Gestures and their role in restoring a singer’s performance-focus

Aimée Hautvast

Research question: How can the embodiment of gestures help me to increase my performance focus with the aim of eradicating meaningless gestures during singing, and is it possible to create a step-by-step study plan that incorporates my findings? Abstract: The goal of this research was to find a solution to my problem that my gestures don’t always contribute to the lyric’s meaning when I’m singing. I was looking for a way to eradicate meaningless gestures. I carried out my research by examining the history of singing, scientific papers and articles regarding the connection between speech and gesture, and writings by experts in the field of acting, singing and body movement like Fajo Jansen, a body-movement teacher who helped help me analyse some of my old video recordings. I also used a questionnaire and created a study plan incorporating these findings, and recorded myself multiple times under the guidance of Fajo in order to test their efficacy. I discovered that a disruption in my performance-focus during singing was causing my gesticulation problems. By creating a deeper physical connection with a text’s meaning, I sought to re-establish and strengthen this focus, which I tested with my study plan for the embodiment of gestures. My work with Fajo showed that, next to this approach, another layer should be added: namely, the body should feel grounded and experience a feeling of flow in order to create free gestures which contribute to a text’s meaning. With Fajo, I concluded that by not only working on the embodiment of gestures but on the whole body as well, my gesticulation problem can be remedied more effectively.

6. Discussion

Although I did STEP 5 with an audience, I am aware of the fact that the environment for the recording of Habanera 2 was less stressful then how I would normally feel e.g. on a big stage, with more people and under different circumstances. In Habanera 2 I did feel aroused because of the fact that there were people present and that they were sitting really close to me. Also, I was nervous because I knew that the result of this video recording would give me an indication of whether or not my study plan with Fajo’s input could make a real difference at such short notice. Even though the results of STEP 5 were positive, I think to be one hundred percent sure of the fact that my new way of practising prepares me for stressful experiences in an exam or audition I should really get myself in a situation like this to test it. In the future, I would thus do things a bit differently. I would give myself a year time to develop my physical skills. In addition, I would test the results of my work with Fajo three times spread over the year in settings like recitals or auditions. In this way I think the overall results could give me a better idea of what already works and what I should still work on.

Also, for my research I only tested the differences between two recordings of the same aria. It would have been interesting to, for example, compare six recordings of three different arias from different operatic periods. This could have given me a better idea of whether or not the exercises Fajo gave me would be applicable for each character, or whether different exercises should be created for each of them. Next to this, I could have tested if, for example, the training of a physical sensation in my back would give the same effect on my singing and gestures if I e.g. would sing fast coloratura lines. Furthermore, I only tested the effects of my study plan on an aria. It would have been also interesting to see if differences would arise in the training of my physical imaginary and sensations in a Lied. Lastly, in my questionnaire I deliberately did not include Fajo's answers because I was dealing with them anyway in my research. However, it would have been interesting to see how other body-work dance teachers would have answered my questions. If these teachers thought differently about what Fajo taught me, their answers could have led me to new questions and ideas.

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