Rhythm and music
'Meyerhold strove to provoke a controversial reaction in his audience. He wanted them to disagree, to debate amongst themselves and to think. He also fought to contradict the Naturalistic acting style that was dominant in his lifetime. But his power to create controversy was deemed too dangerous by the Soviet authorities, and led to his death. he was charged as a spy, tortured in a Moscow prison and persuaded to confess to these charges, only to face death by firing squad.' (Pattinson, 2010).
Watch the video below.
While listening, slowly walk around the your room. Isolate each movement of walk by following the steps below.
- Lift your foot slowly in time with the music.
- Place your foot gently down again on the ground.
- Swing your arms slowly.
- When moving, think about the position of your head and torso.
In your logbook or a chat with peers, discuss the following:
- How difficult was it to separate each movement?
- What happened tot he rhythm of your walk when you did this?
- What was it like to work with or against the music?
- Was there music physicality about your actions?
Purpose and research activity
Meyerhold's actors had to consciously embody a precisely prescribed physical acting score in their training and performances. Research Ariane Mnouchkine's Theatre du Soleil. Using two articles on the internet, how has her work been influenced by Meyerhold?
Pitches, J. (2003), Vsevolod Meyerhold, Routledge Performance Practitioners. Routledge, London.
Bach's autograph of the first movement of the Sonata No. 1 in G minor for solo violin image, accessed 17/03/2020.