Freedom of Movement and Stillness: using the space
When Dr. Drew Ramsey asked me if we could get a couch for his Charlottesville TEDx Talk, I jumped for joy! YES! Of course! And when he requested a couch he could walk on, I knew I was going to love working with him. Just having a couch on the stage gave Drew so much: it created a sense of place, his office; it rooted us in the roles of therapist and client; and it gave him a physical journey and a destination. He did not just sit on the couch, he lay down to ponder, he walked along the edge, reminding us that he was balancing ideas, he jumped on the seats, reminding us that all new ideas spring from creative play.
Movement that is habitual, stuck, repetitive, affected, keeps our communication stuck. Watch out for:
Pacing
Meandering, wandering
Backing up (in life, we only back up if a tiger is approaching—it’s OK to turn our backs to the audience)
Both walking and standing still are wonderful! We just want to make sure we are moving with purpose and clarity.
In order to cultivate freedom of movement, start here…
GET TO KNOW THE SPACE
Walk the space, the whole space, get to know it. And I mean, all of it! Not just the stage or podium, walk into the audience, the entrances and exits, stand in the way back and see how those in the the cheap seats view you. This WHOLE SPACE is yours to play with! If you want to use the aisles, the balcony, ask the tech crew for light and sound. Be proactive! They can always say no, but in my experience, the tech crew is happy for a challenge and a change. They want to support the speakers and give the audience a gift.
DITCH THE PODIUM
If possible, get a mic that moves with you so you are not stuck behind the podium. Podiums block 2/3 of our bodies from the audience and lock us in place. When possible, ask to have it removed or use the space in front of it. If you want to have your text close-by as a safety net, use a music stand off to the side so you can wander over and peek if you need to. Ironically, just having the text within peripheral view often negates its need. Music stands are wonderful—they don’t block our bodies, they are light and can be folded up and tossed into car trunks or tied to bicycle racks. I always have one on hand!
REHEARSE
Remember, rehearsal is like adding layer upon layer of paint, each layer may seem awkward or blunt, but together create an alive product. We add the layers in rehearsal and forget about them in performance. They remain embodied.
If possible, rehearse IN the space. If that is not possible, find a space of similar size, set it up as close to the performance space as possible, and rehearse out-loud, with movement.
Run the talk STOPPING and CHANGING DIRECTION every time there would be a punctuation mark—every comma, period, colon.
Run the talk STANDING STILL while speaking and MOVING in silence during transitions.
Run the talk MOVING while talking and STANDING STILL to punctuate transitions.
Move with PURPOSE. Use the movement to illustrate, orchestrate, punctuate the text.
Here is a short video illustrating a simple way to use movement.