So much of the time, we hold ourselves back. We hold back from emotional or potentially hurtful situations. We hold back from getting involved in other people’s business. We’ve developed strategies for getting back to a “normal” place when things get too out of hand. For some, the strategy is to laugh it off, for others shutting down is the option and moving away from whatever is causing the uncomfortableness.
Of course, none of this is very helpful in acting, where the actor is expected to go through the emotion, not avoid it! So how do you do this?
Something that came up in last night’s class was the idea of getting the energy flowing in order to move past the block that we put up. For one student, even moving in the “wrong” direction (dealing with how frustrated he was about being in his head) ended up being positive because it got him moving. From standing it is almost impossible to go into some connected, meaningful place. But it is possible if you’re already moving in some direction.
Another helpful thing to do is, if you’re working on a repetition exercise, repeat quickly, with equal or more energy than you’re getting from your partner. Once you start repeating quickly (meaning, remove the pause we take to consider what is coming in), it is possible for you to repeat without deciding how to do it. The energy starts to flow back and forth once you get out of your own way. And once the energy starts to flow, surprising behavior starts to emerge. Take that behavior personally and you’re on your way!
Be careful, though. Repeating quickly isn’t the same thing as robotically or by rote. As I said, repeating quickly means take the pause out that comes between hearing the other person say something and you repeating it back. Another thing that will help this is really saying what you’re saying. It doesn’t matter how you say it, as long as you’re really saying things.