Hello, everyone! I am Elizabeth Carrillo. I live in Mexico City, I am a Being Energy teacher, and I work in the theater. I am living a dream that is unfolding.
I studied Drama, Literature and Acting in the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). After my graduation, some fellow students and I formed an experimental theater group. Our main goal with the group was self-knowledge and the exploration of awareness as applied to dramatic characters to make a scene vibrant.
For years, we performed psycho-physical exercises and explored different acting styles. The method closest to our hearts, on account of having studied under teachers from the old USSR, was the one implemented by the actor and stage director Mikhail Chekhov (the newphew of the famous writer Anton Chekhov).
Chekhov was a man who suffered from deep depressions. It wasn’t until he came in contact with Indian philosophy, anthroposophy and eurythmy (expressive movement or dances aimed at transforming sound and color into motion, promoted by Rudolf Steiner), that his mood began to greatly improve. Eurythmy dances became an important part of the development of Chekhov’s acting method. He used to say that every actor should feel the inner life of the character and delve into his or her psychological states. Technique must be mastered, practiced and developed. He also placed a great deal of importance on physical training, so that the energy of the body could bring fluidity to actions. This energetic dynamism originates from within, and it should be congruous and integrated with external energy.
We also read and researched the works of different theorists and methods that shared a similar purpose: evolution of the human being at the level of awareness and energy. Carlos Castaneda was among them. I remember that, during Castaneda workshops, when self-importance and reducing oneself to nothing was discussed, it was a very strong blow to my artistic and personal ego. I suppose the same thing happened to my companions from the actors’ group.
At the beginning, it was really hard for us to tell if we were on the right path. However, as we kept working on ourselves and practicing Energy movements for preparing our work on stage we realized that answers come each time we intended them from our humbleness and impeccability—toward ourselves and to others.
For years, we have offered different performances that show our explorations as actors and the progress of our self-knowledge. The scenes that stem from these explorations are presented to small audiences who, before the performance, share with the actors the energetic warm-up, so that they can be more receptive to the sensations, emotions, ideas and feelings that their Energy bodies will receive. These scenes may be drawn from things such as a heartbeat or the fire in the Earth’s core. They are usually done with percussion, string, wind or metal instruments as accompaniment, and also with smells that make the energetic magic blossom in the theatre of life.
Today, this group that formed twenty years ago out of our desire to enhance awareness and become better human beings is getting ready to end. We thank the place that has sheltered us all this time, and also our benefactor, the owner of that Big White Elephant. This ending will be a departure. The departure will be formalized by dreaming the stories that intertwined their energetic lines and thanking infinity for allowing us to corroborate the Energy of the Energy Body, realize a dream of our making, and keep our purpose of personal and creative learning.
Being Energy was there with my work in the theater, and I have implemented Being Energy exercises in acting workshops for professionals, because they are excellent both as a warm-up before stepping on stage and to reactivate the body and our Energy during the work process. These exercises keep us in the “here and now” that the scenes require.
I also teach Being Energy movements during summer courses to kids between 6 and 12 years old; and also to teenagers, adults and seniors to help them bring dynamism to their bodies and their lives in a more harmonious way. I have also taught Being Energy movements in schools, mostly for junior high and high school students, and in formal acting lessons. I do this especially when we work with aspects of the tangible and intangible heritage of Mexico—like pre-Hispanic legends—to help create awareness of the importance of keeping, knowing and conserving the cultural heritage of Mexico, including its people.
Thank you for allowing me to share this theater Dream which is being Dreamed in reality.
With Affection,
Elizabeth Carrillo
