When I was twenty-four, I met a Slovenian musician and dancer named Lily (far right in photo) in India who opened me to my own music. We traveled together for 4 months. My whole life changed after meeting her, and I decided to become a musician and enrolled in music school in India to study tabla and esraj. I eventually left India at age 29 after getting blood transfusions for dengue fever in Varanasi. For the last twenty-four years, I have dreamed of visiting Slovenia and seeing my dear friend to thank her. I count Lily as one of the biggest influences in my life.
This summer (24 years later) I finally got the opportunity to visit Slovenia (borders Italy, Croatia, and Austria) and see Lily and Natasa, another Slovenian friend I met in India. I spent the month of July there taking the first half of a 2-year teacher certification in Fitzmaurice Voicework. It’s a modality used primarily by actors and singers to release tension patterns in the body and bring in greater breath and mobility through tremoring, touch, and bioenergetics and then restructure with breath sent throughout the entire spine and body out through the focus line. The training was profound and opened my body and voice to greater resonance and pleasure. I have never sung like that before and felt the power and impact of my words sent through my 3rd eye to the audience.
One weekend, I visited Lily in Ptuj, the oldest city of Slovenia, and played music with her and her friends at her home in the countryside. “Such a big sound from such a small body,” she said. I am so grateful for Slovenia again, for initially giving me the gift of music through Lily, and then for this Fitzmaurice training that opened me to the gift of my voice and body. Lily reflected that 24 years ago we used to sing together, and I made up little improvisational songs. I had forgotten that. It was sweet to hear how the seeds of my voice journey were already planted 24 years ago, and are now blooming.
I loved how full body Fitzmaurice Voicework is. I have spent years focusing on the throat and was surprised to see and release tension in other body parts last month that made my voice fuller, richer, and more resonant. We got to play with laughing, crying, shouting, and screaming; physical theater; the focus line; text and song from different chakras, and more.
I am now bringing in Fitzmaurice techniques into private sessions, workshops, 10 week classes, and a 9-month Free Your Voice and Body Stories training that launches in early September.