September Workshop: Stage Combat at Alleycon

By Ryan Morrison

One of the many panels at this year's Alleycon was a Stage Combat demonstration followed by a class teaching the fundamentals.  Taking part were Rachel St. John, Anna Volle and Adam Volle.  They started off by showcasing three fights from Star Trek, Mad Max Fury Road, and finally The Princess Bride.

The first fight was Kirk vs. Gorn starring Anna and Rachel respectively.  It then moved seamlessly on to Furiosa vs. Max, when Max is still chained up, starring Anna and Adam.  Finally and hilariously they moved on to Westley vs. Fezzik, again starring Anna and Rachel.  All fights were very convincing and recreated well.  With the exception of one errant gun, all fight scenes looked real and it is obvious a lot of planning went into the performance.

After the show, Rachel and Anna stayed around to teach the moves shown to the crowd that stayed to learn.  This was very beneficial for those who like to take the stage.  The most important information they shared was that the victim is always the one in control.  They started off with the face slap, which basically is a high five with a massive reaction from the one getting slapped. A gut punch followed, then an elbow to the back, then a head lock and finally a foot stomp.  After these moves they preceded to showcase how to fall convincingly and safely.  After all instructions those taking the class were free to put together their own little stage fight using what they learned.

It was a fun event and useful for those who take to the stage.

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