Why I Chose Movement

I started dancing when I was 3 years old, so I don’t really remember a time without movement being a part of what I do. I took classes in creative movement, tap dance, ballet, and even a little tumbling. As I grew, I was on dance competition teams, and frequently performed on stage. Even in the marching band, I was asked to demonstrate proper marching for others because I embodied good balance and a tight, precise technique. I loved performing as a dancer as well as an actor, but I soon realized that movement was not just something I did… it was a part of who I became. I didn’t realize that until I went some years without it.  When I realized how much I missed, I decided to never be without it again.

Though I had trained my whole life to be performance ready, I realized that movement by itself was the reward, not just the performance. Dance gave me my fullest capability to express myself- to say things without words, and to feel in a way I could never fully connect to without movement.

I decided to focus my life’s work in performance, but always… ALWAYS with movement. I got an AFA in Musical Theatre, a BA in Dance, and am just now finishing up my MFA in Theatre Education, but my focus has always been on movement. It’s what gives me life- it’s what feeds my soul. Along my journey, I started seeing that, even in performing on stage, it has become so much more about what we say than what we do. Of course, the written script usually comes first in any production. However, It is through posture, and character movement that helps an audience reach the subtext and the psyche of the characters. I see so many actors, including professional actors, who don’t know the value in movement for their characters. Movement is my specialty, and even in my acting classes, I teach movement as a base to first be in tune with one’s own instrument.

To act is to perform, to do, to embody, to engage and physically respond. It’s a wonder, then, that we worry so much about the words and basic blocking, but forget to take action. I have grown to understand that movement gives us presence of mind and presence of body. Self-expression happens more than just in our voice. But we’ve lost sight of it as actors. I am in a unique situation where my understanding of movement/dance and theatre go beyond the basics- where I can lead someone to understand they types of movements they lean to, but also how to open yourselves to different kinds of movement and use them all as tools for performance as well as to enrich your personal calm and presence.

We are all born with a body, an imperfect, yet beautiful body. It is our privilege to learn and grow as best as we can. Before we start schooling, we learn to reach, to smile, to cry, to control our limbs, to interact with the world around us. We are taught how to roll over, how to reach, how to crawl, how to hold a stuffed animal, or a spoon. We are taught and celebrated when we take our first steps. Then, it’s time to start official schooling, and movement time starts to be cut down. By the time we are in middle school, we are trained to sit and think all day, and be ashamed of our bodies. We stare at screens instead of interacting with others. We sit for most of the day. Even in schools, there is only 1 class that encourages movement. And the rest of the day, we expect students to sit down, and shut up, and are discouraged from moving, expressing, or disrupting the illusion that learning is a purely mental activity. Many careers continue in that same vein- that movement should not be a part of our every day lives… and yet it’s still one of the best ways to create an uplifting mental space, and the best way to create the best learning environment in our brains.

I consider it my personal mission to educate the public on the benefits of movement, and how everybody can include it more in their lives in a purposeful way. My favorite part of my work is to see my students physically grow in confidence and presence. I’ve had some students talk to me about how these classes have changed their lives, and have given them something positive to hold onto during personal difficulties, actors whose performance became even more powerful through using movement as a tool, and even dancers who learned the tools to help their good performances become personal and emotional ones and allowing them to connect with their audience.

It has long been a quote of mine that “if you can move, you can dance”. Understanding and working with movement unlocks personal connection and deeper understanding of the self. If you have any questions regarding the work that I do, feel free to email or call me at the information below, or sign up for a session or two on my website (TheStageCoach.Biz- almost up and running.)

Keep moving forward!

Michelle Black

801.404.8840 | Michelle@thestagecoach.biz