listening with the bones

A pleasure to have one of my teachers from Shakespeare & Co., of my hometown, Lenox, MA, here in SF to lead a weekend workshop with local actors.

As a witness during the workshop, it was so beautiful to watch the rapid transformations as actors were guided by Dennis towards their personal connection with the Shakespeare text. An honor to witness the breakthroughs and full body experiences of the Word.

Many reminders and new discoveries…

Ever centering back to the breath. The source of all things.

That the thought is carried on the breath. Follow the emotion, the thought, from breath to breath. Let it change with each breath. Without anticipating what will come next, let the breath do the work. Let the breath carry you.

The bones as the resonating material for vibration.

Listening with my bones.

Letting my vibration penetrate the bones of others.

This way we don’t have to work to listen. When we speak with the whole body, when we speak with the whole of our being, we can likewise listen with the whole body, with whole of our being.

Why Shakespeare?

These characters living at the extremity of their beings; they are models for living to the greatest amplitude possible.

Everything is possible within the realm of human experience. These characters are vessels for plumbing the depths of human potential. If I can come to taste and know a glimmer of these human states, I might inch closer towards a greater understanding of what it means to be human. This process may make blame impossible.

If everything is possible within ME, then there really is no OTHER, no monster outside.

This is one step towards real justice.

The knowledge that we are the same.

The willingness to see myself in the eyes in another, despite all that may be in the way. This is the walk towards peace - the dissolution of blame and persecution, that grows from understanding and compassion.

(SF weekend workshop with Shakespeare & Company director of training, Dennis Krausnick took place at The French-American International School in SF)

www.shakespeare.org