Introduction to Embodied Meaning
Join us for Embodied Meaning
a FREE one-hour Introduction to our course in Effoert Theory for Directors, Choreographers, Actors, and Dancers!
Exploring and embodying a character doesn’t need to feel like you have been personally exposed to the rehearsal room every time you run a scene.
It doesn’t have to excavate your personal history in order to generate authenticity and emotional resonance.
It doesn’t need to be a frustrating game of translation between performer and director in order to find common ground.
Embodied Menaing Intro is a one-hour online preview class open to anyone interested in learning more about this course or how Laban’s Effort Theory can be applied to Directing, Choreography, Dramaturgy, and more.This is a chance to dip your toes into the deep well of information that is Laban’s Effort Theory, particularly as applied to Theater. Taught by sought-after LIMS faculty member and Theater Director/Choreographer Alexandra Beller.
During this 60-minute virtual introduction class, you will learn some key ideas of using EFFORT THEORY to create characters, develop your range of expression, deepen your functionality in both movement and vocal dynamics and support a safer, healthier environment in the rehearsal and performance realms.
Enter your name and below to reserve your spot in one of our upcoming Intro to Embodied Meaning workshops with Alexandra Beller.
Effort Theory has applications in:
- Dance
- Theater
- Intimacy choreography
- Fight choreography
- Therapeutics
- Sports
- Personal Growth
- Pedagogy
- Spirituality
- Politics
- Relationships
- Creative Process
- Developmental Psychology
- And more!
Here’s how this FREE review class works…
You will get a link to sign on for a one-hour session that will cover:
You will get a link to sign on for a one-hour session. This class will provide an overview of the course Embodied Menaing, with games, tools and tips being offered in this Intro class. We will also answer any questions you may have about the course itself, starting May 1.
Alexandra will include discussion, review, movement and Q and A time.
About Your Teacher
Alexandra holds a BFA/Dance (University of MI), MFA/Dance (University of WI at Milwaukee), and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) in Laban Movement Studies (LIMS). She is on faculty at Princeton University, Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, and guest teaches nationally and internationally. She has been actively teaching both private and group Bartenieff Fundamentals classes for 7 years. Previous bodywork training includes Massage Therapy, Gyrotonics, and Breathwork.
Alexandra is also a Choreographer and Director for Theater, and has worked on numerous Off Broadway and regional shows as a Movement Director and Choreographer. She is the Artistic Director of Alexandra Beller/Dances, a company that produces workshops in Somatics, Creative Process, and Performance and Praxispace, an artistic community.
FAQ
Q: What if I’m not a dancer?
A: You absolutely do not need to identify as a dancer to do this work. This is about YOUR body, in whatever state, with whatever limitations, training, and history it has. This is about YOU, not some ideal we are aspiring towards. While you can use this material in dance, you can also use it in facial expression, vocal dynamics, screenwriting, script analysis, and everyday conversations. You can use this to negotiate with your boss, to do homework with you kid, to clean your house more efficiently.
Q: If I learn this as a director, but my performers don’t know the system, how can it be useful?
A: The language is very simple. In the end, you can use the words, or make up new ones, to bring the actor towards quickness, or binding. The hard part is seeing it, and that is what this course will teach.
Q: I have a process I already use. I don’t want to give it up, but I am curious about this. Is it going to conflict with what I already do?
A: This will not conflict with any other system. All we are doing is organizing what already happens inside human function and expression so that you can make clearer and more conscious choices. It will only fold in and serve what you are doing, or become its own process for you. It may, however, make your current practices feel easier, less freighted, and more inclusive.
“Learning Laban’s Effort Theory from Alexandra Beller has profoundly changed my practice as a director and educator. Sharing the language of Laban with my staff, performers, and students has provided the tools to create safe, artistic, educational, and collaborative environments. Beforethis course,, I often struggled with how to empower, rather than manipulate, performers into the choices that best serve the production. Sharing the language of Laban provides everyone in the room with the tools to communicate succinctly and clearly about the qualities of the work, separated from the performer. This not only ensures a safe and non-violent atmosphere but also empowers artists with the tools to communicate effectively in future collaborative spaces.”
-Megan Doyle, Director of Theatre, 92nd St Y
More about Embodied Meaning, the full course HERE.