Feldenkrais for voice
Acting and Performance, Victoria Worsley
I am often asked about Feldenkrais for voice: does it help? Yes of course. That's the short answer. It tends to be actors who ask but also singers, teachers, public speakers and recently a trainee priest but it could be anyone: we all use our voices. I am not a voice coach as such, but I have worked in voice departments and done sessions for voice teachers and for singers of many kinds (including opera) and of course - actors. Kristin Linklater who wrote the book 'The Natural Voice' is......continue reading >>
2012-01-24
Feldenkrais Workshops in January
General, Victoria Worsley
January is a busy month! As well as the Queens Park morning on FEET (see previous blog), I am doing 'Mobilise the Spine' at the City Lit in central London, 10.15-5.15 on Saturday 21st Jan and 'The Architecture of Strength part 3' 10.30-4.00 at the Haelan Centre in Crouch End, North London on Sunday 29th Jan.
The City Lit is a fabulous institution offering adult training and education over a wide range of subjects. Its a wonder it hasn't......continue reading >>
2011-12-27
The Meaning of A Supple Chest
Acting and Performance, Victoria Worsley
Continual Professional Development has become a real buzz term and is a requirement of many professions. I have been asking myself what it means in relation to artistic professions, especially acting. Of course artists don't come in for this kind of regulation(!) - and mostly that makes sense because its not the same. If you are in a genuinely creative practice, the practice itself IS development. Just the act of doing it. Or it should be. Potentially there is a new artistic challenge......continue reading >>
2011-12-27
How Feldenkrais helps Running
Running and Sports, Victoria Worsley
I went to a day of the UKSEM (sports exercise and medicine) conference a few weeks ago and it has been churning round in my head since then. A really interesting exciting day. It was encouraging that over and over speakers said that the best way of training and best form varies according to the person or athlete. As a Feldenkrais Teacher that's good to hear. It was also really interesting to hear them all agree that we are moving away from thick cushioning, motion control, wedge heels and so......continue reading >>
2012-01-19
FEET
General, Victoria Worsley
On request, The Queens Park monthly Saturday Morning Feldenkrais on Jan 14th will be on the theme of FEET. It came up in the break this month because so much is going on with people's feet, from crossing toes and over-pronation to plantar fasciitis. Interestingly, every lesson we do does in fact impact on how you use your feet. If you study with me, you may well have noticed because I often start the lessons standing to feel exactly that: how your feet meet the ground. But in doing that weare......continue reading >>
2011-12-14
Getting Rid of Rules
Acting and Performance, Victoria Worsley
One of the best things about Feldenkrais for actors is that there are no rules. Its all about exploration and not at all about 'do it like this'. Of course there are better and worse ways to do anything but it depends from person to person (we all have different structures and a different starting point) and according to what we want to do. Nothing is true for everyone all the time and certainly not true for all characters you want to play either! Opening your chest may be great for running......continue reading >>
2011-12-20
THE SET-UP
Acting and Performance, Victoria Worsley
As an actor I used what I learnt from Feldekrais a great deal. Not always consciously, but it informed how I went about things, how I could feel myself and use myself. And now as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and movement teacher, how I did that is much clearer to me. So a blog seems a good idea. I have a piece on the website about the relationship of Feldenkrais to acting, and I don't intend to replicate it here, but this is a space to flesh out some of......continue reading >>
2011-12-12
A Couple of Nice Discoveries
Running and Sports, Victoria Worsley
I started out on a run a couple of days ago that felt very bad. I felt tired and heavy and cursed myself for just not finding the time to run enough lately (whatever enough is - it seems to vary for me). I have noticed that on days I feel heavy it is often because my upper back and chest are just not helping out so my pelvis can't function so well and then, since you need your upper back and chest to help the pelvis to turn enough to let the leg move forward and back, and for the arms to move......continue reading >>
2011-12-12
The Starting Line: Why I Run Without Shoes
Running and Sports, Victoria Worsley
For two and a bit years I wrote a kind of a blog (or a rather one-way discussion) on the discussion page of my Feldenkrais Works Facebook page about my progress with running in vibrams/barefoot - until Facebook removed all discussion pages a month ago and I lost it all. So I have moved this 'sort of blog' out of the semi-seclusion of Facebook (where I still have my page going if you fancy visiting) to the rather scarey open places of the worldwide web.
But before I just continue......continue reading >>
2011-12-13
Blog it Baby
General, Victoria Worsley
Up until a few months ago there were discussion pages on Facebook - and I used them on my Feldenkrais Works page to answer questions that had come up in sessions and lessons and to document my experiment with running barefoot/in vibrams and what I could learn about myself and about running from it. But about a month ago Facebook deleted all the discussion pages. Apparently they gave us all warning but I guess I must have missed it. I moaned on my wall about it and people were helpful with ideas......continue reading >>
2011-12-12
