of these tasks require a particular type of athleticism - flexibility, strength, adaptability, openness, and physical bravery. And mastering movement for actors requires the opportunity to attempt new physical challenges on a regular basis in order to make trying unfamiliar physical skills feel "normal".
Physical Training that meets the needs of Actor/Communicators can be incredibly valuable for those on a more traditional life path as well.
And it can be particularly useful for those learning new ways of living and working and expressing.
Movement methodologies include
The Williamson Technique
Michael Chekhov Technique
Laban Movement Technique
Pilates® adapted for voice users
QEST® when healing is required
Fitzmaurice Voicework®
Terrel Presence Training®
Yoga for Actors & Professional Voice Users
You may notice that some of these methods are voice related. Since the voice comes out of the body, there are voice techniques I have found to be very effective in adddressing movement issues, and we use what works.
Techniques are selected and combined depending on the needs of the client.
Abraham Maslow said, "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
I find it helps to have a large toolchest with a lot of different tools.