Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Basic Course
"Circle, form a circle, clockwise!"
"Walk, jump, swing your arms, any posture is fine, but make sure your feet move in a clockwise circle. We're keeping the speed at a three out of ten, not too fast. Listen to my clapping."
"Come on, come on, move!"
"Relax!"
"Hey, guys, let your bodies relax, from your neck to your ankles, from your limbs to your torso, all relaxed, feel the rhythm of your body."
This... was how it started?
No self-introductions, no polite greetings, not even time to see the faces in the room clearly, and the class had already begun.
A bit flustered, but also vaguely interesting.
Just starting, and one could already feel the unusual atmosphere and fun.
Anson and Jake exchanged a glance, but before they could have a conversation, they were swept into the group, wordlessly starting to circle the room with the other students.
This scene...
For some reason, images from "Midsommar" surfaced in his mind, like playing the game of drop the handkerchief as a child, not knowing anything, having no thoughts, just running in circles with friends.
Then, before he realized it, a smile started to form on his lips.
So, this was how acting classes began? Completely different from what he imagined.
"Move your limbs, swing your arms and legs."
"Or jump, jump high, feel your body."
"Come on, let's increase the speed a little, five!"
"Imagine your full sprint state is ten, now adjust to five, pay attention to my clapping rhythm, feel the rhythm, feel the beat."
"Warm-up is to open up the body, but also to perceive the body. Don't care about others, focus on yourself, feel your jumps, feel your muscles, feel the signals your body is releasing."
At this point, Anson finally noticed the teacher -
A man who looked to be in his thirties, with shoulder-length hair that wasn't messy or sloppy. The slightly curled ends looked moist and shiny, obviously well-maintained. Paired with a neatly trimmed beard, he exuded a wild aura that was both rugged and gentle.
Not handsome, but with a unique charm.
He stood in the center of the space, like the center of a circle, clapping and shouting, but not absent-mindedly. He carefully observed every student who passed by him. If he noticed someone not warming up properly or being distracted, his gaze would immediately lock on, take a step forward, and use clapping, eyes, and words to remind them, following that student until they were back on track.
One lap.
Two laps.
Three laps.
Soon, Anson found that there was no room to breathe, nor time to observe Jake's situation. He had to focus on himself. The physical exertion and energy consumption of the warm-up exceeded his imagination. Moreover, the warm-up was not just a warm-up, but more of a process of sensing the body, which was different from competitive sports.
This was interesting.
In "The Princess Diaries," Julie told Anson that basic body language was very important. Those unseen details were the key to making a performance convincing and changing the tone of a scene.
Now it seemed that this academy also understood this point. Besides the film acting beginner course that Anson and Jake chose, there were also acting courses for stage plays, TV, and other art forms, with different focuses.
No wonder British actors always emphasized that even if they didn't come from a traditional academy, they still needed systematic learning, and it wasn't a problem to start later.
Running, jumping, swinging, these basic movements had actually become a person's instinct, like breathing. They were too simple and too familiar, so ordinary people often didn't pay attention to their forms.
However, actors and professional athletes couldn't do that. They needed to control their bodies by adjusting their movements and explore their bodies in different ways for different purposes, and finally present them.
So, the first step of warm-up was -
Familiarizing with the body, familiarizing with one's muscle memory.
This was the fundamental purpose.
The following warm-up was actually the same, using different ways to break one's inertia and re-establish muscle memory in chaos.
The most basic and simple warm-up, like a game, let them return to their original state.
First, running in circles, then cartwheels - if they couldn't do it, then forward rolls and backward rolls, no matter what, let their bodies tumble and turn upside down.
Then came the tag game, although the gameplay was different, it was similar to "Red Light, Green Light." See how many people they could catch within sixty seconds -
Of course, there was no winning or losing, because winning or losing wasn't the point. The point was to mobilize themselves as much as possible and release explosive power in a short time; but there were also penalties. If they couldn't catch anyone within sixty seconds, they had to imitate an animal sound, as designated by the students on the spot.
So... excuse me, did anyone know how an owl should sound?
Next was the speed walking game, which was very new to Anson.
Everyone ran around the room at their fastest speed, complete chaos, no rules, the only requirement was not to collide. They had to either quickly pass through gaps or make sudden stops and turns to control their bodies.
The whole room was bustling, like the training scene in old kung fu movies where they used chopsticks to catch flies, training everyone's observation, agility, and control.
Just thirty minutes of warm-up, and they were already drenched in sweat -
The seemingly simple games, each project was trying to mobilize the whole body as much as possible, and required the mind to be as tense as the body, not allowing any distraction.
Drenched in sweat!
The whole person was like being fished out of the water. Now Anson finally understood why so many people came to class wearing sportswear or yoga clothes. This was clearly not much different from a fitness class.
Huffing and puffing.
Anson turned to look at Jake, and both of them showed a hearty smile.
This was difficult for the two unprepared newcomers. Their T-shirts were completely soaked, even their hair was dripping, and their whole bodies were steaming.
So, what to do next?
The long-haired teacher, who still hadn't introduced himself, was unfazed. "Next, there are two minutes. Students who need to wipe sweat or drink water can take a breather. Those who need to change clothes can go to the locker room."
"It doesn't matter if you didn't bring a change of clothes. Our official student T-shirts are all provided for free. We'll start the official class in two minutes."
Everything was as expected.
Wiping sweat, changing clothes, drinking water.
When they returned to the room, the atmosphere naturally relaxed.
Although they hadn't introduced themselves and still didn't know each other's names, after a series of warm-up activities, they were able to completely relax, and even their eyes met with a sense of familiarity and closeness.
Jake looked at Anson, jumping up and down on the spot, even starting to rub his hands. No words were needed, his body language conveyed his anticipation.
Anson was no exception. So, what would the beginner class cover next?
"Great, now that everyone is ready, let's experience some emotions, how about that?"
"Generally, we should start by imitating animals, but I think you've all imitated countless animals in the previous two levels of courses. Today, let's try something new."
"So, are you ready?"
"Well, it's too late even if you're not ready."
First update.
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