Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Jean-Louis Rodrigue is an internationally recognised move-ment coach in Los Angeles whose specialty is helping actors bring the gracefulness and fluidity of dance to their performances. A combination of acting coach, choreographer and physical therapist, Jean-Louis Rodrigue uses techniques that have much in common with dance training. Dancers are taught to rely on movement and gesture to convey the personalities of characters, an idea he stresses to all the actors he coaches. Born in Morocco, raised in Italy and originally an actor himself, he was inspired to study the body when, as a boy, he saw some of Leonardo da Vinci‘s drawings in Milan. “He depicts the body as a place where creation happens and imagination lives,“ he says. “That idea stayed with me.“ It also led him to the Alexander Technique, a method which explores the basic impulses of human movement – how we interfere with our own coordination – offering a means to change. Through mental and physical processes, the master class will allow actors and directors to expand their level of awareness of themselves, in stillness and in movement, teaching them to transform into their character roles.

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Actors master class.

Voice, energy, breath and the ability to embody their character are the fundamental tools that actors need, and these are also what they most often lack. Jean-Louis Rodrigue’s unique approach to acting coaching and to improving levels of performance in film and theatre has brought him international recognition. Born in Morocco and educated in Italy and France, he is the combination of an acting coach, choreographer and physical therapist. His work as a movement specialist can be seen on a number of films such as W., Bee Season, and Seabiscuit to name just a few. He has worked with a number of prominent actors such as Juliette Binoche, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst and Jonathan Pryce. He is also the foremost teacher of the Alexander Technnique as applied to stage and film acting. The Alexander Technique is a method of self-discovery which explores the basic impulses of human movement, how we interfere with our own coordination, and it offers a means to change. As Larry Moss, US American acting coach puts it: "One of the most important things actors can possess is a relationship to their own body and breath. Jean-Louis works with actors in such a way that they immediately understand from deep within themselves their true impulses."

Through mental and physical processes, the master class will allow actors and film directors to expand their level of awareness of themselves, in stillness and in movement, focus on connecting the body and breath to performance and creating characters. Helping actors gain access to themselves and teaching them to transform into characters requires an atmosphere free of fear. Jean-Louis promotes an environment that is both playful and daring. As Rodrigue emphasises, "when performers make the physical component of their work as important as the intellectual", he said, "they become far more convincing.

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

If you did not have words, could you still tell the story? This workshop focuses on recognising the power of movement and physicality in creating a character in film. Jean-Louis Rodrigue, a renowned movement and acting coach and a senior teacher of the Alexander Technique as applied to performance in film, helps actors and actresses find the fluidity of ease, power, precision and passion in their performance. The Alexander Technique is a method that explores the basic impulses of human movement – how we interfere with our own coordination and how we can change it. Rodrigue’s teachings emphasise the awareness of the body and the physicality of performance. Every gesture has enormous implications in telling the story and revealing the character. The workshop will explore the elements that make an actor charismatic, emotionally authentic and clearly expressive by developing kinesthetic awareness of your body, exploring the basic principles of the Alexander Technique, connecting to breath coordination and voice to text, being in space and entering the world of the story, understanding how to bring ritual, myth and primal ancestors into your performance, and using animal movement as a way to find the spine of the character and connecting to your emotions. Participants are required to have a monologue ready for this intensive hands-on workshop and interactive experience.

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

How the director and producer present their project to potential studio executives and investors often determines if the film will be made. Effective presentation requires clarity of expression, confident body language, accessing the imagination and engaging the audience’s attention by connecting to their emotions. This involves understanding how to use “watcher identification“ and empathy as a way to connect and “seduce” your audience, using mind mapping to plan a presentation that communicates effectively, developing physical and mental coordination in order to act out the story dynamically in time and space, using heroism as a way of making your presentation unforgettable, and connecting to your senses to create the “dream world” of your story so they “hear and see it”. This is an interactive, hands-on workshop led by acting coach, movement trainer, choreographer and senior teacher of the Alexander Technique Jean-Louis Rodrigue. Some Talents will have the opportunity to present their projects to Rodrigue in front of an audience as practical application. This workshop is open primarily to directors, writers, and producers.

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

Jean-Louis Rodrigue, acting coach and movement director, will talk to you about his acting coaching and movement training as well as on how to present your film project. He will explain the fundamental tools needed to improve your levels of performance in film and to present your script to potential producers and studios.

Kristof Konrad, Jean-Louis Rodrigue

This hands-on workshop will be an interactive experience with practical application. Body, voice, energy, breath and the ability to embody the character are the fundamental tools that actors need, and are also what they most often lack. Acting coach, choreographer and movement specialist, Jean-Louis Rodrigue, and Kristof Konrad have a unique approach to coaching actors to improve their performance in film and theatre. As Larry Moss, an American acting coach puts it: “One of the most important things actors can possess is a relationship to their own body and breath. Jean-Louis works with actors in such a way that they immediately understand from deep within themselves their true impulses.“ He has been a coach on a number of films including J. EDGAR and W. and has worked with actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Binoche, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, and Kirsten Dunst. Through a mental and physical process, the master class will allow actors and film directors to expand their level of awareness of themselves, in stillness and in movement, focus on connecting the body and breath to performance and creating characters. Helping actors gain access to themselves and teaching them to transform into characters requires an atmosphere free of fear. Jean-Louis promotes an environment that is both playful and daring. As Rodrigue emphasises, “when performers make the physical component of their work as important as the intellectual“, he says, “they become far more convincing.“

Kristof Konrad, Jean-Louis Rodrigue

An actor’s vision in film acting is manifested both emotionally and physically. This kind of performance requires more than instinct – interpretative intelligence and a mastery of physical, psychological, and emotional craft are essential. Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Kristof Konrad lead an intensive workshop to explore the skills and tools for the creation of extraordinary characters and performances specifically geared for the camera close-up. Having coached actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Binoche, Hilary Swank, Helena Bonham Carter to name a few, Jean-Louis and Kristof have a unique point of view, applying physicality and the Alexander Technique to acting in film.