LESSON SEVEN

Inclinations; rotations; chest impulses; pelvic impulses; illusions of pushing and pulling; climbing; illusory walk #1; duets.

Do the inclinations, rotations, and chest impulses. Look at the homework assignment.

Pelvic Impulses:

Whenever possible, the impulse for the action should come from the pelvis, flow through the chest, and then reach the extremities. It makes the action even bigger and clearer than just the chest impulse. Point the right toe to the side, knee straight. As you shift the weight to the right leg, put the heel down, and lead with the pelvis, then feel the flow up through the chest, allow the chest to lift the arm up as if it were going to pick an apple. All the weight is now on the right leg, and the arm is up in the air, both knees straight, the left toe pointed or on the half-toe. To come back: Put the left heel down, lead with the pelvis towards the left, then let it flow through the chest, which inclines to the right, pulling the arm down. Do it a few times on each side. Now do the same thing forward and back, shifting the weight forward, and flowing through the chest into the arms, and leading with the pelvis to come back. Now point the right toe forward. We are going to pick something up off the floor. Step forward onto the right, leading with the pelvis, lift the chest which lifts the arm, and as the arm comes up, bend the right knee, extending the left leg back, as we did in the body as a unit. Keep the body in line with the left leg: pick up the object. Now, to come up, the first move is to tuck the pelvis under hard, breaking the line of the body, and allow the momentum from this to lift your body. Do not start up until the pelvis has hit its final position in tucking under, and let this carry you. The body breaks in this: Don’t keep the body as a unit on the way up. Try this on the other side. You can use either hand with either leg forward. From now on, whenever you pick something up, tuck under a bit, and let the impulse from the pelvis lead you.

Illusions of Pushing and Pulling: 

The impulse for all illusions of pushing and pulling comes from the pelvis. Imagine a large truck in front of you; you have to push it. Place your hands on it. Tuck your pelvis under as you bend your knees and go to the half-toe of both feet. Your shoulders go forward, since you are pushing forward. Try to keep your hands over the spot on the floor where they are, so that it will appear that the truck is not moving. Relax, and do it again several times, the last time letting the truck move so that you move forward. Use strength and energy. Now place the truck behind you. Put your hands down behind you against it. Push by tucking your pelvis under, going to the half-toe of both feet and bending the knees. This time the shoulders are behind the pelvis because you are going in that direction. It is exactly the same from the waist down: pelvis tucked under, knees bent, and on the half-toe. Now let the truck move. Now take hold of a stuck dresser drawer in front of you with both hands. Tuck the pelvis under, go to the half-toe, bend the knees, and pull the shoulders behind the pelvis in the direction of the thrust. The arms should straighten a bit as you do this to give the illusion that the drawer doesn’t move. Then let it come out. Try this same move with an imaginary rope in front of you. Now try pulling an imaginary rickshaw. Take hold of the handles, tuck under, go to the half-toe with the knees bent, and the shoulders go in front of the pelvis in the direction of the thrust. Do the motion a few times, and then pull the rickshaw. Try this with a rope over your shoulder. Apply this principle to a stuck window: Tuck under as you try to open it. Now lift a bar bell with the same principle: First tuck under and bend the knees as you go the half-toe, and then as you lift it, put your heels down and tuck under more.

Practice climbing a ladder, as we did in Lesson Six. Practice the illusory walk, as we did in Lesson Four. Do an improvisation using the pelvic impulses in the course of your story. 

Homework Assignment: 

Bring in a sketch using pelvic impulses.