On Presence

[michaelsylvan]

I'm teaching a new class at school this year, Engaging Contemporary Performance, an interdisciplinary performance class with a focus on works that explore themes of social justice.  As a foundational text for the reflection and building discourse, we're studying Anna Deavere Smith's Letters to a Young Artist, a collection of letters written to a

Comments

[bosendorfer_boy]

Food for thought!

Re: Presence and Glamour

[michaelsylvan]

Ah, a glamour, but before I forget to say it, I loved her as Elizabeth, and she could do no wrong in the first movie...
I am aware of my charismatic abilities and my persuasive speech training. I am mindful not to layer those skills in ways that promote an inauthentic presence rather than letting those skills be a foundation for a more "naked" me, not literally, but personally, with my own person, rather than a persona. I know many have worked hard to craft their "identity," and it isn't that some of my selves aren't artfully envisioned... I think Presence is really about embodiment, for me at least, where glamor feels like having the lighting adjusted to make a stronger performance...