About Iris Goren Books
Iris Goren defines herself as a movement artist; she sees movement as an endless resource on which to draw. She developed her body-work technique at the Vocal Department of the Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance in Israel, and she has delivered workshops for choirs, voice teachers and conductors throughout Israel. She has also trained top opera singers in Israel, France and Australia, and more recently is teaching musicians of all kinds in Israel and Holland. Her private studio serves as an incubator for the many vocalists, dancers, actors, musicians and plastic artists with whom she works, striving to find that unique physical language to meet the challenges encountered by each group and individual. Iris has proven teaching abilities; she is an astute observer and highly sensitive to the needs of the body. She effectively diagnoses impediments to singing, and brings a profound understanding of students' physical and emotional needs to her classes. Cultivation and development of the voice are the first steps in learning to sing professionally, but since the voice cannot be separated from the body of the vocalist, body-work is needed to enhance singing and performance. Iris's precise 'toolkit' of principles and exercises expands the repertoire of movement, enhancing the body's sense of security and freedom of expression while singing on stage. Thus, she addresses difficulties the vocalist may encounter within a specific piece, such as singing legato, coloratura or reaching high notes. As a dancer with a rich musical background and extensive teaching experience-and degrees from Jerusalem and New York-Iris draws on a wide range of body-work techniques including Feldenkrais, Alexander, Eric Hawkins, Ideokinesiology, Rolfing, contact improvisation, and Eshkol-Wachmann Movement Notation. However, the specific technique she has developed, described in her book "The Singing Body - A Vocalist's Companion" (published in Hebrew and English), is based on her extensive professional experience and the results she has achieved with her students.
