Spring Term 2021

The Yat/Bentley Centre is now enrolling for our eight-week Spring Term 2021! In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, all classes are offered online via Zoom. If and when it is safe to return to the studio, we will do so on a limited basis, while still providing online training for students unable to attend in person.

There are course offerings for everyone from beginners to advanced artists. Private sessions with Tom Bentley-Fisher and members of the YBC Teaching Company also available.

Tuition rates are listed in the class descriptions below. We are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships; please Contact Us if you would like to learn more.

SCHEDULE | COURSES

NEW TO THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD?
Come to a FREE online workshop or view a prerecorded session with Tom Bentley-Fisher.

SCHEDULE

APR 6 - MAY 29, 2021

Our foundational class, combining Feldenkrais, Voice, and the Swings. Suitable for all curious, creative minds. Learn more.

Jump into the mystery of YBC’s work in this new course designed to welcome students who can benefit for a different perspective. For Beginner to Advanced artists. Learn more.

NOTE: This class is full and is not enrolling for Spring 2021. Experience the journey from Inner to Outer with precision and purpose. Complete “The Notes” while building your own character sketches and scenarios. For intermediate to advanced artists. Prereq: ORDER & CHAOS, or extensive work with the Inner Attitudes. Learn more.

Deepen your familiarity with the Yat/Bentley Method with this fast-paced training. Tackle monologues and original scenarios with muscularity and verve. For intermediate to advanced performers. Learn more.

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COURSES

EVERYTHING IS MOVEMENT | INTRO TO THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
SATURDAYS 10a-12:30p PT, APRIL 10 - MAY 29

Tuition: $190/month

Learning Level: Beginner to Advanced

Through examining the movement of our inner resources of Sensing, Thinking, Intuiting, and Feeling, we begin to comprehend character and express ourselves in ways we never thought possible.

In this experiential course, you will receive an embodied understanding of the foundations of the Yat/Bentley Method. Learn to use the tools of:

• The Swings - Physical exercises to develop the inner and outer lives of the performer.

• Feldenkrais® and Awareness Through Movement® - Gentle, guided lessons that offer another portal to the unknown, to discovering effortlessness and animating the entire body.

• Voice - Lessons based in the work of Cicely Berry and evolved through the Yat/Bentley Method, aiding the performer to find their voice within the whole body.

Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher (YBC Artistic Director), Heidi Carlsen, and Pamela Hollings (YBC Associate Artists). Suitable for all curious, creative minds.

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BEGINNING THE EXCAVATION | MYSTERY IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
SATURDAYS 1:30-4p PT, APRIL 10 - MAY 29

Tuition: $280/month

Learning Level: Beginner to Advanced/Professional

The approach to the work at YBC is evolving. This new course is designed to welcome students who can benefit from a different perspective, preparing them to dig deeply and experience sensations that will allow them to more fully experience the work.

This class will show the importance of coming from a place of deep truth and imagination through: 

• Identifying the inner sensations of Sensing, Thinking, Intuiting, and Feeling

• Experiencing the activation of Intending, Attending, Deciding, and Adapting

• Developing the manifestation of these energies through Weight, Space, Time, and Flow

• Expanding the imagination and thoroughly investigating Actions, Objectives, Activities, and Physical and Psychological Motivation. 

At YBC we are expanding into the mystery of ourselves, opening to the full array of who we are. Join us to uncover your own hidden depths!

Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher and Lavinia Hollands. Suitable for Beginner to Advanced/Professional artists.

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FROM CHARACTER TO ACTION | NUANCE IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
WEDNESDAYS 6-8:30p PT, JANUARY 6 - MAY 26 (see note)

Tuition: $400/month

Learning Level: Experienced to Advanced

[THIS CLASS IS A CONTINUATION OF WINTER TERM 2021 AND IS NOT OPEN FOR ADDITIONAL ENROLLMENT AT THIS TIME.]

Bring all the pieces together to find three-dimensional, nuanced work in the Yat/Bentley Method. Engage directly with the questions of how and why Character is revealed and externalized through Action and Movement. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.

This class completes ‘The Notes’ passed down from Yat Malmgren to his students; prior enrollment in ORDER & CHAOS is strongly recommended. To enroll, students must have a solid understanding and experience of the six Inner Attitudes. You will take your work in further specificity and depth through:

• Externalized Drives - The four combinations of reservoirs that activate the Inner, allowing character to engage actively with the world through tactic and objective.

• The Confluence - Chart the paths from impulse to action by combining your knowledge of the Drives and Inner Attitudes. Step into the myriad possibilities for alive, fulfilled performances that are brought within reach via the Yat/Bentley Method.

• Character Sketches - Let ‘The Notes’ fire your imagination as you begin to create and perform original characters with boldness and nuance.

Note: The course content is structured to continue through Spring Term 2021; students are encouraged to commit to the full 20-week experience.

Taught by the YBC Teaching Company. Suitable only for artists who have previously taken ORDER & CHAOS, and/or who have a solid understanding and experience of the six Inner Attitudes.

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MUSCULARITY OF CHOICE | TRAINING IN THE YAT/BENTLEY METHOD
THURSDAYS 6-8:30p PT, APRIL 8 - MAY 27 OR
FRIDAYS 2-4:30p PT, APRIL 9 - MAY 28

Tuition: $400/month

Learning Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Put your knowledge of the Yat/Bentley Method to immediate work as you expand and deepen your abilities through an intimate learning experience tailor-made for you. Enrollment is limited to eight students per class - choose between a Thursday or a Friday class.

Students in this course will be pushed to meet their resistances with confidence and imagination, as they experience:

• The Inner Attitudes most challenging for you — Focus on the work that creates the most profound stretch for you as an artist — through simultaneous exploration of monologues and original scenarios.

• Active, Embodied Choices — Find the astonishing three-dimensionality of character using the four variations of each Inner Attitude.

• Personalized Coaching — The YBC teaching company will craft a ‘tailor-made’ experience that builds on each student’s previous work, including one-on-one instruction.

Taught by Tom Bentley-Fisher (YBC Artistic Director) with Heidi Carlsen (YBC Associate Artist), and with guest appearances from the YBC teaching company and community. Suitable only for those familiar with the Yat/Bentley Method.

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PRIVATE LESSONS

The YBC Teaching Company is also available for one-on-one private coaching in the Yat/Bentley Method, Feldenkrais, and Voice. Contact Us for more information about available times and rates.

PERFORMANCE CLASS

This term, we are excited to continue and develop an offering for our most advanced students, focused on performance. As the Yat/Bentley Centre grows further into its mission and international presence, Tom Bentley-Fisher will be leading a once-weekly invited class.