Musical Theatre: Movement Techniques

Develop your ability to freely and easily use your body to help tell the story of a character, using practical techniques that give you confidence and allow the essence of your character to emerge.

In this course, you'll explore dance movement and physical character work, learning a series of foundational dance moves and practice routines designed to help you think about and use your body in a whole new way—as an instrument that you fully inhabit to deliver powerful, expressive performances.

Movement can mean the connection of steps to a particular piece of music or it can mean the freedom of being able to move confidently within a scene or a song. Physicality typically means a character’s physical presence and how that character moves through space. This course will help you gain confidence in both of these two areas to enhance your overall ability on stage. In addition to this practical exploration, you will also learn about the history of movement in theatre, so you have important context and reference points for all that you are doing.

What you will learn:

✔ Apply techniques that improve your movement abilities in general and musical movement abilities specifically    
✔ Use exercise routines to enhance your movement ability    
✔ Explore iconic performances in which actors have used physicality and movement to portray their characters    
✔ Apply research, observation, and an understanding of your own physicality to make choices about who you are portraying and how they move through space    
✔ Perform a scene, song, or monologue using the movement techniques covered in the course in preparation for your next audition

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What you need to participate:

• Computer or mobile device with Internet. Internet speed must be at least 1.5Mbps download and 800Kbps upload. For students using a mobile device, download the Canvas mobile app and select “Interlochen Online” as your school.
• Comfortable clothing (form-fitting tops and sweatpants that allow you to move freely)
• Small open space (6 ft. by 6 ft.) in which to practice exercise and movement routines
• Chair
• Optional: Yoga mat

How the course works:

Interlochen Online courses are designed to be inspiring and flexible, with weekly learning units that combine video segments and guided instruction that you can complete on your own schedule during the week. You will interact regularly with your teacher and peers inside the learning environment. 

You can also participate in an optional weekly hour-long video class meeting, where you can learn from the teacher and interact with your classmates in real-time. At the beginning of the course, you will complete a survey indicating your preferred times for the class meeting. The teacher will make every effort to identify a meeting time that works for everyone. The teacher will also post recordings of the meetings and you can view them when it is convenient. 

The goal is that you walk away not only with practical skills and friendships, but that you are inspired and motivated to pursue your art and realize your potential.