In Cultural Centre "Mir"

Grace of movement + acting = talent

One of the Sundays in the Cultural Centre "Mir" was dedicated to choreography. A master class in plastic acting skills was held on the stage in the hall and afterwards, in the ballet hall, a dance master class was held. The event was initiated by Head of the Dance and Individuality Development Studio "Element" Ekaterina Slepova. Both events were held by visiting teacher of modern choreography, choreographer-director and musical artist Olga Shuk.

Olga graduated from the Musical Theater Department of the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS), the Department of Directing Cultural Events and Holidays of the Institute of Theater Arts and annually undergoes an internship at the Brodway Dance Centre, Alvin Ailey American dance theater, USA New-York.

Olga Shuk emphasizes that in her master classes it is of primary importance for her to explain the difference between dancers, singers, actors and artists. The training necessarily includes educational games for children and their teachers, life hacks for lessons and homework, as well as the transfer of experience on how not to separate dance from acting, but to make them allies and mutual assistance to a real artist. We were interested in talking to the choreographer and finding out what usually remains "behind the scenes" and is not discussed in detail…

Olga, how long have you been giving master classes and what can you convey in terms of experience in a couple of hours?

- If there is not enough time for a master class to pass on the experience (it does not always depend on time, more often even on how the students learn), then it is enough to give them a charge of inspiration to return to my class! And in general, to go on studying the subject and developing in it. I always say at my classes that it is not so much important to me how much vocabulary you take with you, but how positive your mood is. I have been giving classes since I was 19! And I can very subtly sense the mood of the audience. Therefore, my classes have been strengthened every year precisely by conveying a good mood!

In general, should dancers have training with professionals on a regular basis?

- It's like brushing your teeth! The more regular and professional the tools are, the cleaner and healthier you will be.

What are the main components of plastic acting? What do you need to be able to do, what qualities to develop?

- Imagination and courage! Acting is for the brave. There is no place for the shy and indecisive in acting. And even more so if we want to get into show business. Plastic expression is there too! Without imagination for plastic expression, an actor will play a cat, putting on just a cat mask. But a plastically expressive artist will give both gait and dexterity and the ability to gracefully climb into any bag or box.

You are often invited to competitions as a jury member. And you then masterfully evaluate both the teams and the nuances of each performance. Tell us about this component of your profession, please.

- My main uniqueness is "not to judge, but to evaluate"! Not to condemn but like a doctor, to make a diagnosis and to prescribe treatment! I really like to be useful. But there is also a downside (like everywhere) - hate, envy, ridicule… That's why, courage is needed here, too! Imagination and a sense of humor to survive.

Movement techniques as a means of acting expressiveness and acting skills is the most important skill. Is it constant physical and emotional work for an actor?

- ... and the most important thing in acting is the ability to get out of the role! And this is about the emotional component. Many people start to go crazy. Because they drown in their role. But there are specialists for this, too. They can help you. The main thing is to ask for this help in time.

Olga, the language of gestures and movements is sometimes more expressive than any other language. Do you develop coordination and flexibility in your master classes?

- I develop imagination and the courage to express it. In my classes, students easily understand each other in the language of mosquitoes or rain.

So, you teach how to express your feelings, convey your mood through movements, how to convince the audience without words. It is necessary to teach not only to understand the movements of another, but also to depict the inner world of any character through movements, isn't it?

- Exactly. A character! Don't play yourself, play a character! Invented or written in a book or seen in a movie. But not yourself. This is mundane and boring for the stage. And I teach how to create it.

***

The need for a good rhythmical form for a dancer and actor of any genre is obvious and understandable. Therefore, it is important to fill up with useful activities that will make the artist's physical training more professional that will allow him to perform in all kinds of productions of the most diverse genres.

Interviewed by Eleonora YAMALEEVA,
Member of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation,
photo from the personal archive of Olga SHUK