Movement Training for Actors

by Jackie Snow

Overview

"This book vividly captures vital and imaginative lessons from one of the most influential and joyous traditions of contemporary actor training. Any actor or teacher, who is devoted to the transformational power of the theatre, will want to returban to these pages again and again, finding in them not only the work to be done, but also the inspiration to do it."
James Bundy - Dean, Yale School of Drama; Artistic Director, Yale Repertory Theatre

Movement training techniques allow actors to acquire the physical body language and non-verbal skills to clearly express the ideas and emotions of their characters. The techniques contained in this book help actors to develop awareness of their own natural posture, walk and rhythm, release the physical imagination and transform into the characters they are portraying, on stage, in film or on television.

Movement Training for Actors provides a practical workbook approach to the core fundamentals of movement, fusing together the work of the key practitioners: Sigurd Leeder, Kurt Jooss, Rudolf Laban, Trish Arnold, Litz Pisk, F. M. Alexander, Moshé Feldenkrais, Jerzy Growtowski, Jacques Lecoq and Belinda Quirey. Chapters include Games, Pure Movement, Historical Dance, Acrobatics and Animal Study.

The book is illustrated with photographs throughout and contains a DVD featuring over an hour of movement exercises further demonstrating the techniques.

Movement Training for Actors is a masterclass on movement written by experienced coach, Jackie Snow and a culmination of her many years of teaching and coaching professionals. The highly practical approach will suit actors of all abilities as well as serving as an inspirational teaching guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408128572
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/31/2013
Series:	RADA Guides
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jackie Snow is a choreographer, movement director and teacher of actors for both stage and screen in the UK and internationally specialising in movement, acrobatics and historical dance. She was Head of Movement at RADA (2003–11), trained actors at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1983–2003) and has taught at BADA since 1995. Her professional work coaching actors in movement and choreography has included three seasons at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre with Mark Rylance and with Sir Peter Hall at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.

Table of Contents

Preface by Michael Gaunt
Introduction
Part 1: The Universal State
1) The universal state for the group
2) Space, dimension and rhythm
3) The universal state for the individual
4) Pure movement to achieve neutral
Part 2: Movements with Imagination at the Heart of Pure Movement
5) Core Movement exercises
6) Dynamic movement: The Cat
7) Acrobatics and tumbling for the acting student
8) Neutral mask
9) Character mask
Part 3: Body Awareness, Trust and Sensitivity
10) Exploration of body and mind
11) Massage and relaxation
Part 4: Observation and Imagination
12) Observation
13) Animal study
14) Elements
Part 5: Imagination and Transformation
15) The Seven Deadly Sins
16) Explorative movement
17) Period movement
18) Period dance
Conclusion by Robert Price
A note on Trish Arnold
Further reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

It is an excellent resource for practitioners looking for a store of movement exercises.” —Amita Nijhawan, New Theatre Quarterly

“Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.” —J. Tomalin, San Francisco State University, CHOICE

From the Publisher