My body as a Japanese Pagoda

Maintaining and controlling balance under adverse physical conditions can be tricky. There are some opinions that the feet/ankle and hips can deal with most of the demands on the body for sustaining balance during the initial wave of physical demand. Then as the task becomes more challenging for the body the upper body starts to kick in in order to support extra responsibilities to get balance back under control. This is a great article that supports that notion. I found this article great and some of the other ones it pointed to.

So based on this notion, here is my muse. What does an actor do when their upper body is already engaged in other physical needs? E.g. when both arms are welding two weapons, grappling or physical comedy. How then does the upper body support re-establishing balance? Or vice versa. 

 

For me, the answer lies in the Japanese Pagoda. Its ability to withstand earthquakes is a testament to its design. What a fantastic flexible structure. The Toji Pagoda (link embedded) in Japan is around 400 years old and has withstood many earthquakes and storms. In the clip the interviewee refers to a theory: the “snakedance”. A relationship between the pagoda and the earthquake. The “snakedance” is at the heart of the image I use to harmonise my feet, ankles, hips, and upper body during times of extreme physical stress.

 

The understanding that my feet (see previous blog about the three arches in our feet) ankles, hips and upper body work as isolated sections within a global scheme is important. Developing a strong neurological pathway through conscious development and training is the key. Much like the way the joins work in the pagoda.

 

When I feel my feet and ankles being compromised then I ensure my hips and upper body are engaged and compensating for the lack of feet and ankles being accessed and conversely for when other sections (hips or upper body) are compromised. The global scheme of my body is well connected I just need to tap into it to maximise that effective instrument trough constant training.

To be continued…