The Three Centres of the Body

When I first meet with my students I use the three centres as an initial approach to understanding physical character.

These three ‘centres’ of the body help us create a shape and physical language which allows us to embody the psychology of a character.

The three centres of the body (the head, chest, and hips respectively) correlate to the brain, the heart and your stance.

Each centre has its own meaning in terms of intellect, emotion, and power. In one way it is simple body language;

For example, a jutted out chin, a sunken chest, a strut with hips forward. This could indicate that the character is smart, not particularly confident, and lacks physical power.

The three centres can be manipulated either forward or backwards (positive or negative) and in any combination that you deem correct for your character.

You can sculpt a physical ‘attitude’ by creating a shape with the centres, which the character then embodies. When the actor allows the character’s ‘energy’ to move through that shape, a rhythm is then created for the character.

(I’ll talk about Shape, Rhythm & Energy in another blog soon…)

By embodying the three centres one can ground themselves into the character, feel the body, and make authentic choices as an artist.

I hope this helps!

-Andrew 🙂