Characterization Exercise

I found my person from the american theatre magazine and its a picture of a guy with big, gold wings and he has on tight clothing with gold boots. Using Laban's analysis of different shapes and efforts, I would think that this person is gliding on stage because he's spreading his wings as if it wants to glide through the air and it's very direct. I can picture him saying something like, "I have bloomed into a beautiful butterfly that's ready to spread its wings and explore the world."

View Points

1. Learning about viewpoints this week was a great experience and also very fun. I like the fact that I can just be free and make a complete fool of myself without being judged. The exercise we did in class when we had to perform a story with our movements and random props while listening to music, was a bit challenging at first. I was with the second group so therefore I got to sit down and watch first and I could not believe my eyes. My peers were doing such a great job, I felt as though I would not be able to do that or be interesting like them. It was so amazing to watch a them tell a story and react on impulses. When it was my turn to do it, it started off pretty silly, but then I started having a great time. First, I simply did my own thing then I started paying attention to everyone and reacted to the stuff they did and before I knew it we were all telling a story.

2. A moment that felt alive for me was when Austin put on the mask; everyone reacted immediately and he was like the outcast of the group. That told a great story because it was like he wanted to fit in but being that he had on a mask, he couldn't. That was so interesting to watch and it seemed so real as if it were rehearsed. It better to watch viewpoints being done when everyone is responding to each other as oppose to just doing their own thing because that's boring to watch.

3. I think one of the activities we did with Addie was very forced; when we had to form a circle, cluster, and line without talking or having a leader. I did not like that exercise at all because it felt so forced and not natural at all. We were all staring at each other to see who would start the circle or line, we couldn't even enjoy ourselves because we were so busy worrying about forming these shapes. I definitely think we need to practice that one more.

Body Learning Part 2

Alexander described primary control as a dynamic relationship in which our head, neck, and torso are  primary influences for the coordination of our whole body mechanism and all our movements. It functions all of the time for better or worse in every position. After reading about the unreliable sensory appreciation, I realized that almost everyone can relate to this. Its basically when we feel as though our physical condition is kinaesthetically right or appropriate, but in reality it's wrong. Alexander described that in one of his lessons, his teacher guided him through the process of sitting to standing and he realized that his idea of standing involved him shortening his neck muscles and pushing his legs and feet on the floor. The teacher then helped him fix these problems and Alexander called the process, "going from the known to unknown." The key term he explained after this which was inhibition, was quite similar. Inhibition is the ability to delay our response until we are prepared to change it. This discovery was made when Alexander realized that he was the one that caused his voice problems. Direction was a bit tricky for me to understand, but I think it's when you actually think about your movements before physically doing them therefore you are aware of what you're doing. You begin to get a better idea of the directions in which your body are going and where you wish to go. Last but not least, I think ends and means is pretty much a mixture of all the other key terms. It describes how we use ourselves when performing actions; instead of focusing on the goal we wish to attain, we learn to have an increased consciousness of the physical means employed to achieve our ends intelligently. 

I must say, after reading this article I was a bit confused about some things so I went back and highlighted important stuff and read over it until I had a clear understanding. I found the whole concept interesting because Alexander was just a normal person who discovered all of this on his own and a doctor couldn't even figure it out. When I first read about the Alexander technique, I thought it was a bit silly because it seemed so simple to do and understand, but in reality its not when you actually get in front of a mirror and observe your physicality and try to make changes. What really stood out to me was the idea of unreliable sensory appreciation. I am always being told that I have a weird walk and I never understood how. People say my feet go out to opposite directions after every step I take and that my knees look like they touch. Of course I think the way I walk is normal because that's what I'm used to but if I actually took the time to observe the way I walked and figured out why I do so, I can maybe be like Alexander himself and fix my problem by using his technique. All in all, I really enjoyed learning about his life and all of his discoveries. 

Body Learning Part 1

The life of Alexander!

The oldest of eight children, Alexander was born in Tasmania, Australia in 1869. He suffered with respiratory problems which caused him to be taken out of school to be educated privately. His main love and focus in life was theatre and by the age of twenty, he decided to become and actor and reciter. Unfortunately, being in this profession was a problem for Alexander due to his respiratory problems once again. This affected the quality of his voice during his recitations and he began to get very frustrated. Doctors would tell him to rest, but Alexander realized that resting was not the cure at all. He had no problems with ordinary speech, but only had problems while he was reciting and acting. Ignoring the doctors, Alexander took matters in his own hands to find out what the problem was. One day, he stood in front of the mirror and observed himself reciting lines. He noticed how he stiffened his neck, depressed his larynx, and sucked his breath with a gasp. He realized that this is what caused his respiratory problems and that he needed to somehow change them. With lots of focus, he was able to connect the mind and body and have these problems come to a cease. His technique began to travel around the world and people admired it while some did not understand. He died on October 10, 1955 from a short illness. Alexander may not have been the easiest man to work with, but he will always be remember for discovering a technique that may help actors of today. 

Use and Functioning, The Whole Person

Before beginning the process that led to Alexander's discovery, he believed, "the mind and body were separate entities" but this was false. Alexander taught people to use their body as a whole in a mindful manner. Separating the mind and body causes conflict with our emotions. He argued that, "all training must be based on the understanding that the human organism always functions as a whole and can only be changed fundamentally as a whole." Not only has Alexander's techniques allowed us to use our body better in everyday life, but it has also effectively helped actors on stage and has prevented diseases.