Body Dynamics™

I consider the body and voice to be the grid. In the way one looks for a through-line in a theatrical piece, I want to help people find that through-line in their own physicality. I have found that one method doesn’t always work for everyone as we have different histories and bodies. I have developed a body of work that invites everybody into their individual and collective centers.

Carol Reynolds, Body Dynamics™ Founder, Master Teacher

Body Dynamics™ works with the body’s muscular defense system in an organized, practical approach to physical and emotional awareness.  It is an integrated curriculum of Movement for the Actor designed to free the body to be available to its full range of expression in performance. Chronic tensions are released and structure and support are developed through a progression of exercises, including, but not limited to, elements of Bioenergetics, Feldenkrais, Soft Tissue Release, Alexander, Cranial Sacral, and Kinesthetic Anatomy. The work is transformative and empowers students to develop presence on and off the stage.

Carol Reynolds based Body Dynamics™ on her personal training in Bioenergetic Analysis with Al Lowen and John Pierrakos. It emerged out of her work as a Dancer, Choreographer, and Casting Agent, and has evolved for over 40 years in the context of dance and theater training. The approach is non-directive and is designed to establish a caring environment with clear boundaries.  In a group process that invites each student into his or her center, there is true potential for a profoundly aware, grounded, and individuated community.

The syllabus for the Basic Course unfolds in a developmental progression over 12 to 16 weeks. The curriculum includes study of the structure and function of anatomy, hands-on partner work, ball work routines, and vibrational release exercises. The hands-on partner work is analogous to scene work: the physical instructions are like the dialogue, and students learn that communication is both ‘in their hands’ and ‘out of their hands’. The conscious practice of touch and contact actively engage and empower students in a process of relationship and responsibility – conceived as ‘the ability to respond’. The advanced study of Body Dynamics™ allows for a more personalized exploration of the ever-evolving self.

The Body Dynamics™ approach is an open system, broad and holistic in scope. It lends itself as a useful foundation to many forms of pedagogy, creative expression, and collaborative process. Certified Body Dynamics™ Educators are provided with a fundamental common language and approach, while also being encouraged to impart their own unique perspective and training to the work.