the method trained actor is terrible at taking a bow. at least that's how it was for me. never quite comfortable with my relationship to the audience especially after i had so desperately tried to not acknowledge them sitting there... and now i have to BOW? ugh! luckily for me, in my first professional gig, the amazing Lise Bruneau taught me how to bow. a simple and graceful gesture, a lovely little half bow, humble and grand now, i pass her bow on to other young actors... the bowing gesture is found in every culture throughout history
it shows respect, humility, appreciation, submission, sincerity, apology; the deeper the movement and longer the duration, the greater the meaning. the performing arts bow is mostly borrowed from european aristocratic/court etiquette. men typically bow and women typically curtsy. according to human sociobiologist, desmond morris, gender differentiation of the bow in theatre occurred in the 17th century and maintained until the 20th century. there are quite a few ways an actor bows depending on the type of play, the period of play, the gender and class of character, the costume, style and genre of play, size of house and company policy. links of interest: manners and movements in costume plays published before 1923 but recently reissued. the naked woman by desmond morris Somewhere I read that the term "break a leg" came from the gesture of bowing. The performer would keep one leg straight and bend the other while bowing hence the break. I can't stand bowing either...it's embarrassing or something. It's a pleasure to perform to begin with ....maybe it's about closure or something, everyone in the room acknowledges it's all over and are preparing to dash to the parking lot Comments are closed.
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Authorcorey tazmania |