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Spring 2023 Newsletter

Info, news and tips for all your voice and body matters



Hello and welcome to the Spring 2023 newsletter. Are you feeling the joys of Spring yet? It’s been slow coming in the UK but apparently we are promised a great display of blossoms very soon. I absolutely adore the pretty colours of Spring. It feels like we are immersed in a magical, fairy tale land, for a short while anyway. Having a delightful escape can really help to clear the cluttered mind and find clarity. The season’s focus is all about clarity: clarity of articulation, accent and speech content but also in the wider sense too. You may have seen my social media post about getting out in nature. This is how we can re-calibrate and reset clarity to get us ready for the events ahead.


As usual it’s been a busy past few months with plays and productions in full swing. As well as new courses launched, 2 new course books written and lots of new faces coming in for lessons. Also the You Tube channel is building up with some more work out videos.





Before Christmas I dialect coached The Boys are Kissing play at London’s Theatre

503 with the wonderful director Lisa Spirling.


Then the new year kicked off with the awe-inspiring Beekeeper of Aleppo at the Nottingham Playhouse, directed by Adam Penford. It was such a fabulous company to work with on a subject matter dear to me. I hope you got to see this heart wrenching tale of Syrian refugees on their journey to England, if not it may be coming to a theatre near you on its UK tour.




With my mind on the events happening across the Middle East I have decided to venture into Arabic poetry as a mini project with my lovely client Basma in Bahrain, to explore the voices we may not often hear. Here is a poem from the renowned Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.


Have a go at reading it aloud to feel the shape of the words and connect to the meaning. Reading well written text aloud is a work out in itself and gets your speech in good shape. Plus it is intended to be spoken to explore the music and beat of rhythmical text.





When I love I feel that I am the king of time I possess the earth and everything on it and ride into the sun upon my horse. When I love I become liquid light invisible to the eye and the poems in my notebooks become fields of mimosa and poppy. When I love the water gushes from my fingers grass grows on my tongue when I love I become time outside all time. When I love a woman all the trees run barefoot toward me…


Qabbani [1923-1998] was revered by generations of Arabs for his sensual and romantic verse. His work was featured not only in his two dozen volumes of poetry and in regular contributions to the Arabic-language newspaper Al Hayat, but in lyrics sung by Lebanese and Syrian vocalists who helped popularize his work.




Upcoming Events



The Standard English Accent and Dialect Course


After the success of the first course we are proud to schedule the next one on 20th April. This course is a new programme with the aim of fast tracking you through accent training to learn the key features in only 6 weeks. We use our creative methodology as honed by our work with our actors. It’s fun and really works! As the first course went so well we ended up continuing onto an extended programme. There is now a second part to the Standard English Course with course book created containing more script practice and professional speech practice.






Summer Vibe Retreat


This summer we are based in Matlock at the Flow Motion Studios for our Summer Vibe retreat. It will be as soothing and relaxing as always with the holistic practices of vocal yoga and sound healing. We have Julia Freer doing the gongs and we may be blessed with a bit of live tabla drumming too. Take a look at the poster for the full line up of workshops and opportunities. In keeping with the current theme we will provide the flavours of the Middle East with a delicious, vegan and gluten free Egyptian lunch. I know it will be delicious because my mother is the chef! Tickets are on sale now with the reduced rate of £75, usually £95. This offer won’t be on for long so get your place booked now to secure this rate.








Tip of the Season


Smell the roses! Sensory overload!





Have you noticed that when you like a scent or smell you take a much deeper breath? Well that’s because it is so appealing your body that you want to indulge in the sensory experience and really devour the aroma as if it were nourishment to your body and soul. Well it is indeed that. As we are in the midst of Spring why not immerse yourself in a sensory delight? Enjoy smelling the flowers or oils or even foods that get you going. Not only will this provide a much needed positive sensation but it will also get you breathing deeper, which we all know provides so many health benefits not to mention is essential for the flow of your voice. Thanks to my darling children I am indulging in the gorgeous Neom perfect night’s sleep candle. The combination of lavender, sweet basil and jasmine is purely sublime. I completely recommend it if you want a luxurious treat.





Here is a list of some great aromatherapy scents/oils and the benefits they offer:


Lavender – relaxing, good for sleep

Orange – energising

Geranium – balancing

Eucalyptus – decongesting

Peppermint - headaches


Enjoy and refresh yourself!


Until next time!


Best wishes and much gratitude,


Marianne








 
 
 

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