Winter Term 2021
The Yat/Bentley Centre is now enrolling for Winter Term 2021! In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, all classes are offered online via Zoom. If and when it is safe to return to the studio, we will do so on a limited basis, while still providing online training for students unable to attend in person.
There are course offerings for everyone from beginners to advanced artists. Private sessions with Tom Bentley-Fisher and members of the YBC Teaching Company also available.
View our Tuition page for cost details, including Multi-Class Discounts. We are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships; please Contact Us if you would like to learn more.
SCHEDULE | COURSES
New to the Yat/Bentley Method?
RSVP to attend our free 3-hour workshop (via Zoom), Introduction to Transformation.
Upcoming workshop dates:
SCHEDULE
JAN 4 - MAR 27, 2021
EVERYTHING IS MOVEMENT
SAT 10a-12:30p PT
Our foundational class, combining Feldenkrais, Voice, and the Swings. Suitable for all curious, creative minds. Learn more.
SELF-DISCOVERY
SAT 1:30-4p PT
Discover your Transformative potential through an approach not typically taught in American training programs. For beginner to advanced artists. Learn more.
ORDER & CHAOS
MON 6-8:30p PT
Go back to basics and learn the Yat/Bentley Method step-by-step, in sequence. Then throw the elements about in a playful actor’s sandbox. For beginner to advanced artists. Learn more.
FROM CHARACTER TO ACTION
WED 6-8:30p PT
Experience the journey from Inner to Outer with precision and purpose. Complete “The Notes” while building your own character sketches and scenarios. For intermediate to advanced artists. Prereq: ORDER & CHAOS, or extensive work with the Inner Attitudes. Learn more.
MUSCULARITY OF CHOICE
THURS 6-8:30p PT
Deepen your familiarity with the Yat/Bentley Method with this fast-paced training. Tackle monologues and original scenarios with muscularity and verve. For intermediate to advanced performers. Learn more.
COURSES
EVERYTHING IS MOVEMENT | INTRO TO THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
SATURDAYS 10a-12:30p PT, JANUARY 9 - MARCH 27
Tuition: $190/month (or $570/term)
Learning Level: Beginner to Advanced
Through examining the movement of our inner resources of Sensing, Thinking, Intuiting, and Feeling, we begin to comprehend character and express ourselves in ways we never thought possible.
In this experiential course, you will receive an embodied understanding of the foundations of the Yat/Bentley Method. Learn to use the tools of:
The Swings - Physical exercises to develop the inner and outer lives of the performer.
Feldenkrais® and Awareness Through Movement® - Gentle, guided lessons that offer another portal to the unknown, to discovering effortlessness and animating the entire body.
Voice - Lessons based in the work of Cicely Berry and evolved through the Yat/Bentley Method, aiding the performer to find their voice within the whole body.
Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher, Heidi Carlsen, and Pamela Hollings (YBC Associate Artists). Suitable for all curious, creative minds.
SELF-DISCOVERY | INTRO TO MOVEMENT PSYCHOLOGY
SATURDAYS 1:30-4p PT, JANUARY 9 - MARCH 27
Tuition: $280/month (or $840/term)
Learning Level: Beginner to Advanced
Discover your Transformative potential through an approach not typically taught in American training programs. Explore the process of creating from a place of known truth in order to expand into unknown truths.
This course integrates the work of Yat Malmgren, Rudolf Laban, and Uta Hagen. Students will gain a deeper experience of:
Laban Working Actions - Jungian Psychology as revealed in movement through Dabbing, Flicking, Punching, Pressing, Slashing, Wringing, Floating, and Gliding — tools for accessing the unconscious within.
Inner Attitudes - The archetypal character types and their variations of Stable, Mobile, Near, Remote, Adream, and Awake — the secret forces behind human behavior.
The Swings - Physical exercises to develop the inner and outer lives of the performer.
Feldenkrais® and Awareness Through Movement® - Gentle, guided lessons that offer another portal to the unknown, to discovering effortlessness and animating the entire body.
Learn the skills and resources to:
Locate and develop the parts of our inner lives we don’t usually bring to our artistic work.
Apply the approach of Movement Psychology to various creative pursuits, from writing to acting, dancing to directing, and more.
Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher (YBC Artistic Director), Heidi Carlsen and Lavinia Hollands (YBC Associate Artists). Suitable for ambitious beginners as well as experienced artists seeking a new approach to their craft.
