Kestrel works with fellow performers to augment physical and vocal training. She dedicated 10 years to the Suzuki Method of Actor Training in the US and Japan, and is a qualified teacher of the methods of Theodoros Terzopoulos. She has taught for institutions such as Rose Bruford College (UK); Open Up EU; CalArts (US); The Watermill Center (US); Tanzhaus Luzern (CH); Dancehouse Lefkosia (CY); Nea Kinisi (CY); and Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts. Along with her colleagues from across disciplines, she has also lead custom interdisciplinary arts workshops for children.
To inquire about in-person or online coaching, contact Kestrel.
Subscribe below for information on upcoming workshops.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP:
HIDDEN VOICES: Extended Vocal Techniques with Kestrel Farin Leah
Saturday & Sunday May 10-11* 16:00-19:00
Ov Off Studio, Athens, Greece
A two-day workshop using embodied vocal techniques to dive into the vast landscape of vocal qualities and textures hidden within each human voice! Actors, vocalists, dancers, or anyone with a practice or interest in embodied and experimental voice practices are welcome.
In this workshop, we will use a foundation of full-bodied movement, deep breathing and diaphragmatic conditioning to deepen the relationship between body, breath and sound, and prepare us to traverse remote regions of our voices. As we engage the body and voice as creative collaborators, we approach the voice as a plastic element that can be coaxed and danced through body-sourcing sound. A combination of structured forms and free improvisation offers us infinite points of contact—technical, instinctual, and imaginative—with the nomadic voice:
Technical – Where physical alignment, physiology and gravity support the production of a specific quality or range of sound
Instinctual/intuitive – Where physical gesture subconsciously touches on deeply embodied personal or ancestral memory, yielding spontaneous connection to primal vocal impulses or hidden identities
Imaginative – Where body and imagination align to create fictional or abstract provocations for vocal play
This constellation of exercises and experiments reveals and frees the authentic voice while expanding beyond our “everyday” range into dormant capacities and expressions, preparing us for a range of contemporary performance practices—from the dramatic to the avant-garde, from the stage to the recording studio. Our work draws upon the techniques of Theodoros Terzopoulos, the vocal research of the Roy Hart company, and a diversity of global influences that meet in honoring the creativity of the body-mind and embracing our capacity for transgression and transformation.
Participants are invited to bring text or song to work on during the workshop in their mother language.
Note: No previous experience is required. While some exercises are rigorous, the work is adaptable to a range of physical ability and foregrounds diversity and accessibility.
*While participation in both days is encouraged, participants may also drop in for one of the two sessions.
The workshop will be led in English.