"The best method of teaching is that which,
from the start, offers the pupil a problem
which neither his memory nor his instinct for
imitation can help him to solve."
Emil Jaques Dalcroze

The Method presented in this Video Instructor Program is relatively new to American education even though it dates back to the experiments of Francois Delsarte and E. Jaques-Dalcroze in the 19th century. Independently these two educators (one was a French teacher of singing and declamation, and the other was a Swiss musician) came up with the idea that actors should be trained specifically in Movement and Rhythmics.

For half a century, Dalcroze’s method called "Eurhythmics" was very popular in Europe and America. He foresaw that the Theatre would develop to heights never before seen. “This will lead," he wrote "to the call for a psycho-physical training based on the cult of natural rhythms, and which, guided by the collective will – working, maybe, subconsciously – will fill an increasingly important part in civilized life."

A great Russian actor/educator/director Konstantin Stanislavsky, created his System for training a well-rounded actor, utilized, and further developed the discoveries of these two innovators regarding the actor’s expressive body. In Stanislavsky based schools and studios, the exercises of Dalcroze and Delsarte were a must for all students. But even so, there was no special subject called Stage Movement.

In the 20th century, this necessity finally materialized as a separate subject, through the work of two Russian pedagogues I. S. Ivanov in Moscow, and Ivan Kokh in Leningrad. First Ivanov, and then Kokh summarized all the experience in movement training, including the recommendations of K. Stanislavsky.

After many years of teaching the subject, each came up with a textbook. Ivanov’s book "Education of Actor’s Movement" was mainly a collection of carefully selected exercises. Kokh’s “Basic Stage Movement” in addition to exercises included the theory and the methodology of teaching the subject. The latter’s well-rounded method proved to be beneficial for many generations of acting students.

I studied and worked with I. Kokh for a number of years, further developing his ideas, particularly in the area of Mime. Since I came to the US, my teaching of this Method has undergone many changes and adjustments, mainly in the area of music selection, texts, and songs used for the exercises, to bring it closer to American ethics and aesthetics. I have incorporated all the experience and knowledge in this field to create a harmonious and scientifically based Method of teaching future actors, Stage Movement.

I have taught Stage Movement in the US for the past 30 years and have been rewarded by the fact of how fine and fast this Method works on American students. Adjusted to various cultures and traditions, this Method can be beneficial to students anywhere, because it is based on modern concepts of human psychology and absorbs the experience of leading educators of the past century.

The "Essential Stage Movement" presented in my Video Instructor is only a part of this subject. Stage Movement includes also "Period Movement," "Stage Unarmed Combat," and "Stage Fencing." I also teach "Illusion Mime for the Actor" — a one-semester course in Mime technique, which I consider to be yet another Class in stylized movement, akin to Dance for the Actor.

Following this Video Instructor course, I am going to produce another one entitled "Period Movement and Dance."