Workshop

40-minutes challenge: A short presentation to Alba emoting

Alba Emoting™ is a psychophysiological scientiﬁc method to help recognize, induce, express and regulate the basic emotions. Alba Emoting is a somatic approach to emotional expression, which enables one to induce emotional states at will through respiratory-facial-postural actions that trigger physiological components developed by Chilean neuroscientist Susana Bloch. The most developed application of Alba Emoting so far has been in theatre. Actors may use Alba Emoting as a tool to complement the actor’s process in creating a role. It allows the actor to be more creative and imaginative with his choices and create more emotionally enriching characters. Alba Emoting is not a technique which covers every aspect of the performer’s art. It is still the job of the actor to flesh out and research the character he performs. Alba Emoting is safe technique of generating emotions for acting performance. It further resolves four major problems some actors experience while generating emotions for acting performance - “emotional hijacking,” “emotional hangover,” “emotional blockage,” and using emotional memories which are faded, incomplete, inconsistent, or full of mixed emotions.

Jessica Beck

Jessica Beck is a British-American theatre artist based in London, specialising in new writing and devised work. She was an Artistic Associate of The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter from 2011 - 2018, and an Associate of Theatre 503 from 2004 – 2010. She is a proud member of Stage Directors UK.

Jessica`s interest in psychophysical actor training led her to undertake a PhD in performance practice at the University of Exeter under the supervision of Phillip Zarrilli. Her PhD entitled “Directing Emotion: A Practice-based Investigation of the Challenge of Emotion in Western Performance” explores Dr. Susana Bloch’s Alba Method. Jessica is a Master Teacher of Alba Emoting (CL5) and regularly teaches on intensive trainings in the United States and the UK, and has taught Alba workshops for Rose Bruford, Drama Studio, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Living Pictures, and the University of Exeter.

Diana Dobreva–Hristova

Diana Dobreva – Hristova is a Bulgarian psychologist consultant, with an advisory practice PPC – Performance Psychology Counseling in Sofia. He has been working in public order and security services for more than 15 years, advising and training professionals working in a highly risky environment, under heavy stress and in time pressure. In the last 5 years he has specialized in psychological counseling and training of people in the field of high performance.

Between 2015 and 2017, he developed a concept for psychological preparation of a professional sports team in Bulgaria and realized it in cooperation with a team of psychologists. He works with professional athletes, coaches, Start-up teams, young actors, performers and athletes in Scientific Olympiads. Since 2016, he has been a consultant of the Olympic team in mathematics.

In 2018 began research doctorate work at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, in the specialty "consultative psychology". Her research work and practice is dedicated to psychological counseling for people in the performing arts and professionals with high professional challenges.

Her professional expertise uses knowledge and practical experience in the fields of behavioral analysis, physiology and emotional self-regulation. Diana Dobreva Hristova has undergone the introductory training of Alba Emoting in Rose Bruford College-London, England and has a certificate CL1.