Embodied Cognition

Your body knows things that your brain has not figured out yet, and actors use their muscles to show how a character thinks. If you stand tall like a superhero, you actually start to feel brave inside. When you move your body with purpose, you change your spirit.

When you move your body with purpose, you change your spirit. The actor does not feel sad and then slump. The actor slumps and then feels sad. The body is not waiting for instructions. The body is giving them. Stand like a hero. Your brain will catch up.

Embodied cognition: the motor system influences thinking. Actors work from the outside in, using physical gestures to trigger authentic psychological states and emotional memory. Bridges theater with phenomenological philosophy and cognitive science: the mind is not just in the head but distributed throughout the entire biological system. Your posture is not a result of your mood. Your posture is your mood.

SOUND: The rhythm of your own footsteps on the floor: your body keeping time.

SMELL: Peppermint waking up your whole body: scent changing your posture.

TASTE: A spicy pepper making your tongue dance: the body responding before the brain.

TOUCH: Pressing your palms together as hard as you can: creating emotion through pressure.

SIGHT: Your reflection striking a powerful pose: seeing what your body already knows.

BODY: Closing your eyes and feeling exactly where your elbows are in space: the body mapping itself.

Music: On the Floor (feat. Pitbull) by Jennifer Lopez

Music: Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat & Tears

Part of Theater & Performance — ART — Education Revelation