THE TROUPE
WHO ARE WE?
Shapes in Motion have been moving professional movers since 2010 and have built up extremely strong industry connections with a multitude of creatives, movement practitioners, companies, facilitators and all sorts of movers & makers of movement over the years. In 2016 we formed the MoCap Troupe, a group of emerging MoCap performers, who are now killing it within the MoCap industry! Now in 2022 The Troupe are expanding covering further areas of Movement in Performance, nurturing emerging talent and supporting those with a mass of experience also. Welcome to The Shapes in Motion Troupe of Movers & Makers.
The Troupe are a combination of professional and agent represented actors, physical performers and creative practitioners who are highly experienced in an array of movement specialisms from Motion Capture to Dance, Physical Theatre to Parkour, Aerial to Puppetry, Combat to Mime, Creature Performance to Fitness and so much more …
We meet regularly to connect, network, move and train together in terms of fitness and continued professional development in all aspects of Movement & Performance and can be called upon for Theatre, TV, Film, Animation, VR, XR, Live Performance, Photographic and other creative projects.
The Troupe are coordinated by Movement Director & Creative Sarah Perry, who works closely with all members to support, develop and help sustain their relevant skills. Sarah also works closely with directors, agents & casting directors to recommend performers for specific projects and productions.
Our community of Movers & Makers is continually growing, so do get in touch if you would like to join or find out more.
HOW CAN WE WORK WITH YOU?
If you are a Casting Director, Director, Producer, Production Company, Motion Capture Studio or Creative looking to cast/recruit an individual or a group of performers or require movement specialists who are perhaps use to working together, then we are the go-to Troupe for you.
We can recommend individuals to Directors & Casting Directors who we think may be a great fit for your project, we’ll pass on their details for you to get in touch with their Agents or them directly. Please note, Shapes in Motion is not an agency; we are here to support the individual and the industry.
Movement Director Sarah Perry can be booked as a movement coordinator on your project to work with the Troupe and other cast & creative members on and off set to organise any potential trainings necessary for the project and to rehearse, coach and workshop particular characters, creatures, moments, movement scenes or concepts.
Get in touch to find out more.
SPOTLIGHT ON… Durassie Kiangangu
Welcome to Shapes in Motion’s Spotlight On… Our Troupe of regular Shapes in Motion: Movers & Makers range from Actors, Dancers, MoCap Performers, Movement Tutors, emerging Movement Directors & Choreographers, Directors, Makers of Movement and so much more.
We asked Durassie a few questions – this is what he had to say…
Who are you and what do you do?
I am a physical performer with an orientation towards movement, motion capture, screen work and voice over.
Tell us a little bit about your movement & performance passions:
I have always been much more confident in expressing myself through my physicality. It tends to come more free flowing than speech. Saying that, I do, however see myself as more of a screen-oriented Actor, as I tend to enjoy working in film more so than theatre. Through movement I also ended up doing a brief stint in fashion, working for a few British and global brands.
What are you currently working on?
At the moment, just working on me, really, (haha) Literally, bit by bit, and all.
Tell us a little bit about your experience with Shapes in Motion
(By a happy coincidence), I stumbled upon Shapes in Motion’s website back in 2015, when googling Physical Theatre and movement-based workshops. From reading about Sarah’s field of work, and the type of work she specialises in, I felt like I had stumbled upon exactly what I was looking for. My first workshop was with a facilitator from Gecko, and further on, I was introduced to Mocap workshops. At that time, I’d only loosely heard of Mocap, so it was venturing into completely new territory for me.
What’s your dream job?
Oooooh DEEP question! Haha
From thinking about the avenues, I enjoy doing: it’d fall in line with Voice Over, Screenwork and Movement. I’d love to travel with work again, covid really speed bumped that. So, doing a shoot abroad (Film work or mocap) for a couple of weeks or months would be a dream.
What has been one of your creative highlights?
It’s hard to pick one, so I’ll bullet point them and (try) keep them brief:
*DREAM, a live Motion Capture show, produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company/Marshmallow laser Feast, and movement directed by Sarah Perry.
*I shot my first big production feature film at Pinewood Studios, doing scenes with Hollywood actors I grew up following on screen.
* Performing at The Royal Festival Hall at The Southbank, doing a very text heavy and physically demanding piece.
What has been one of your most creative challenges?
Working on “DREAM” which was my first ever Mocap job, and one of my biggest. I stepped in with a HUGE imposter syndrome, that I was trying to swallow, and I realised how little I trusted myself as an actor. One thing that happens when I feel unsure of myself, is that I “over compensate”. I was struggling a lot with not only trusting or believing in what I could offer, but I also struggled with trusting the people around me, despite deep down knowing that I was actually in very good hands.
I’ve never been a particularly quick or linear learner, so, progress has always come to me in irregular beats. But when I do catch on, I am always slightly taken by how much progress I can make. Coming off that job allowed me to grow, in terms of understanding my patterns not only as a performer, but also as a human.
Pearls of wisdom for an emerging performer?
Understand your uniqueness, and “back yourself”. Backing yourself can mean, honing your skills, but also taking ownership for your weak points. We all have something to offer, so don’t hold back on communicating your thoughts. There’s always something you can learn from your colleagues. So, practising listening helps you get out of your head and reminds you that it’s about the life you bring to the job, rather than You.
*Give yourself permission, to “have fun” .
Anything else you’d love to share …
Nope, I think I’ve blabbered on enough, thanks for reading, and listening.
How can we find out more about you?
You can find links to my work on my VIMEO vimeo.com/durassie
Instagram handle: @durassie
You can join Durassie on the 26th March for an Introduction to Northern Soul.
