7 States of Tension

As we came back from winter break, a group of the IB Theater Year 2 students led our class today and taught us a variety of things. After doing our usual improve activities, the group taught us about the 7 states of tension by Jacques Lecoq: Neutral (in which the body is in a neutral state with no hint of the individual’s personality showing), Californian (a very laid back or “chill” look), Catatonic (a state where the least possible muscles are being used and the individual’s body is limp), Alert (exactly what the name say: the person is on edge and alert), Suspense (the individual is scared and frightened), and Passionate (in which the individual is admiring someone/something he or she loves). We also covered female suspension #1 and #2, which are two different levels of portraying extreme femininity, and male suspension #1 and #2, which are two different levels of portraying extreme masculinity, with #1 being the lesser extreme and #2 being the greater extreme (Westin was particularly good at this one). As we practiced all of these states of tension, I thought it was really interesting that everyone has a different way of expressing these states. My alert portrayal involved me sitting at the edge of my chair with my eyes wide open, while some other people’s alert state involved them standing up in various positions or moving back and forth. I therefore learned that everyone has a different way of performing and everyone brings something unique to the table in a performance: no one is the same (as cliché as that sounds). Also, learning about the states of tension helped me appreciate the different ways specific emotions can be portrayed and the effect body language has on a character. At the end of the class, me and Westin performed a skit in which he takes me out on a date and I am bored because he is such a nerd, but at the end of the skit he realizes the best way to get me interested is to rip off his shirt. We used several states of tension in this performance, such as Californian, Catatonic, and Male Suspension #2 (Westin ripping his shirt off obviously). I had so much fun with this group and I can’t wait to continue having fun next class in which the same group will continue teaching our class.