Your Body Knows

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.

Meade Andrews, PhD, is an internationally recognized, senior teacher of the Alexander Technique. She is a certified member of the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSat) and Alexander Technique International (ATI). She teaches Movement for Actors to students and professionals, and has served as a movement coach for over 40 theatrical productions. She is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique and has also done an extensive study of the work of Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff with Carol Boggs, CMA. Former director of the Dance Program at American University in Washington, DC, Meade also taught at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC for 20 years, offering classes in acting, improvisation, and Alexander Technique. With her colleague, Jeanne Feeney, she won the Helen Hayes Award for choreographing the Studio Theatre's 30th anniversary revival of HAIR. She currently teaches and coaches performers at Rider University, and the Westminster Choir College, located in Princeton, NJ. She has taught numerous workshops in the Alexander Technique for actors, dancers, singers, and musicians throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. Jana Tift, MFA, has taught movement for actors in academic and professional settings for over 20 years. Certified to teach the Alexander Technique, the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, and Amrit Yoga, she has led workshops and coached actors and singers throughout the US and abroad. Ms. Tift taught movement in the graduate Acting program at Florida Atlantic University for ten years. She also served on the faculty at New World School of the Arts. A student of Rudolf Laban's work for many years, Ms. Tift is a founding member of the Labanites of South Florida, a collective of movement specialists dedicated to the study and promotion of Laban's work. An award-winning director, she has been a Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Artist-in-Residence at Hendrix College and an artist-in-residence at The Ragdale Foundation. She is a teaching member of Alexander Technique International (ATI) and a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Ms. Tift holds an MFA in Theatre from Florida State University.

Acknowledgments Introduction PART I Know Your Instrument (So You Can Really Play) Section I The Starting Place Chapter 1 Your Motion Detector Chapter 2 Your 3-Dimensional Body Chapter 3 Your Moving Breath A Restful Break: Constructive Rest #1 Section II You Are Designed for Movement Chapter 4 Get to Know Your Joints Chapter 5 Joint Connections in Your Head-Spine-Pelvis Chapter 6 Joint Connections in Your Arm Structure Chapter 7 Joint Connections in your Feet, Legs, and Pelvis Chapter 8 Strong Bones, Dynamic Muscles Chapter 9 Connecting Your Joints and Your Whole Body A Restful Break: Constructive Rest #2 Section III What You Think Is What You Get Chapter 10 Your Body-Mind Connection Chapter 11 Body Myths vs. Anatomical Facts Chapter 12 Your Primary Coordination Section IV Claiming Your Inner and Outer Space Chapter 13 Your Inner Space Chapter 14 Exploring "Outer Space" Chapter 15 Inner and Outer Space: A Movement Partnership Section V Pathway to Presence: Putting It All Together Chapter 16 Connecting Body, Mind, Breath, and Space Chapter 17 Practicing Presence PART II Elements of Expression Section VI Authenticity and Commitment Chapter 18 Authentic Impulse: Listening Within Chapter 19 Your Body Leads The Way Chapter 20 The Four Brothers Section VII Foundations Chapter 21 Space Chapter 22 Time Chapter 23 Weight Chapter 24 Flow Chapter 26 Qualities of Movement Chapter 27 Shape Chapter 28 Spatial Tools Chapter 29 Text and Your Responsive Body-Mind PART III Creative Practice Chapter 30 Whole-body Warm-up: Staccato-Legato Chapter 31 Movement, Character, and Relationships: Putting Principles and Skills Into Practice! Chapter 32 Performing for an Audience: My Space, Your Space, Their Space Chapter 33 Movement and Space: Creating the World of the Play Conclusion List of Key Words and Key Practices Appendix I - Practices for Further Exploration Appendix II - The Movement Pioneers Bibliography Index