Movement director
A movement director creates physical vocabularies through actor movement in various production settings, including theatre, television, film, opera, fashion, and animation.
Background
[edit source]Movement directors work closely with directors and performers, collaborating with the creative team to realize the physical life of the work. They propose a physical language to performers and directors, and devise training methods or teach skills that will help facilitate a specific physical style. The movement director may create and research information about etiquette, proxemics, gestural language, social codes, a character's condition (related to medical conditions within their historical context, and factors such as inebriation, pregnancy, etc.), and personal journey (e.g., ageing). They are also responsible for specialist movement such as period dances, falling techniques, acrobatics, animal work, and chorus movements.[1]
Although choreography may be part of a movement director's skill set, not all choreographers are movement directors. For instance, primate movement consultant Peter Elliot worked on Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, showcasing specialized movement consulting that diverges from traditional choreography.[2] In recent years, fashion campaigns and shows have employed movement directors like Stephen Galloway and Ryan Heffington to enhance the presentation of models and clothing on runways.[3]
History
[edit source]In Britain
[edit source]The title of "movement director" has existed since the early 20th century, although rarely mentioned in credits. The National Theatre created the role "Head of Movement", first held by Jane Gibson. Glynn MacDonald has long been the Master of Movement at the Shakespeare's Globe, while Struan Leslie became the Royal Shakespeare Company's head of movement in 2009.[4]
Prominent contemporary movement directors include Jane Gibson (Cheek by Jowl), Kate Flatt, Sue Lefton (Royal Shakespeare Company), Struan Leslie (English National Opera), and Liz Ranken (Shared Experience). Other notable figures are Michael Ashcroft, Steven Hoggett, Polly Bennett, and Toby Sedgwick.[5] The influences of Jacques Lecoq and Rudolf Laban have been foundational in British theatre movement, shaping practitioners like Claude Chagrin and Michel Saint-Denis.[citation needed]
In 2020, the Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre: Conversations on Craft by Ayse Tashkiran was published, marking the first book dedicated to contemporary movement direction practices.[6] In 2022, Kate Flatt published Movement Direction: Developing Physical Narratives for Performance.[3]
Contemporary developments
[edit source]Movement directors have been advocating for formal recognition of their profession. Training programs are available at institutions like the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where Ayse Tashkiran leads the Master of Arts/Master of Fine Arts on the subject of movement: directing and teaching.[7] The Guildhall School of Music and Drama offers a similar program, as does Manchester Metropolitan University.[8] Gavin Robins is the head of movement at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA); his work includes King Kong in Melbourne and on Broadway,[9] and the Sydney Olympic Opening Ceremony.[10] In 2020, the Movement Director's Association was established to represent professionals in the UK.
References
[edit source]- ↑ Flatt (May 2022). Movement Direction: Developing Physical Narrative for Performance. Crowood Press. pp. 89–105. ISBN 9780719840609.
- ↑ Couderc, Gilles (15 July 2024). "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, Variations sur des thèmes d'Edward Elgar". Textes et contextes (in French) (19–1). doi:10.58335/textesetcontextes.4734. ISSN 1961-991X.
- 1 2 Adburgham, Alison (2022) [1966]. "The Editor of Vogue". View of Fashion. London: Routledge. pp. 194–196. doi:10.4324/9781003361398-71. ISBN 978-1-003-36139-8. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Banerji, Anurima (3 April 2021). "The Laws of Movement: The Natyashastra as Archive for Indian Classical Dance". Contemporary Theatre Review. 31 (1–2): 132–152. doi:10.1080/10486801.2021.1878507. ISSN 1048-6801.
- ↑ "Themes". Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre: 27–40. 2020. doi:10.5040/9781350054493.0008.
- ↑ Tashkiran, Ayse (2020). Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre: Conversations on Craft. Methuen Drama. ISBN 978-1350054462.
- ↑ "Henderson, Prof. Gavin Douglas". Who's Who UK. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u19799. (subscription required)
- ↑ Hamshire, Claire; Jack, Kirsten (17 November 2021). "PLATO: a practice development approach to reconsidering student learning partnerships". International Practice Development Journal. 11 (2): 1–8. doi:10.19043/ipdj.112.008. ISSN 2046-9292.
- ↑ Gavin Robins at the Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ "Gavin Robins", National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney
Further reading
[edit source]- Callery, D. (2001). Through the Body, London, Nick Hern Books.
- Chambers, C. (2004). Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company, London & New York, Routledge.
- Conway, M. (2008). Tea with Trish: the movement work of Trish Arnold, Parts 1 and 2, New York.
- Dennis, A. (2002). The articulate body: the physical training of the actor, London: Nick Hern.
- Flatt K. and Melrose, S. "Finding – and owning – a Voice: Choreographic Signature and Intellectual Property in Collaborative Practices", Dance Theatre Journal Vol. 22 – 2
- Flatt K. (2022).Movement Direction: Developing Physical Narratives for Performance, The Crowood Press, Wiltshire, UK.
- Evans, M. (2009). Movement training for the modern actor London, Routledge
- Ewan, V. and Green, D. ( 2014). Actor Movement: Expression of the Physical Being, London, Bloomsbury
- Hodgson, John and Preston-Dunlop, Valerie (1990): Rudolf Laban: An Introduction to his Work and Influence, Plymouth Northcote House.
- Hope-Wallace, P. (1966). The Guardian, review of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, National Theatre, 1966
- Mitchell, K. (2009). The director's craft : a handbook for the theatre, London, Routledge.
- National Theatre Archive
- Pisk, L. (1975). The actor and his body, London: Harrap
- Tashkiran, A (2016). Chapter 25 in British Movement Directors in The Routledge Companion to Jacques Lecoq, edited by Rick Kemp and Mark Evans (Abingdon; Routledge).
- Tashkiran, A. (2009). "Movement Directors: the secret weapons of theatre, Research Presentation by Ayse Tashkiran at Central School of Speech and Drama", CSSD Library.
External links
[edit source] | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (June 2026) |
- What is a movement director?
- History of movement direction
- "The Theatre Archive Project – archives". British Library. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- Archived copy Archived April 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- "about us". Cheek by Jowl. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- "Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Acting". Gsmd.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- "Postgraduate Study | Manchester Metropolitan University". Mmu.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- "History of the National Theatre". National Theatre. 22 October 1963. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
