I’ve been a character movement teacher and coach for about four years now. But, I’ve been practicing a great deal longer, since my days in college back in 2004.
Bottom line, I believe movement work is a staple in any performer’s toolbox. It opens us up to foster our imaginations for the characters we play. An added bonus is it also gives us insights into our own bodies. Because one always seems to inform the other, doesn’t it?
My movement story (briefly)
So, this is the short story version of how I got sucked in by the beauty of character movement work. Granted, I’d done movement all throughout my childhood through modern dance, but, that was dance, this was a whole new level.
It was when I was in a movement class that was a part of the acting conservatory I was in. The previously mentioned college days of 2004. What we were doing that day was looking at how we as people, not characters, stood naturally. Just standing, nothing special. Sounds simple, right?
Every person and therefore every actor has their own natural way of being. And as I stood there, having other students observe how I stood, (other than being super self-conscious, not gonna lie), something key was pointed out to me.
When I stand, my head naturally leans a bit to the right. Never would have noticed unless it was pointed out to me! I kid you not, my teacher had a fellow student stand behind me, held my head straight, and asked me to recite one of my monologues. I completely lost my train of thought! My body was doing something it considered completely unnatural.
This is the moment I realized movement work was key for the performer.
What I do as a character movement coach
I’ve taught both one time and six week movement classes that focus on body awareness and introducing building blocks for character movement work. I lead students through various exercises to unlock their bodies potentioal for developing characters that are physically different from themselves.
As a coach, I’ve worked on productions that require specific attention to movement. For either an individual character, or, the world of the project.
I’ve taught and coached a range of ages from 8 to 80 and what always continues to delight and inspire me is seeing how getting out of one’s mind and into the body unlocks a new level of play in performance.
I also provide one-on-one coaching for those who wish to take their character movement work to the next level on a focused individual workshop level.
But don’t just read about me…take a look!
Here’s what others are saying…
“I had the pleasure of working with Katherine for a show I was directing that required an actor to move as if they had burns all over their body. Katherine used her expertise to tell a story of pain and healing in the body. I also appreciate how collaborative she was with myself as the director, as well as the actors.”
-Liz Frederick, Big Idea Theatre, Ugly Lies the Bone, 2019
“In a recent play, I was cast in multiple roles and was having a hard time making each character distinct. Katherine really opened my eyes to the importance of movement – not only how it enlivens your performance, but how it adds a crucial layer of specificity that gives your character much more depth and identity. It’s like she’s revealed a long-lost secret to me, and my acting has made a huge leap forward because of it. Katherine’s awesome!”
-Jeffrey Machado, actor
Curious to learn more?
Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding upcoming classes or to inquire about me joining a project you’re working on. All of this being said, the current pandemic, lockdowns, and safety precautions have definitely put a dent in the work I do. I therefore will not be having any in-person classes in the near future. However, I am working towards bringing my work to the online spaces.