‘Feldenkrais for Actors’ – my book is out

My book ‘Feldenkrais for Actors’ or ‘How To Do Less and Discover More‘ published by Nick Hern books book-coveris out now. The Actors Centre, where i am doing some workshops based on it (see schedule page) asked me to write a blog for them, so I did. I thought I would post it here too:

To explain how The Feldenkrais Method© helps actors is a big job. Indeed, it’s just taken me a whole book – and even that’s just an introduction as it opens up an enormous area of study. Presence, posture, voice, breath, spontaneity, sensitivity, versatility, flexibility are all addressed by this very profound and fundamental method. Let’s just take one corner of it here:

Continue reading “‘Feldenkrais for Actors’ – my book is out”

FELDENKRAIS + SUSTAINABLE TRAINING

I have been meaning to write something about my experience of sustainable training and working with injury for some time, as working with this has taught me a great deal about the Feldenkrais Method. I came out of physical theatre aged 40 and since then I have been supplementing my feldenkrais practice with barefoot running and, for the last 8 years, a demanding form of traditional Okinawan karate. At my age especially I have had to pay a lot of attention not to end up injured and out of both activities quite quickly and it is important for many of my clients too. Continue reading “FELDENKRAIS + SUSTAINABLE TRAINING”

Teaching Feldenkrais in Vocational Drama Schools

This was my (uncut!) talk at the ‘(Re)storing Performance’ seminar on Feldenkrais for Performance, organised by Thomas Kampe at Bath Spa University back in June. Obviously I didn’t get to say all this in the time so here it is uncut. I have many more thoughts to share about Feldenkrais for actors and acting in the book I am writing (due out in the spring): this is a little piece and is specifically about teaching in drama schools. The audience consisted mostly of teachers of either Feldenkrais, dance or performance, some professors, some performers and even the odd student! Its quite long for a blog post and has no pictures, so its really for the hard core! Continue reading “Teaching Feldenkrais in Vocational Drama Schools”

Getting Closer to Moshe Feldenkrais

A wonderful resource. Many very well known practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method in this video, some of whom talk about Moshe and their experiences of him on a celebratory tour of the places he lived and worked in Tel Aviv. Very touching little film and a way of feeling a little closer to the man for those of us who sadly didn’t meet him. I discovered the method in 1984 – the year he died. thanks to the makers of this for making it available to us all. click on title below:

A Journey through Tel Aviv

All About Difference

I know. I haven’t written a blog in ages. But I have a very good reason. Nick Hern publishers have commissioned me to write a book on Feldenkrais for actors and as I have to write it in between my public Feldenkrais practice, drama school teaching, running and karate training and attempting to be a half decent mother/spouse/sibling/friend to various different people, the book takes up all other available corners in my life.

So this will be short. Continue reading “All About Difference”

Karate Brown Belt: ‘Self-image’ and Strength

Brown belt grading  for me on monday evening. It feels significant. As Sensei Kevin says: from here you can smell the black belt. But that depends if I get through. I don’t think I ever imagined I would get this far. Now I can’t see myself giving up until I am just clearly too old. Not that I am looking forward to the actual grading: two hours of incredibly hard work which I am just hoping I manage without losing my wits, being overcome with exhaustion or my arms getting too battered to continue. Hopefully I will get through. If I do it will feel fantastic.

I haven’t written for a while. Partly because all my writing time is going into a book I have been commissioned to write on Feldenkrais for actors (very exciting) and partly because I still can’t write about martial arts in anything other than a personal journey kind of way as I am just not remotely an ‘authority’ and I didn’t have any more to say about it for a while. But recently Sensei Kevin asked me something about what I had learnt from Karate and how it was affecting my Feldenkrais work with clients and my Feldenkrais Trainer, Garet Newell, was curious about aspects of it too and as I think I am the only Feldenkrais Practitioner who does Karate (as opposed to other martial arts) I thought this grading was an interesting time to re-collect my thoughts around those good questions. Continue reading “Karate Brown Belt: ‘Self-image’ and Strength”