Volume 13, Number 1
2003/2004
Alan Garfield teaches at Gray-New
Gloucester Middle School in Gray, Maine.
... I began to notice that where
initially many of the students were hesitant to get
involved, and were terribly self-conscious about using the
gestures, as the worked progressed, attitudes began to
change.
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Was That Gesture Appropriate?
Teaching Delsarte in the Classroom
During the Spring Semester I had the
opportunity to take a University of Maine course titled,
"Curriculum and Organization of the Middle School." As the
course progressed, I attempted to turn some of my learning
into practical application. I have tried to be more aware
of my students' oddities in light of the physical,
emotional, and psychological developmental research we've
looked at. And, I have looked at the curriculum units I've
been developing in terms of being able to integrate
disciplines, as well as integrating different resources into
the projects.
Not long ago I became interested in
Francois Delsarte's Method of Gesture/Expression and began
to investigate the possibilities of using the material in my
classes. Delsarte proposed that non-verbal communication,
that is gesture, facial expression, and body position, could
be recorded and taught as something of a universal language.
Reportedly, he catalogued over one thousand non-verbal
expressions, and developed and published his Method of
Expression. The "language" became popular in the practice
of recitation both at home and in schools. It was used by
public speakers, and was of natural course influential in
theatre. Delsarte died in 1841, but his Method lived on
well into the era of silent film and beyond, until the
Stanislavski Method of Acting formally replaced it in the
late 1930's.
To teach the unit, I created a packet
giving a brief background on Delsarte and his method,
tailored for seventh and eighth grade, and included a sample
of relatively easy to learn hand gestures and body positions
that also included some facial expression. The students
were presented with poses, but brought to understand that
the poses were representative of the end result of a series
of body movements. The most common vehicle for Delsarte's
method was the melodrama, and as an example the packet
included a picture of Lon Chaney in one of the most famous
poses ever depicted from the silent film era, as the 1925
Phantom of the Opera.
We practiced the expressions as a class,
and watched segments of Phantom of the Opera in its original
form. To add some contrast and give the students a sense of
the evolution of acting methods, we also watched segments
from the Lawrence Olivier and Mel Gibson versions of Hamlet.
As the project proceeded, the students
were instructed to work in groups of four to five to develop
a melodramatic story line/script in its most simple and
basic form: some villain threatens great harm to some poor
victim, and the hero, or heroin, as the case may be, saves
the day. The presentation of the story would of course be
"silent," incorporating as many of the Delsarte gestures as
possible. To enhance the presentation of the story they
were told to create audience "cue cards" that gave dialogue
and/or action cues, and use instrumental music to help
create the mood and aid in emotional expression. They could
use any props they needed, and could present the play using
"traditional" methods, or make use of computer technology to
project images and reproduce sound effects and
music.
A few of the teams opted to use
pre-recorded music found on our electric keyboards, as well
as using the keyboard's array of sound effects. Others used
a CD player and standard cue cards created with construction
paper. Several groups decided to use computers, and became
extremely enthusiastic about the project. All the teams
became highly motivated as the project
progressed.
I helped groups find appropriate music
for their stories, if they desired, and gave some assistance
in the editing. For the most part, the teams worked on
their own, with very little from me outside of suggestions
and direction, and some help with props and acquiring other
resources. In many ways this was a new experience for me, as
well as for the students, because I had never before used
computers in conjunction with this type of class
presentation.
Throughout the entire project, which
lasted over the course of two weeks, the key word was
creativity. Moreover, I began to notice that where
initially many of the students were hesitant to get
involved, and were terribly self-conscious about using the
gestures, as the worked progressed, attitudes began to
change. Two of my least engaged students all quarter put
together a presentation that was very well-received by the
rest of the class. A definite victory for them, and a real
boost to their self-esteem.
The project was meant to tie together
various elements we looked at during our time together, such
as script development, character development, the use of
music to enhance tension and emotion, and pantomime. For
this purpose the project was successful. The initial intent
was greatly expanded through the introduction of technology,
the use of which I plan to investigate and incorporate
further.
Resources
Stebbins, G. (c1961, 1977). Delsarte
system of expression. New York: Dance Horizons
Zorn, J. (1968) The essential delsarte.
Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press.
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