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If your kickboxing class is starting
to feel a bit tame, you might be a good candidate for "Introduction
to Stage Combat" at Combat Incorporated, a new school in
New York City, where classes are devoted to hair-pulling, streetfighting,
wrestling, and rapier and dagger combat — for the stage and
screen.
The school is headed by John Ficarra, a classically trained actor
certified with the Society of American Fight Directors and the
British Academy of Dramatic Combat. Mr. Ficarra, 34, has choreographed
fights for many plays and films, including a 100-person fight
for the San Francisco Opera’s production of "Otello."
Combat Incorporated recently moved to New York City from San Francisco,
where it has operated since 1997.
While the main purpose of the six-week introductory course is
to give actors and professionals a solid introduction to the elements
of safe fighting for the stage and screen, Mr. Ficarra stressed
that non-actors are more than welcome to join.
"I have had many folks take my classes who have nothing to
do with the performing arts," he said. "They came for
the fun of it. They experience something they would never get
in everyday life. They get to roll on the floor, punch someone
in the stomach, and sword-fight through the streets."
Besides, it’s a great workout, especially for anyone who’s
bored by the same old routine. The class is filled with novelties
such as rolls, slaps, swordplay, and basic wrestling moves.
"Think of stage combat as a nonviolent martial art,"
Mr. Ficarra said. "It actually takes more coordination, flexibility,
focus, and conditioning not to hurt someone than it takes to follow
through with the violence."
In the coming months, the school will be adding advanced classes
on broadsword, domestic violence, and rapier and dagger, as well
as special weekend seminars such as Kung Fu for Film, Ancient
Weapons, and Stunts 101.
The "Introduction to Stage Combat" class covers techniques
from rolls, punches, and kicks to basic swordplay. The course
begins with lessons on staging convincing slaps, chokes, and "Dynasty"-style
hair-pulling matches.
At a recent three-hour evening session, Mr. Ficarra instructed
students in the art of falling and rolling without injury, explaining
the importance of relaxation and avoiding impact to the bones,
especially the "dreadfully designed wrist." Unlike a
gymnastics-style forward roll, the stage combat roll — first
practiced on a mat before graduating to the floor — does
not roll down the center of the spine. Instead, the weight is
distributed diagonally from the leading shoulder to the opposite
buttock. Robb Hunter, an assistant teacher, revealed that he had
used the stage combat roll to avoid hurting himself after falling
off his bike.
While the class was lighthearted in tone, the students in this
session were actors who felt a serious need to learn control and
correct techniques in stage fights, in order to overcome fear
and avoid injury.
Nicole Oaks, an actress taking the class, said that she had recently
been choked into unconsciousness during a scene onstage. "I
wish [the actor] had had training," she said. Another student
and actor, Al Williams, said he had seen many situations "where
nobody knows what they’re doing."
Mr. Ficarra said that, unfortunately, his students’ experiences
were by no means singular. Stage combat training is "the
last thing that is taught in the training of an actor in the U.S.,"
he said. "They will learn how to sing, but not fight. If
you hit a bad note people cringe, but if you fight incorrectly
you could kill someone."
One of the highlights of the class was learning to successfully
replicate Angie Dickinson’s trademark move on the 1970s TV
show "Police Woman": As detective Pepper Anderson, she
would roll over a desk, landing behind it with guns blazing. After
a few attempts on a desk surrounded by mats, everyone in the class
got the hang of it.
In addition to welcoming nonactors, Mr. Ficarra maintains that
"you can be any shape and pull this off." Certainly
every student will come away with a greater awareness of his or
her own body, and there’s an added emotional benefit, as
Mr. Ficarra points out: "There is a massive amount of selfconfidence
that is developed when you overcome your fears and accomplish
something that you thought you could never do."
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