February 16^th → 20^th , 2026

MELBOURNE
Australia

THE LANGUAGE

OF GESTURES

HELIKOS school, 2013

From Pantomime to Bandes Mimées

The language of gestures holds a fundamental place in the whole pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq and more in general, in the pedagogy of physical theatre.
Lecoq arrived to theater from a background in physical education and physiotherapy: an accurate and specific knowledge of the body in motion was part of his core passion. One of his first influences was the French actor and director Jean-Louis Barrault, famous for his exquisite pantomime skills, as seen in the movie Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise-1945). Barrault was initiated to mime by Etienne Decroux.
White-face mime, which feels rather vintage in the contemporary theatre scene, has held the roots of the work for centuries.
During his Italian years (1948-1956) Lecoq explored the roots of pantomime in traditional Italian Commedia and even further back in the ancient mime of Latin theatre, which was known for its schools of pantomime.
Lecoq brought the essence of pantomime back to its playful origins recovering the gestural folly of 16th and 17th century Commedia dell’Arte performers.
The early work of Lecoq dived into pantomime, he researched with and without masks and this clear language of gesture remained at the core of the teaching at his school.
Lecoq continued to develop something called action mime. It consists of the study of the movements of everyday life, which are at the roots of the 20 Movements, a set of technical exercises for the training of the actor. The specific precision, accuracy and rigor that comes with this particular practice are crucial elements in the training of the physical theatre actor-creator.
Movement Analysis and Movement Technique became core elements of this training, and a further development of this work was carried on by Norman Taylor, who taught alongside Lecoq for almost twenty years and has continued the work after and beyond Lecoq.

Like scales for a musician, the elements of this physical articulation, action mime and the 20 Movements need to be constantly reminded to anyone engaged in Physical Theatre. Practice never ends.

This workshop is a crash course in the fundamental ingredients of the language of gestures, and it will connect the physical theater player with the deep roots of the language of the body in the theatrical space.

The language of gestures is based on an excited curiosity in the observation of the movements of life and the ability to reproduce them accurately. It also stems from the excitement of telling stories without words.

In this workshop, participants will be exploring some of the fundamental techniques of the language of gesture. The work will be joyous as well as highly rigorous. Participants will be pushed to be precise, acutely articulate, utilizing a high level of fixed point and working with non-verbal communication. The work is highly technical so previous experience with movement based theater is required.

When theater looses the body it loses its soul

Jacques Lecoq

Jean-Louis Barrault in “Les Enfants du Paradis” (1945)

THE PROGRAM

This workshop is specifically designed for anyone interested in exploring the language of gestures developed and taught within the lineage of Jacques Lecoq.

These are the main topics explored during the workshop:
– The body in space: levels of physical engagement
– The state of neutrality
– Action Mime: the study of gestures of everyday life
– Theatre in limited space: le treteau
– White Pantomine (Pantomime Blanche)
– Devising of short collective pantomimes: bandes mimées

KIKLOS School, 2012

ADMISSION

This workshop is for theatre practitioners who have previous experiences in movement theatre and are interested in the Pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq.

A fierce and playful curiosity about the human body in motion is required!

HOW TO APPLY
There is no application form. To apply to the workshop please email a letter of motivation sharing the essence of your story, vision, dream, desire, fear or inexplicable intuition that leads you to this work. Please include in your letter
– your experience with movement based theatre;
– your experience with the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq;
– anything about your physical or emotional state that you feel it is important for the teacher to know (ex: injuries or preexisting physical conditions; specific physical or emotional needs; psychological states, diagnosed or un-diagnosed).

Before applying please read this document about the rules of engagement of the participants with the workshop: with oneself, with the group, with the teacher and with the work.

Giovanni will contact you after receiving the application.
The first selection will happen on December 1st.
The class will be confirmed as soon as it reaches 10 participants. Once Giovanni has selected 22 students, the workshop is full, and a waiting list will be created.
If you intend to participate, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.


Please send your application to giovanni.fusetti@helikos.com

PRACTICALITIES

Please note that the tuition does not include accommodation and that participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Melbourne.

Please note the workshop is a learning continuum, so it is not possible to attend the class only in parts, or to miss any session of the work.

Once completed the enrollment, two weeks before the beginning of the workshop, participants will receive a message containing further practical details about the workshop.

HELIKOS school, 2012

LOCATION
Pascoe Vale Uniting Church
10 Cumberland Rd, Pascoe Vale South VIC 3044, Australia
Directions

SCHEDULE
The workshop is an intensive 5 day Masterclass, from Monday February 16th to Friday February 20th, with the following schedule:
Mon 16th 9.30 – 5.30pm
Tues 17th 9.30 – 5.30pm
Wed 18th 9.00 – 3.30pm
Thurs 19th 9.30 – 5.30pm
Fri 20th 9.30 – 5.30pm
Each day includes a one hour break between 1:00 and 2:pm and two coffee breaks.

LANGUAGE
The workshop will be taught in ENGLISH and a basic understanding of this language is required.

INFORMATION AND APPLICATIONS

For further information about the content of the workshop
and for APPLICATIONS, please contact Giovanni Fusetti at

For enrollment and practical enquiries please contact

Locomotion ondulatoire, (Undulatory locomotion), Jacques Lecoq (1997)