What is Dispotraining?
The body’s intelligence screams for attention
The body is the apparatus for our emotions and motor skills. A high degree of flexibility and unhindered mobility are the basis for free and spontaneous music-making. The body, the instrument and the music itself form a whole in the interplay between tension and relaxation. It is not a matter of relaxation or avoiding tension but rather of intentionally controlling active and passive processes.
A central building block in the execution of our musical performance is a harmonically disposed musculoskeletal system. This is unique to every individual! Recognizing our own “ebb and flow system” allows us to overcome technical and musical challenges. Respecting the laws that govern the body helps to avoid or dissipate stage fright, tension and blockades, while considerably increasing motivation and the pleasure derived from music making.
The courses offer a new, innovative way of optimizing technical craftmenship and finding authentic musical expression. Acquired negative conditioning is converted to an affirming one. This is done by consciously balancing the intellect and emotion with the body and its inherent rules.
Our Dispotraining is based on the unconditional respect for the individual, the characteristics of each person, their convictions and need for expression. Kinetics and body language techniques are rehearsed, including posture and relaxation methods with and without instrument, as well as concepts in music theory and music history.
Musical rules and instrumental principles must be respected and incorporated with the musician’s physis and psyche.
Performing in front of an audience or jury can be highly distressing. This tension can range from a healthy “case of butterflies” (Stage fright) to full-blown performance anxiety (Stage panic). Typical reactions to these situations could include a trembling bow for string players, dry mouth for wind players or loss of breath control for singers.
Confronting these challenges requires a synthesis of physical, intellectual, emotional and intuitive resources. Let us take the image of a score as an example. The composer indicates how the melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, tempo and character of the work are to be performed. Furthermore, there is wide-ranging consensus today as to what this music should sound like, depending on the period in which the composer lived. From this point, the body-score expands beyond the limitations of what can be notated. As with reading a book, every individual will have a personal interpretation of this encrypted message. Each musician forms his interpretation based on his own personality.
In order for both scores, that of the composer and that of the body, to work in harmony, the interpreter must possess a repertoire of perfected movements. This enables him to translate his intellectual and emotional message into a physical process and consequently into an authentic rendering of the music.
Who can participate?
Our training is targeted to all orchestral musicians, instrumentalists, singers, actors, conductors, music students and music teachers. Chamber ensembles, choirs and orchestras can also participate.
Dispotraining is offered in individual sessions as well as for groups. In group settings, active participants are selected by audition and instructed in front of an audience. Passive participants are actively integrated into the flow of the course.