Why do I need to train in three subjects? That question has come up a lot over the years.
Most young people and indeed professional performers, tend to favour one of the subjects. It may be singing or acting or dancing. Sometimes they feel they can do two possibly well but are weaker in the third. So why not focus on what you are naturally good at?
“Workwise this means they have a wider possibility of opportunity and they have the pleasure of working in different parts of theatre industry.”
There’s this thing in the theatre business called “triple threat.” It’s just jargon to say that a performer can do all three disciplines equally well and there are some performers who really do naturally excel at all three subjects. Workwise this means they have a wider possibility of opportunity and they have the pleasure of working in different parts of theatre industry.
“You need to be like a sponge soaking it all up.”
The best reason to train in all three areas is that the skills cross over and help each other. This is especially true in the early years in your training when you should meet a lot of different influences. You need to be like a sponge soaking it all up. So, an actor doesn’t just act they also move and speak. Any training that helps an actor move more flexibly and expressively is going to benefit them and singing will make their voice a more effective instrument.
How about dancing? What does acting give to dancing? Acting is about creating stories and characters in those stories. A dancer does not just reproduce a set of moves. A dancer’s function is often to tell a story through movement and be aware of how their movement, together with everyone else, is part of a bigger picture. Singing is often related to dancing and the discipline that each require feed off each other. In our shows we always have an element of moving when our pupils sing – it releases them in two ways at once.
A singer tells a story through the words and feelings in a song. They need to understand that movement is a very important part of what they do. Just to breathe and release sound involves a complex set of movements that we don’t even think about. If we want to sing well, we need to learn how to use those movements properly.
Finally, all performing requires the power of feeling to emerge. In order to touch the feelings in the audience the performers need to explore those feelings in what they do. That’s why we create special performances that bring all these facets together. Whether you become a professional or not those connections between the subjects bring about huge leaps of learning in each direction.
Our performing arts classes cover all three subjects of acting, singing and dancing. Our teachers are highly experienced and trained to deliver an exceptional standard of tuition in theatre skills. For over 28 years Theatretrain has been providing young people with opportunities to put the skills they have gained in our weekly classes into practice on the West End stage. For further information, visit www.theatretrain.co.uk.
