Acting Yoga (AY)

Acting Yoga (AY) is an unusual combination of two words in one name and, at first glance, is a paradoxical meeting of incompatible active aspirations. ​

Actor’s action is generally considered to be presentable, demonstrative, extroverted, and directed outwards, at people and at the world around, and Yoga with its many meanings—"union", "unity", "harmony", and "connection"—is a practice that directs our inner gaze and attention deep inside, into our very human being.

In our opinion, an actor's responsibility is primarily the operational management of their own means of expression, such as body plasticity, facial expressions, voice and emotions. It is self-directed leadership, developed personalism and an initiative directed towards oneself.

The AY is an educational and practical course developed at the acting School of Imagery and is one of the newest trends in the daily practice of actors/students. We believe it should become a necessary component of the training of actors/students of any modern acting school.​

AY training harmonises and operationally combines various actors’ external manifestations, primarily by bringing behaviour out of an automatic, unconscious mode into a conscious, controlled one. Control, in this case, is not an option that narrows, limits or in some way impoverishes the possible variety of manifestations, but "opens the eyes" to the entire system of actors' acting tools in its complex interaction.

The AY consists of pantomime, choreographic and statuary corporal practices, combined with breathing, voice, and other authorial techniques.​

In our concept, the AY is divided into four main parts:

1. Coordination gymnastics;

2. Body’s acoustic;

3. Emotional intelligence in action (or «zen of tension»*);

4. Work in non-equilibrium («gravitational sufism»*).

*We use the terms "yoga", "zen", and "sufism" respectfully, not in a religious context, but solely for their practical semantic value.

We believe that a modern acting school should not remain captivated by outdated ideas about acting education: endless acting sketches, intuitive improvisations, and amateur performances. That’s why AY is a part of the professional subject "Mathematics of Imagery" at our acting school. The AY is an organic part of our basic courses as an operative body practice that prioritises a personalised act over an intuitive one. In addition to the applied meaning, the AY has its own full-fledged, self-sufficient meaning of a separate discipline. We apply the AY both as part of our academic programmes and independently, as a training followed by further autonomous practice upon completion of an educational 1-month course.

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A practical researcher and creator of the unique education system for actors. The author of the "Versions Theatre" method and the corresponding educational program. Creator of many applied trainings for education, business, art, and life in general. Methodist and acting teacher.