ABSTRACT
The conductor is looking at and conversing with the ensemble. In performance theory terms, the conductor's action is eliciting. The use of excessive movement and/or excessive effort is reassuring to the conductor, making him or her feel like they are doing a really good job. Without an open focus that will allow their entire body to coordinate and that includes their entire being, many conductors can go years without noticing the self-inflicted stillness that they place on their bodies. Conductor's default implies that the conductor is consistently starting in more or less the same way regardless of the character of the music. Since coordination and counterbalance is at the core of and requisite to expressive conducting, holding a part of the body in a position to correct or solve a problem can never work. Wandering on the podium is actually a result of not having enough of the body moving.
