Using the Body Effectively Storytelling is drama, and drama is ACTION! And action is often best shown with your body. In storyelling, action words are VERBS. ADVERBS suggest how verbs should be colored with the voice and body. As performers, it is often a problem to find good, motivated gestures that do not seem either wooden or flighty. These exercises will help you in finding ways to avoid these problems. Finally, the age-old question: "What do I do with my hands?" will finally be answered! There are three elements to using the body: Stance: or the physicalization of a character’s posture or basic phycial demeanor. A very old woman, for instance, may often be hunched over and be shaking slightly. Facial Gestures: or the expressions found on our faces that help to communicate images. Gestures: or the ways in which we use our hands and limbs to communicate. Your goal is to perform the following poem, and to CLEARLY COMMUNICATE ITS IMAGES. To do this, do the following: A. Find the verbs in the poem/story. For this poem, you may have to “invent” the meanings of some of the words. Assign each of these verbs a physical gesture that you can use when you perform the poem. It should be clear to the audience what any word means by how you perform it. The best way to do this is simply to visualize something going on—and visualize it clearly. B. Find adjectives and adverbs that may help you identify exactly how a verb should be interpreted. For example, “with eyes aflame” describes how the jabberwock “wiffled”through the wood. This may help you find an appropriate gesture. C. Other words, nouns, articles, etc. may need the same type of word colorization to be clearly communicated. D. Rehearse and practice the poem. It need not be memorized, but it's a fun poem to know! E. Remember that you need to visualize everything you are talking about: clearly and completely! Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll Twas brillig and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves, And the momraths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son: The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Abhor the jub-jub bird and shun the frumious bandersnatch!” Then took he vorpal sword in hand-- Long time the manxome foe he sought; Till rested he by the tum-Tum tree Stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood-- The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame Came wiffling through the tulgey wood And burbled as it came. One two! One two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker snack! He left it dead. And with its head He came galumphing back. “And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms my beamish boy! Oh frabjuous day! Calloo, callay!” He chortled in his joy. Twas brillig and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves, And the momraths outgrabe.