023: Exploring Movement Direction with Ayse Tashkiran
"I still get nervous about work."
Ayse Tashkiran
In this episode of the Shapes in Motion Podcast, Stephen is joined by movement director, teacher, and researcher Ayşe Tashkiran. They trace Ayşe’s journey from discovering her passion for theatre to training at the Lecoq School in Paris and developing her distinctive approach to movement direction. Ayşe reflects on her creative process, the influence of her cultural background, and her work as a teacher at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. The conversation also explores her role in the Movement Directors Association, the challenges of recognition and advocacy in the field, and her writing, including her book Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre, as a way of passing on knowledge to future generations.
About Ayşe Tashkiran
Ayse Tashkiran is a movement director, teacher, and researcher in the field of movement in theatre. She has created movement for a wide variety of companies. She is an associate artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company. For the last 20 years she has also been at the helm of the MA MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Selected publications on movement include Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre: Conversations on Craft (Bloomsbury; Methuen 2020); Introduction to the re-edition of The Actor and His Body by Litz Pisk. (Bloomsbury, Methuen 2017).
Links
Website www.aysetashkiran.com
Instagram @aysetashkiranmovementdirector
Central School of Speech and Drama - https://www.cssd.ac.uk/staff-profiles/ayse-tashkiran
Movement Directors Association - MDA | Movement Directors' Association
References:
Jacques Lecoq
Lecoq School in Paris
Chapters
Introduction to Ayse Tashkiran
The Lecoq Approach to Movement
Transitioning from Performance to Movement Direction
Defining Movement Direction vs. Choreography
A Movement Director's Creative Process
Cultural Influences on Performance
Training the Next Generation of Movement Directors
Advocacy and Recognition in the Arts
The Journey of Writing a Book on Movement Direction
Long-term Challenges in the Creative Process
To get in touch with Sarah visit www.sarahperrymovement.com and follow @sarahperrymovement on Instagram.
To get in touch with Stephen visit www.stephenmoynihan.net and follow @stmoynihan on Instagram.