How many muscles does it take to smile, the exact number doesn’t matter for this discussion, the fact remains that most of us don’t really think about the muscle mechanics but smile is just an expression of a state of mind. A lot of people can tell betweeen a forced smile versus a smile that came from the heart.
So how do actors, dancers and performers maintain or switch to the ‘needed’ expression on-demand? Most can tell you that they try to visualize a specific personal experience that take their mind to that specific state (happy, sad, angry or whatever) and the physical expression changes accordingly.
Saying that ‘feeling it’ is the secret for all is NOT ENTIRELY TRUE either. Ever heard of ‘poker face’? Furthermore, I am sure that you have friends that are quite shy or that their cultural background don’t encourage them to be expressive. They will have a much harder time allowing that translation of feeling to a visible expression / movement.
When teaching kids, telling them to move faster don’t always work. When I stand behind them and tell them that I am a crocodile that is snapping at their butts, I can then see a sudden change of speed. Aside from generating that ‘need for speed’, sometimes I have to correct their mechanics because what comes natural may not be the most efficient. However, I always start with creating that ‘need’ first.
If a thing as simple as a smile involve so many factors, you start to appreciate why learning (as well as teaching) ‘internal’ styles can be so challenging. As an example, to deliver a ‘good’ punch involve a lot of physics AND muscles – you need some muscles to relax, some muscles to tense up, you may need the energy to burst out, sometimes serialized – just too many to give individual commands to. Just like acting, the only way is to want it, know the mechanics, repeat it enough times and then start forgetting about individual components and sync it with a single thought/feel. The thought that you need to improve the success rate is often referred to as visualization. Just like smiles, my ‘happy state’ is different than yours. As an instructor, you can only guide them by telling them what you need and the process to find it, ultimately, each student have to find their own personal state that works.
Exercise
We have been taking apart our slow basic form, disassembling them into basic ideas, how well is that working for you? Do you enjoy it and are you understanding AND practicing more? Do you start to understand why slow movement training can be useful? When or why can that fall apart when ‘slow’ becomes the end goal. Share any changes that you have experienced.