ORDER & CHAOS | STRENGTHEN YOUR FOUNDATION IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
MONDAYS 6-8:30p PT, JANUARY 4 - MARCH 22
Tuition: $280/month (or $840/term)
Learning Level: Beginner to Advanced
Uncover the scaffolding and essential structure of the Yat/Bentley Method, furthering your ability to apply it in the world. Receive the written notations (“The Notes”) in sequence, then immediately apply them to text, improvisations, and performance drills.
In this class, you will experience the freedom of approaching the Yat/Bentley Method with an open mind and fresh eyes, whether or not you have previously learned with YBC:
The Notes - In the first hour of each class, you will receive written explanations (a sort of ‘how-to’ guide) passed down from Yat Malmgren to his students.
Actor’s Sandbox - In the second hour, we will immediately put The Notes to work, finding both specificity and freedom through games, drills, improvisations, and experimentation.
Experienced Artists: Here is the opportunity to approach your craft with a ‘beginner’s mind’ — a new vessel ready to be filled. This ‘refresh’ will challenge you to abolish preconceived notions as you free your resistances and step boldly into the next phase of your journey.
Beginners: Discover the Yat/Bentley Method with confidence, knowing that you have the support to excel and deepen your abilities from a solid foundation.
Taught by Adam Kotin (YBC Associate Artist) with guest appearances from the YBC teaching company and community. Suitable for all curious, creative minds.
FROM CHARACTER TO ACTION | NUANCE IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
WEDNESDAYS 6-8:30p PT, JANUARY 6 - MAY 26 (see note)
Tuition: $400/month (or $1200/term)
Learning Level: Experienced to Advanced
Bring all the pieces together to find three-dimensional, nuanced work in the Yat/Bentley Method. Engage directly with the questions of how and why Character is revealed and externalized through Action and Movement. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.
This class completes ‘The Notes’ passed down from Yat Malmgren to his students; prior enrollment in ORDER & CHAOS is strongly recommended. To enroll, students must have a solid understanding and experience of the six Inner Attitudes. You will take your work in further specificity and depth through:
Externalized Drives - The four combinations of reservoirs that activate the Inner, allowing character to engage actively with the world through tactic and objective.
The Confluence - Chart the paths from impulse to action by combining your knowledge of the Drives and Inner Attitudes. Step into the myriad possibilities for alive, fulfilled performances that are brought within reach via the Yat/Bentley Method.
Character Sketches - Let ‘The Notes’ fire your imagination as you begin to create and perform original characters with boldness and nuance.
Note: The course content is structured to continue through Spring Term 2021; students are encouraged to commit to the full 20-week experience.
Taught by the YBC Teaching Company. Suitable only for artists who have previously taken ORDER & CHAOS, and/or who have a solid understanding and experience of the six Inner Attitudes.
MUSCULARITY OF CHOICE | TRAINING IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
THURSDAYS 6-8:30p PT, JANUARY 7 - MARCH 25
Tuition: $400/month (or $1200/term)
Learning Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Put your knowledge of the Yat/Bentley Method to immediate work as you expand and deepen your abilities through an intimate learning experience tailor-made for you. Enrollment is limited to eight students.
Students in this course will be pushed to meet their resistances with confidence and imagination, as they experience:
The Inner Attitudes most challenging for you — Focus on the work that creates the most profound stretch for you as an artist — through simultaneous exploration of monologues and original scenarios.
Active, Embodied Choices — Find the astonishing three-dimensionality of character using the four variations of each Inner Attitude.
Personalized Coaching — The YBC teaching company will craft a ‘tailor-made’ experience that builds on each student’s previous work, including one-on-one instruction.
Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher (YBC Artistic Director) with Heidi Carlsen (YBC Associate Artist), and with guest appearances from the YBC teaching company and community. Suitable only for those familiar with the Yat/Bentley Method.
PRIVATE LESSONS
The YBC Teaching Company is also available for one-on-one private coaching in the Yat/Bentley Method, Feldenkrais, and Voice. Contact Us for more information about available times and rates.
PERFORMANCE CLASS
This term, we are excited to continue and develop an offering for our most advanced students, focused on performance. As the Yat/Bentley Centre grows further into its mission and international presence, Tom Bentley-Fisher will be leading a once-weekly invited class.