One day...

It does not seem entirely coincidental that all the Fionas I have come across in my life have looked very much the same; fair, blondish hair, freckly, patchy skin, intense eyes...this is so bizarre, but something i began pondering upon meeting my third teacher at NIDA. This Fiona had straw coloured hair, short and not especially straight, but definitely not curly. Her skin was pale, her eyes large, and her broad shoulders that tapered off into muscly arms spurred speculation regarding her regularity as a human being. Incredibly toned, with an impeccable posture, her body screamed athlete. As it turned out, an ex-dancer to be precise, who now taught choreography and the mechanics of movement to both dancers and actors.

To say last night's session was physical is an understatement. But it was brilliant. She guided us through the importance of movement and the effect it has on a character. We walked around in our own shoes, firstly becoming self aware of the way we walk, where we hold tension, what leads our bodies and where we hold our weight. Then we followed a fellow classmate, emulated their stride, picking up on all the same points and pondering what we felt like in terms of character and personality. Then we walked leading from a succession of different body parts, and with those different parts came connotations of characters and moods. My favourite part of the evening was exploring the Seven Stages of Tension, created by Jacques le Cox, and through this method I discovered how important it is for every element of the body to be engaged in the emotion of the character. Self must be stripped away. We ended by practising the monologues we had been given, by pacing our way through the different stages of tension we thought to be applicable to the character's headspace and lines.

I came away utterly exhausted but completely inspired and impacted. During the Seven Stages of Tension, I was able to re-visit some experiences of my past; the death of my grandparents, the lovey dovey feeling I get when listening to a gooey song, the anxiety I experienced when first moving here, the professionalism I must practise whilst in the workplace, or writing a formal letter to someone, the passion I feel about acting itself, and the outrage that pulses through my body when I learn of injustices that ravage the planet. I felt so alive. I felt capable of pursing this art-form. This is the first time I have truly felt this way. And it's wonderful.

Today a colleague of mine and I were chatting about life and it's liquorice all-sorts tendencies. I asked her whether on a Sunday night she was either "uggh. work tomorrow" or "work tomorrow. cool." Straight away she chose the second option. She then proceeded with "life's too short not to like where you work." Couldn't agree more. I just hope that one day, like her, I'll be sitting on the couch on a Sunday evening thinking that second option, instead of the first.

happy weekend everyone. xx