ABSTRACT

Your Body Knows provides the foundation actors need to move with ease and power. It is a practical guide to movement starting at the very beginning: knowing your body and experiencing how it works.

Through the work of F.M. Alexander, Rudolf Laban, and Michael Chekhov, this book offers basic training in movement fundamentals. Its step-by-step process supports the actor's work in any acting or movement training program and as a working professional. The book focuses on three main areas of exploration:

  • Body facts – Know your body and its design for movement. Let go of misinformed ideas about your body. Move more freely, avoid injury, and develop a strong body-mind connection.

  • Movement facts – What is movement? Discover the movement fundamentals that can serve your art. Explore new ways of moving.

  • Creative Inspiration – Connect your body, mind, and imagination to liberate authentic and expressive character movement.

Your Body Knows: A Movement Guide for Actors is an excellent resource for acting students and their teachers, promoting a strong onstage presence and awakening unlimited potential for creative expression.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

part I|190 pages

Know Your Instrument (So You Can Really Play)

chapter |2 pages

Introduction to Part I

section Section I|32 pages

The Starting Place

chapter Chapter 1|9 pages

Your Motion Detector

chapter Chapter 2|8 pages

Your 3-Dimensional Body

chapter Chapter 3|11 pages

Your Moving Breath

chapter |3 pages

A Restful Break

Constructive Rest #I

part Section II|70 pages

You Are Designed for Movement

chapter Chapter 4|6 pages

Get to Know Your Joints

chapter Chapter 5|10 pages

Joint Connections in Your Head–Spine–Pelvis

chapter Chapter 6|11 pages

Joint Connections in Your Arm Structure

chapter Chapter 7|15 pages

Joint Connections in your Feet, Legs, and Pelvis

chapter Chapter 8|13 pages

Strong Bones, Dynamic Muscles

chapter Chapter 9|10 pages

Connecting Your Joints and Your Whole Body

chapter |3 pages

A Restful Break

Constructive Rest #2

part Section III|36 pages

What You Think Is What You Get

chapter Chapter 10|5 pages

Your Body-Mind Connection

chapter Chapter 11|18 pages

Body Myths vs. Anatomical Facts

chapter Chapter 12|11 pages

Your Primary Coordination

part Section IV|30 pages

Claiming Your Inner and Outer Space

chapter Chapter 13|11 pages

Your Inner Space

chapter Chapter 14|7 pages

Exploring “Outer Space”

chapter Chapter 15|11 pages

Inner and Outer Space

A Movement Partnership

part Section V|18 pages

Pathway to Presence

chapter Chapter 16|5 pages

Connecting Body, Mind, Breath, and Space

chapter Chapter 17|11 pages

Practicing Presence

part II|96 pages

Elements of Expression

chapter |3 pages

Introduction to Part II

chapter Section VI|32 pages

Authenticity and Commitment

chapter Chapter 18|7 pages

Authentic Impulse

Listening Within

chapter Chapter 19|8 pages

Your Body Leads The Way

chapter Chapter 20|14 pages

The Four Brothers

chapter Section VII|32 pages

Foundations

chapter Chapter 21|7 pages

Space

chapter Chapter 22|5 pages

Time

chapter Chapter 23|6 pages

Weight

chapter Chapter 24|6 pages

Flow

chapter Chapter 25|6 pages

Exploring the Efforts

part Section VIII|28 pages

Your Responsive Body, Mind, and Imagination

chapter Chapter 26|6 pages

Qualities of Movement

chapter Chapter 27|9 pages

Shape

chapter Chapter 28|6 pages

Spatial Tools

chapter Chapter 29|6 pages

Text and Your Responsive Body-Mind

part III|52 pages

Creative Practice

chapter |2 pages

Introduction to Part III

chapter Chapter 30|7 pages

Whole-body Warm-up

Staccato-Legato

chapter Chapter 31|14 pages

Movement, Character, and Relationships

Putting Principles and Skills Into Practice!

chapter Chapter 32|11 pages

Performing for an Audience

My Space, Your Space, Their Space

chapter Chapter 33|16 pages

Movement and Space

Creating the World of the Play