Movement: Animal Study
Short Study – Weekend Course
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Overview
On this one-day course, you will explore the fascinating world of animal movement studies and learn how to harness these observations to enrich and transform your character work. Through detailed movement analysis and practical exercises, you’ll discover how studying animal behaviour can unlock new dimensions in your physical performance choices.
The methodology combines close observation, physical exploration, and character development techniques, allowing you to build a rich vocabulary of movement possibilities. You’ll learn to extract and adapt specific animal qualities – from status and power dynamics to emotional states and survival instincts – and apply them thoughtfully to character work.
Understanding animal behaviour and movement is a powerful tool for creating memorable characters and making bold, specific physical choices in performance. Whether you’re preparing for a specific role or looking to expand your movement repertoire, this course will provide you with unique approaches to character development. This open access course is suitable for training, professional and amateur actors who wish to:
- Explored techniques for detailed animal observation and learn to identify key physical characteristics that can be translated into human movement and behaviour;
- Develop a broader movement vocabulary by exploring and embodying different animal qualities, from predator to prey, terrestrial to aerial;
- Learn to extract and adapt specific animal movement patterns and behavioural traits to create unique and compelling character physicality;
- Gain confidence in making innovative physical choices by understanding how animal studies can inform and enhance character development and storytelling.
Courses you may be interested in
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
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Contact us
If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk.
The important details
Age:
16+
Cost:
£75
Date:
Saturday, 14 June 2025
Time:
10am - 5pm
Venue:
The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks, 210 Garscube Road, Glasgow, G4 9RR
Course Information
There are no entry requirements for this course.
We ask that students be open, respectful and willing to participate in discussion and practical activities.
If you have any questions about this class or the support we can offer, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk
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Please come ready for practical work, dressed in comfortable clothing. We will work barefoot for part of the course.
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Bring a note pad and pencil in case you wish to make notes.
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Please bring a bottle of water to keep hydrated during the course. Refilling stations are available throughout the building.
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Please research your chosen animal from the provided list in advance of the course to enable deeper exploration in the session. There will be opportunity for research in the session also.
Each session will begin with a physical warm-up focused on awakening the body’s natural instincts and animal-like qualities, preparing you for deep exploration of movement and behaviour.
You will be introduced to fundamental principles of animal observation and movement analysis, learning how to identify and understand key characteristics such as weight distribution, spine alignment, breathing patterns, and movement rhythms. Through guided exercises, you’ll begin to embody these qualities and explore how they can be translated into human movement.
Working with your pre-selected animal, you’ll engage in detailed observation and practical exercises to explore its unique qualities – from specific movement patterns to behavioural traits – and understand how these can inform character choices.
Through practical exercises and improvisations, you’ll explore how to transform your animal study into human character traits, discovering how animal-inspired movements can suggest status, intention, and emotional states in your performance work.
You will have the opportunity to work individually in front of the class through guided improvisations, applying your animal-inspired physical choices to create a unique character. During this time, you will receive detailed feedback and guidance from your tutor on the effectiveness and authenticity of your animal-to-human transformation.
The day will conclude with a sharing of your character work and time for reflection on how these techniques can be applied to future roles.
Further Information
We want to ensure as many children, young people and adult learners as possible can access the performing and production arts education that is offered through Short Courses at RCS. Financial support options available for Short Courses include:
Agnes Allan Bursary
Agnes Allan was a teacher, passionate about inclusion, and this bursary scheme exists to offer support to students to participate in the performing or production arts.
The Agnes Allan Bursary provides some support to students who may require financial assistance to take part in a short course in dance, drama, music, production or screen.
Anyone who wishes to take part in our Short Courses and faces a financial barrier can apply for bursary support to help meet the cost of tuition fees.
James McAvoy Drama Scholarships
BAFTA-winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy is committed to nurturing the creative potential of young Scots who experience barriers to access and participate in drama at RCS Short Courses.
James is a graduate of the BA Acting programme at RCS and Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Drama. The Glasgow-born actor has funded the new James McAvoy Drama Scholarships to enable young people to experience the world-class drama training at RCS as he did.
The scholarship aims to support applicants who would otherwise find meeting the cost of tuition fees at RCS a barrier to accessing pre-Higher Education drama training at the Royal Conservatoire.
You can find more information about these funds on our Financial Support page.
We run various promotional offers for our Short Courses and Summer Schools. You can view our current offers on our Promotional Offers page.
You should contact us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk to request your discount code before booking a course.
Please note, only one promotional offer can be applied per course and should be used at the time of booking as we are unable to apply a discounts retrospectively.
Please see our Short Course FAQs for more information about all aspects of choosing, booking and attending your course.
Please see our Short Courses – Terms and Conditions for more information about your contract with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Cancellation and Refund policies.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest updates of courses, offers and news from Short Courses. You can do this by completing this short online form found here.
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