How does your character breathe? How we breathe can say a lot about us. If we’re in distress, we tend to breathe faster or harder. If we’re relaxed, our breathing slows and softens. Breathwork has become quite the buzzword…
Building characters from the ground up, one movement at a time.
Animal work Character Movement Work
Pfeiffer’s Catwoman: An amazing study in character movement evolution
In honor of International Woman’s Day, I asked my Instagram community at @kstroller what some of their favorite female-presenting character movement performances were. One brought up a phenomenal example that I embarrassingly hadn’t thought of in a long time.…
Warming up your body before a performance is critical for the actor. There are acting warm ups aplenty out there and each teacher will have their own spin on the classics. So, whether you warm up with the rest…
We all make mistakes. I’ve made plenty in my life so far, and I know there’s more to come. It’s how we learn. It’s how we grow. But, as an actor and character movement coach, there’s one acting mistake…
Acting toolbox Body Awareness Character Movement Work
Why it’s important for actors to understand body language
As an actor, body language is an essential tool in your toolbox. Not only does it bring awareness to how you slate or behave outside your performances in an audition setting, but it also sheds light on the characters…
Acting toolbox Body Awareness Character Movement Work
Actors: Do your hands have a mind of their own?
As an actor, I bet, at some point, you’ve said: “I don’t know what to do with my hands!” If you haven’t, then I’m sure you’ve heard another actor say it. Now, there are many ways our hands like…
Acting toolbox Character Movement Work
Posture: a simple yet powerful tool for character construction
How we carry our bodies says a lot about us. Therefore, as actors, how we construct how our character moves is an essential tool for portraying a well-rounded, real-life human. The popular blog, Stagemilk, wrote a great post about…
Character Movement Work Character study Labanotation
Topsy & Bopsy: successful storytelling through movement
Topsy and Bopsy from HBO’s Lovecraft Country, portrayed by Kaelynn Gobert-Harris and Bianca Brewton, are easily some of the most incredible movement performances I’ve seen in a long, long while. To put it plainly, they’re absolutely terrifying. So, if…
Acting toolbox Character Movement Work Labanotation
12 Unique ways to use habits for daily character movement work
Truth: it’s challenging to build the habit of working on your acting each day. Especially given the busy lives we lead. To truly further your craft, some may say that you have to work at it for hours a…
Acting toolbox Animal work Character Movement Work Labanotation
Does your character have a bird counterpart?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about lizards. Well, about animals in general really, and how animal work can help develop a character movement signature. I had a lot of fun writing that post, so I wanted to bring…