Discussion of the Work of Arthur Lessac

Introduction

History knows hundreds of gifted people who contributed to the development of theater. One of the famous ones is Arthur Lessac, a legend among those who do not see voice as a regular tool to deliver information. Arthur is a renowned voice teacher, movement instructor, speech therapist, creator of specific and well-recognized methods of voice manipulation, and author of two books for a bio-dynamic approach to the vocal. This essay will prove the significance of Arthur Lessacs movement contribution in relation to theater. To support the claim, the examination of the mentors background, reasons for his interest in movement, exercises used in his method, and his philosophy will be provided.

Discussion of The Work of Arthur Lessac

Background of Arthur Lessac

Like many other famous persons, Arthur Lessac had a specific life path that brought him to the development of his work. Arthur was born in Israel on September 9th, 1909 (The remarkable story of Arthur Lessac, the renowned vocal coach, 2010). Two years later, his family moved to the United States, but his parents marriage fell apart, and Arthur was left in an orphanage where he grew up until the Lessac family adopted him when he was twelve years old. Soon, the remarkable gift of the young boy was noticed, and he won a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York (The remarkable story of Arthur Lessac, the renowned vocal coach, 2010). Intended to create a career, Arthur earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in speech from New York University. This stage of his life can be considered one of the most significant ones, as this experience and knowledge were a base for his further work development.

In the next part of his life Arthur was a renowned vocal coach on Broadway. He was teaching students of Stella Adler Theater Studio and rabbis from the Jewish Theological Seminary (The remarkable story of Arthur Lessac, the renowned vocal coach, 2010). As a coach, Arthur attended, many venues across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, and others. Then, he had experience working with actors at theaters and institutes. Later, Arthur issued two books, which are The Use and Training of the Human Voice and Body Wisdom: The Use and Training of the Human Body (The remarkable story of Arthur Lessac, the renowned vocal coach, 2010). The stages of this coachs work development indicate that the growth was started a New York and contributed by a multicultural approach.

Reasons for Arthur Lessacs Interest in the Movement

There were reasons Arthur Lessac became interested in movement for voice and body training and decided to grow his gift and help others to maser their voice usage. He had always been curious about how the human body and voice can function naturally and instinctively. Arthur had noticed that organic development and following the instinctive motions are crucial for the perfection of voice and body use in tandem. Started from traditional voice training, he began experimenting with innovative techniques named organic instruction. Arthur was interested in how external and internal environments can impact each other and contribute to voice (Lessac, n.d.). He incorporated the knowledge of outer factors, such as ecologies, mysteries, energy powers, and patterning, and tied it to humans personal qualities and harmonic sensing. Therefore, it was a natural gift that made Arthur interested in his voice mastering and unique mindset that enabled the coach not to join the movement but became one of most noticeable representatives of it and the promoter of vocal techniques.

Exercises Used in Arthur Lessacs Work

Arthur Lessacs described hundreds of techniques that are recommended to be utilized for particular goals achieving and different voice users. For instance, Lessac Kinesensic Training is intended for dancers focused on the development of the voice and body in a holistic way through the sensation of movements. It consists of two exercises, the first of which is a breathing technique. It helps dancers to switch their regular method to breath with tightly held abdominal muscles to an optimal body placement with a naturally expanded chest (Humphrey, 2016). The second exercise of the training is Y Buzz intended to facilitate natural relaxation and reduce the stress of the body. The breathing, in this exercise, and humming on Y on a descending scale make vocal folds vibrate. The training assists a dancer in being comfortable with their streams of the natural breath.

Arthur Lessacs Philosophy

Arthur Lessac possesses specific philosophy that fascinates those that are willing to reach the new levels of their voice usage. This famous coach claims that Voice is so much more than tone or timbre, vowels or consonants (Who is Arthur Lessac, n.d. para. 1). This theory makes Arthurs students deepen in how voice is meant to influence listeners, rather than apparent features their apparatuses have. The coach makes it clear that for my meaning of voice, I chose visionarysomeone who lights the way for others (Who is Arthur Lessac, n.d., para. 1). Therefore, the essential thought in Arthurs philosophy is that the voice is not a set of characteristics, not a tool for routine use, but an instrument for enlightening ones who require it the most. Potentially, this philosophy is a reason why Arthur Lessacs movement does not train students to be great actors or orators but rather be influencers.

Benefits of Arthur Lessacs Work and its Relation to Theatre

Arthur Lessacs movement work significantly contributed to the contemporary perception of voice, the way it is used, and the philosophy around it. As a vocal coach, he taught hundreds of young actors, orators, dancers how to master their body movements and voice to influence auditory. Arthur is a founder of the National Academy of Vocal Arts (Nava), which was a laboratory for the further establishment of Lessac Kinesensic Training adopted by hundreds of universities preparing future theater actors. The two mentioned books, written by Arthur, can be considered guides for body training and body wisdom, which is also significantly impacted the growth of many specialists that comprise contemporary theater. Arthur Lessacs Movement Work is a valuable contribution to the entire concept of artists, and other masters of voice preparation, which contributed to theater as well as to other spheres as dancing and moviemaking.

Conclusion

Arthur Lessac is a man with a difficult childhood and an outstanding talent. He is a coach for thousands of actors, dancers, orators, and others. Arthur has a unique philosophy that represents voice as an instrument of influencing, while his teaching incorporates body movements as a vital part of vocal techniques, which was a new approach. Some of Arthurs training exercises implement breathing to make motion and speaking be natural, relaxed, and instinctive. Therefore, Arthur Lessac is one of the most famous coaches in the world because of his substantial contribution to the establishment of the contemporary way of vocal development and the impact on the History of theater.