Mike wrote:
> instead of trying to convey what you are feeling, you should be
> presenting the material that caused you to feel that way, allowing the
> audience to react freely which, may or may not be the same as you reacted.
think of it this way: if you just tasted a wonderful dessert that you wished to
share with a friend, you would give them a piece of the dessert, not one of your
taste buds.
>
> in the performance of a piece of music, it is what the audience feels
that is important, not what you feel. you already had those feelings when you
first heard the piece. you are telling of the feelings, not experiencing them
now. in the telling, it matters not whether or not you feel anything. you
remember how it feels and you can still describe it. another analogy: if you
were giving someone a massage, you should not be the one saying "ah, that feels
great!", you should be the one doing the work so the receiver of the massage
says "ah, that feels great!"
>
+++++
In my book, this is absolutely right on the money! As a student of Wes Balk,
master teacher of the singer-actor, I came to understand that the singer-actor
must develop the technical skills to portray the feelings called for by the
text/music, so that the audience receives the message and responds. It is not
necessary for the singer-actor to be "in the mood" in order to do a fine
performance. In fact, some of my best performances have happened when I
personally felt a little less involved emotionally. However, Wes points out
that we can work from inner to outer as well as from outer to inner. Wherever
we start, we can get to the other place through the process of "doing our work"
(or our play, as Wes would prefer to call it). Sometimes, when I am not "in the
mood," I become more emotionally connected as I experience using my skills and
involving myself in the text/music. Other times, when I really feel emotionally
connected at the beginning of the piece, I can bring that to the delivery -- but
I still have to use the same communication skills, because the audience cannot
read my mind or heart. They only experience through what they can see and hear.
---
Dr. Diane M. Clark, Assoc. Prof. of Music
Dept. of Music, Rhodes College
2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112
http://www.rhodes.edu
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