Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Stillness Pt. 2

Stillness shouldn't be confused with "low energy."

Having low energy is like driving your car around with the gas tank needle almost on "E." You may or may not have gotten to your destination, but -- guess what? -- the trip was pretty stressful too...

Isn't it amazing how many different ways we can find to take the fun out of performing?

What we really want to do is align our sense of stillness with the focus needed by an Olympic gymnast or weightlifter just prior to competing.

Focus and stillness are required for Olympic tasks. There is a job ahead. Now is the time to pull it all together and do something incredibly special.

In individual sports like gymnastics, weightlifting and singing, wasted motion is inefficient and unsustainable. Wasted motion can also lead to injury.

So, even in a vocal warm-up, moving our heads up and down on every note, flailing our hands and arms about, standing on our toes to hit the high notes, tweaking our heads to the left or right to do something or other; all serve to diffuse our focus of our human, living instrument.

For the athlete/singer it begins internally. To be world class, to gain that gold medal; body, mind and spirit must pull together to perform as a single unit.

If any of those three elements are absent, the best we can hope for is second place.

And whether we're auditioning for musical theatre or doing eight shows a week on Broadway, second place ain't it....!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Stillness

We're at a musical of some sort or other.

It's the "Eleventh Hour" song.

Someone is going to sing something very important.

Some character is going to turn it around for themselves, finally coming to the realization that their approach to life, a relationship or an ideal was fatally flawed and now is the time to make a change.

This a pivotal moment.

Someone is going to "put together the pieces" right before our very eyes.

Watch.

And learn "stillness."
Various Artists - Musical Beans: Animal Songs for Children