kate hilder
Expressive Body classes and workshops
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Edinburgh, UK
Writing through the Body, Moving through Language
Join Kate Hilder and Jude Claybourne for this playful interdisciplinary workshop in Edinburgh, where writing, movement and vocal expression come together in surprising and innovative ways.
Who it’s for:
Anyone who is curious about the creative connection between words, movement and vocal expression
Writers looking to break free from creative blocks and explore storytelling in new and embodied ways
Actors and playwrights interested in creating characters and text from the body and breathing new life into scripts
Dancers who want to weave voice and text into their physical practice
Storytellers eager to add more depth, texture and physicality to their narratives
Public speakers wanting to enhance their expressive range, emotional connection and storytelling skills for greater impact.
What to Expect
Within a safe and supportive environment that fosters an atmosphere of inspiration, sensitivity and deeper connection you will:
• Experiment with getting your body involved in writing and allowing text to colour your movement, infusing your expression with emotion and depth.
• Cultivate your ability to listen, respond in the moment and follow your intuition, enriching your creative practice and your daily life.
• Combine movement and speech, learning how to track the rhythm of both your physicality and language, bringing texture, aliveness and freshness to your creative process.
• Side step your inner critic through playful experimentation, revealing new perspectives for your writing and creative expression.
• Expand your creative toolkit: deepening character development, crafting dialogue and creating vivid image-rich descriptions.
Experience
All you need is a sense of curiosity and a willingness to explore what lies beyond the familiar.
Jude Claybourne is an improviser, actor, facilitator and creative writer with a fascination for the power of the body to influence perception, thought and creativity. Her style is direct, playful and encouraging.
Cost:
£150 early bird / £175 full price
£80 non-refundable deposit to be received by 17th January 2025 to qualify for the early bird.

Edinburgh, UK
The Expressive Body for therapists
Dialogue & Space, 64 Albion Road, Edinburgh EH7 5QZ
What to expect:
Experience the freedom of expressing your feelings directly through movement and voice, bypassing the complexities and censors of the rational mind.
Discover the joy of playing with others and bringing something new to life through shared creativity.
Learn how to listen and respond from an embodied place i.e. being present moment by moment to your body experience and responding from this ‘felt sense’.
Be more comfortable in the unknown – allowing you to follow your intuition and respond in the moment rather than sticking to routine strategies and behaviours.
Explore and welcome aspects of yourself that you feel aren’t acceptable e.g. “I’m too much”, “I’m not nice” or “I’m ashamed”. By saying hello to and embodying these ‘voices’, they loosen their grip, allowing new options for engaging in life to emerge.<?p>
Somatic movement explorations inspired by the Feldenkrais Method will guide you into a state of presence where creativity and spontaneity are more easily accessed.
Cost:
£100

London, UK
The Expressive Body
For anyone interested in discovering new forms of self expression as well as dancers, actors, musicians and singers wanting to expand their physical, vocal and emotional expressive range.
Through practicing simple, improvisational exercises you’ll access your innate creativity and vast imagination, developing your ability to listen, respond in the moment and work collaboratively.
Experimenting with your vocal palette will be a point of departure for sourcing words and language. You will learn how to create spoken narratives which are colourful and unpredictable while staying deeply connected to your body.
Somatic movement explorations inspired by the Feldenkrais Method will support you in expanding your vocal and movement vocabulary.
Early Bird: £150 Full price: £175
To qualify for the early bird price, a non-refundable deposit of £80 must be paid by Friday 28th February

PAST EVENTS

London, UK
Sunday Series #3
Beyond Words: exploring the sound and movement of language
Centre 151, 151 Whiston Road, London E2 8GU
Through paying attention to the sensory experience of speech – the movement of the mouth, the passage of breath, and the pitch and volume of sounds – you’ll discover a new sense of freedom and playfulness in your expression, unburdened by your inner critic.
Confidence will be gained in developing narrative content, crafting image-rich worlds with your words. As you practice combining movement and speech, you’ll learn how to track the rhythm and dynamics of both, so that your expression is articulate, surprising and alive.
This workshop is ideal for anyone who loves to be creative with language including writers, actors and public speakers, as well as those who feel shy about speaking and want to gain confidence in this area.

London, UK
Sunday Series #2
Collaborative Creations
20th October 2024
11am – 5pm
Centre 151, 151 Whiston Road, London E2 8GU
Cost:
1 workshop: £80 / £70 early bird
2 workshops: £150 / £130 early bird
3 workshops: £195 / £165 early bird
To qualify for the early bird price, a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the fee must be paid by September 10th.

Devon, UK
Explore your voice
This workshop is an opportunity to discover the dynamic connections between movement, imagination, vocal expression and singing.
Kate and Margaret will teach in tandem starting each day with a movement and vocal warm-up followed by solo, duet and small group improvisations. Margaret will lead sessions centring on vocal possibilities which arise from these explorations including short individual guidance. At other times we will start with vocal work and then experiment with movement and mood to fill out the different characters which emerge.
Exploring our voices can be a doorway to words and language. We will discover how connecting with the sources from which we produce our voices can generate narrative content.
Somatic movement explorations inspired by the Feldenkrais Method will support students in expanding their vocal and movement palette.
Margaret Pikes is a founder member of the Roy Hart Theatre. She has been developing her approach to vocal exploration for 50 years based on her training with Roy Hart. Her book “Owning our Voices: Vocal Discovery in the Wolfsohn-Hart Tradition,” written with Dr Patrick Campbell, was published in 2021.
Local Highlights:
Stunning cliff top coastal walks
Fossil hunting in Lyme Regis
The pretty fishing village of Beer
Bird watching at Seaton Wetlands Nature Reserve
Seaton Tramway
Sea swimming for the brave!
Cost: Early bird £175 Full price: £195
(£80 non-refundable deposit to be received by 19th July)
Edinburgh, UK
Connecting In, Connecting Out
Some of the questions we will explore during this weekend are:
How do I stay connected to my own experience while being in relationship with my partner(s)? How do I respond with material that is relevant yet fresh and new? When does the scene call me to join my partners’ world and when do I offer a new dimension? When does stillness enhance a scene and when do I act?
You will build confidence in expanding your movement and vocal vocabulary as well as developing spoken narratives – creating image rich worlds and playing with the musicality of speech while staying physically engaged and alive. This is an invitation to embark on a journey into an ever changing physical and emotional landscape, aligning your feelings with your actions and developing your performance presence.
Cost:
Early bird £120 (deposit to be received by 10th May).
Full price: £150

Ireland
The Expressive Body
A playful journey through the imaginative world of movement, sound and speech.
An introductory one-day workshop for anyone interested in discovering new forms of self expression as well as dancers, actors, musicians and singers wanting to expand their physical, vocal and emotional expressive range.
You will be invited to connect inwards to your body, breath and feelings and outwards to others through movement, vocal work and dynamic play.
Through practicing simple, improvisational exercises you’ll develop your collaborative skills and improve your ability to respond in the moment.
Working solo and with partners you will experience how vocal sounds can transform into words and narratives and discover ways to open the doors of your vast imagination.
Cost:
Early bird €50
(payment to be received by 6th May).
Full price: €60