Jeff is a tall lanky fella, he says 6’3”, but I believe he’s 6’7”
He’s physically awkward. Knocking a hole in stage drywall, breaking our mailing-list box, and injuring himself on our new stage brick wall.
I asked Jeff how many things he’s broken. The list was shorter than I thought it would be. However, the point is similar to his perceived height. He moves and acts taller, more awkward and more accident prone than he is. He’s not an intimidating guy, but you find yourself flinching if he gestures.
The other night we were practicing dancing. I have a goal for my troupe this year to improve their physicality on stage and I think that dancing is a great way to lay a good foundation for that.
We were creating “new” dances based on random suggestions (“the Toaster!” “the Flamingo!”, etc.)
Jeff got the dance “the Flag.”
He created a simple movement with arms flapping out to the side like a flag. Then a knee bend for the flag to go up and down the pole.
There’s something about having his feet planted as the “pole” that centered the dance. I compared him to a giant lever.
He accomplished more by moving less. Smaller, tighter, specific movements.
The advice; Move less, and show more. Later he did a scene involving boxing, which would’ve been a dangerous idea previously, however this time his character was controlled, specific, and hilarious.
I’m not suggesting performers move less. I’m suggesting performers move specifically.