Description

Monika Pagneux's inspirational way of working allows actors to find a unity between their inner psyche and its outer expression. Truth becomes the source of creativity; actions are a result of being, not thinking. Monika's questioning of her self; 'Who am I?' and her answers, transforms her into a mentor for our troubled times. This book is based upon Monika's scrapbook in which she offers a sense of her work and in particular how she uses clay modelling to help the workshop members intuit their physicality and their life force. This is transformed into sounds, movement, actions and interactions resulting in the creation of scenes involving all the workshop members. Often these produce stunning moments of honesty and drama. The 46-minute film is a more precise description of her work. In the film, Monika explains the entire process in detail along with her thoughts and feelings about movement, performance and theatre. The actors/directors Annabel Arden, Katherine Hunter and Marcello Magni speak about how their work with Monika has influenced their own careers. Actor/director Olivia Yan, Feldenkrais teacher Fiona Battersby and actor Xela Marx also offer contributions. The film and the book are relevant to actors, dancers, musicians, yoga, Feldenkrais, Pilates and other sports and movement systems and to people working with children.