About I Mime I Director I Movement Therapist I Physical Acting Coach I Teacher I Artist in Residence
Physical acting brings out the story and characters, whether on stage or ice. Physical Acting for Skaters is Michael’s program developed specifically for figure skating, a sport relying heavily on expression (not only facial...the entire body!) to bring out dramatic elements in a wide variety of program themes. These skaters have all improved their dramatic expressions with Michael's help.
Olympic Champions:
Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue (2010, 2018)
Meryl Davis & Charlie White (2014)
And these Champions too!
Teams Elite Synchro World Champion(!) Teams
Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto
Madison Chock & Evan Bates
Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomorenko
Nathan Chen
Gracie Gold
Brandon Frazier & Haven Denny
Maia & Alex Shibutani
Miami University Collegiate Synchro
Adrian College Collegiate Synchro
Madison Chock & Evan Bates
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir
Michael's Coaching in Action
For Pairs, Ice Dancers, Synchro...and more!
Michael has coached physical acting for numerous productions...Including Our Town, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Elephant Man, Peter And The Star Catcher, and most recently The Nutcracker and Don Quixote with Ballet Chelsea.
Consider how a theater audience is watching, along with hearing, the action on stage. When actors know how to physically develop and portray a character, their entire interpretation expands. Knowing when to play “rich” and “poor” (from the work of Jerzy Grotowski) in relation to the text is key to an actor’s success.
Clip of a larger production coming soon...
For Theatrical Productions...
“It is very difficult to put a single label on Michael. Suffice it to say, he is an energetic, engaging coach/actor/technician/comedian/mentor who is able to push students to develop and portray characters and story lines with sincerity.”
- Janice Benoit, Ice Dance coach and judge, Chicago
“All teams did best performance at nationals! Thank you so much[...]
For all your great work with them!!!”
- Marina Zoueva, Ice Dance Coach of the Year, 2011
Michael Lee Mime