If you've ever tried creating a character who's physically different from you, or tried to mimic someone else for a role, you probably learned that what seems like a simple act of movement is really rather complex. It would be so much easier if we had been given owner's manuals for our bodies.

To be a more effective performer (as an actor; dancer; or mime) you should know some of the basics about how you move.   That's where studying isolations can help.

Any move you make, you isolate a part of your body. When you wave, you isolate your hand. When you look left and right you isolate your head. So why should you learn something that you're already doing? Good question.

With a knowledge of body Isolations, you should find it easier to mold yourself in the way your imagination wants you to move. Also, If you understand the techniques, your observations of other people will be more accurate, making it easier to take on their characteristics. Anyone who crosses your path in life is a possible character for you to recreate in class or on stage. All you have to do to create a stage character is visually dissect the person you're watching, analyze how he or she is moving or is put together, then arrange your body in the same manner.

Before we get started see if you can answer a couple questions about yourself       First, how many different sections can you isolate in the core part of your body? (That is, everything but your arms and legs.) The answer: Well say that you have five sections to the main Core of your body that can be Isolated. Your head is independent of your neck, your shoulders and chest are one unit. The waist and the hips are the last two sections.

Question two: How many different ways can you move your body? It a bit of a trick question.   If you said your body can move in hundreds of ways, think again. Your body moves in just three ways. Your body parts can rotate, Inclinate and seperate.

Rotation is the action that occurs when you shake your head "no".  The rotation always turns along the horizon; it doesn't dip up and down. The up and down of a "yes" head shake is the incline, or inclination. When you bend over to pick something up, you, incline forward. When you took up, your head inclines back. 

 Separations, the third type of movement are probably the most difficult to describe. Imagine an East Indian dance, in which the dancer's head moves side to side, but does not rotate or fall forward.  Or for another good example of a separation, watch pigeons. When they walk their heads and necks separate forward and back.     Like rotations, separations occur on one plane. The body parts never dip below the horizontal plane or twist across the vertical.

Before practicing isolations, make sure you've warmed up. When you're ready to begin, your feet should be shoulder-width apart,  your back straight,  your head squarely over your shoulders, and your hips tucked in line with your spine.

In the hollowing exercises you can use your hands to feel when sections of your body are overextending. For many of the Isolations, If you use a mirror to check your position, you'll move your body in the wrong way, Ideally, If you have a partner, you can check each other for mistakes.