Core Skill in focus: Self Expression
What is self expression?
The idea of self expression can bring a lot of things to mind, such as: clothing and hair style, voice and words, body language, and more. These are all important elements of understanding who we are and how we share that with the world. At The Drama Spot we focus on two main vehicles of self expression: voice and body. How can we share our thoughts, feelings, and inner self through the words we use and the way our body language mimics them? And what do our choice of words, or the way we move and talk convey to others?
How do we use it in theatre?
As a whole, theatre is a wonderful form of self expression. It allows us to tap into our thoughts and feelings and figure out how to communicate them with the audience. You may have heard it said that an actor’s instrument is their Self (which includes body, voice, and mind). Just like a musician, we need to know the most effective way to use and play our instrument. Actors need to know when to speak, whether because it’s their line or they feel so inspired. We also need to know how to let our body language do the talking, which is just as important. Expressing characterization, inner thoughts, and intense feelings through both the voice and body takes a performance to the next level. At all levels, it is also important to know how to take care of your instrument and ensure you are using it in a healthy and sustainable way.
Why is it important in life?
Every time we catch a glimpse of someone expressing their true self we are seeing a beautiful thing. Knowing who you are and how to communicate it is something that takes a lot of practice! Being able to use your voice to share what’s going on in your mind allows those around you to see a piece of you. If we can work towards knowing and expressing ourselves, we can get one step closer to being who we strive to be.
How can I bring this skill home?
There are many different approaches we can take at home to inspire our children to work on self expression. Since we are focusing on voice and body at The Drama Spot, we can carry these focus topics into our homes. Here are some suggestions for each age:
Tots and Pre-K: Next time you are in the car as a family, turn off the Spotify playlist and explore your kiddo’s thought-process. Asking specific questions like “what do you see outside?” or “which of these ____ is your favorite” can prompt some interesting answers. Asking follow up questions may spur a narrative to rival any great author. Asking structured questions (instead of the open-ended “how was your day?”) allows your kiddo to think more about their answer than the question. This is a wonderful platform for them to express their thoughts using their voice!
Elementary School: Pose the challenge of having a conversation without words together. Use only body language and facial expression to express your words instead!
Middle School: Ask your kiddo what their favorite piece of clothing is that they own and have them use their voice to explain to you how it helps them express themselves.
High School: Declare a movie night. But there’s a twist - your student gets to pick 5 movie options. Without telling you what they are, they have to describe each one to you using the self-expression method of your/their choice. It could be an interpretive dance, an improvised song, a single word, a color… whatever you can think of! Based on their responses, you pick one to eliminate. Then you move to round 2 with the remaining 4 movie options. This round has a different mode of expression. You continue this way until you have the winner! (Fair warning: You might have so much fun with this game that you never even make it to watching a movie!)
