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The History of the Method
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"The best method of teaching is that which, from the start, offers the pupil a problem that neither his memory nor his instinct for imitation can help him solve it."
The method represented in our site with books, articles, and video classes is relatively new to American Theater education. It dated back to the experiments of Francois Delsarte and E. Jaques-Dalcroze in the 19th century. Independently, these two educators (one was a French singing and declamation teacher and the other a Swiss musician) came up with the idea that professional actors should be trained specifically in Movement and Rhythmics. For half a century, Dalcroze's method called "Eurhythmics" gained great popularity in Europe and America, and he predicted that the Theatre would develop to heights never before seen. "This will lead, he wrote, "to the call for a psycho-physical training based on natural rhythms cult. Guided by the collective will – working, maybe, subconsciously – will fill an increasingly important part in civilized life. A great Russian actor/educator/director, Konstantin Stanislavsky, has created his System for training a well-rounded actor, which utilized and further developed these two innovators' discoveries regarding the actor's expressive body. In Stanislavsky-based schools and studios, Dalcroze and Delsarte's exercises were a must for all students. But even so, there was no specific subject called Stage Movement.
In the 20th century, this necessity finally materialized through the work of two Russian pedagogues I. S. Ivanov in Moscow and Ivan Kokh in Leningrad. Ivanov and then Kokh summarized all the experience in movement training, including the recommendations of K. Stanislavsky. After many years of teaching the subject, each came up with a textbook. Ivanov's book "Education of Actor's Movement" was mainly a collection of thoroughly selected exercises. Kokh's "The Basics of Stage Movement" and exercises included the theory and the methodology of teaching the subject. The latter's well-rounded method proved to be beneficial for many generations of acting students.
Edward Rozinsky studied and worked with I. Kokh for many years, further developing his ideas, particularly in the area of Mime. Since Mr. Rozinsky came to the US, this method's teaching has undergone many changes and adjustments. They were made mainly in music selection, texts, and songs used for the exercises, to bring it closer to American ethics and aesthetics. Prof. Rozinsky has incorporated all the experience and knowledge to create a harmonious and scientifically based Method, the Stage Movement.
Teaching the Stage Movement in the US for the past 40 years, Mr. Rozinsky has been convinced that it works fine with American students. Moreover, being adjusted to various cultures and traditions, this method can be beneficial to students anywhere. It is based on modern concepts of human psychology and absorbs the experience of leading educators of the past century.
The textbooks "Essential Stage Movement," "Essential Stage Fencing," and Virtual Instructor Course are only a part of the subject. Still missing are Period Movement, Stage Falls, and Stage Unarmed Combat. Edward Rozinsky also considers developing a Mime technique course as another skill in stylized movement, akin to Dance for the Actor.
