Book excerpt: The Singing Body - A Vocalist's Companion is testimony to the fact that singing is a highly complicated act of coordination. Every single part of the body plays an important role in the act of singing, and those parts which don't function properly can hinder it. Being fully aware of one's physical functioning is an essential tool in intensifying the constructive role that the body plays. The work begins with posture, the necessary physical warm-up, widening the repertoire of movement, relaxing and strengthening muscles, breathing exercises, relaxation and the sense of balance-all of which enhance the singer's abilities. Thereafter, the book addresses topics such as movement and presence on the stage before an audience. Physical action during singing is, in essence, individual but Iris Goren's work is often conducted in a master-class, ensuring every singer gets individual attention as well as the opportunity to perform before the class.There are suggestions for diagnosing specific problems encountered by singers as they work on specific pieces. This is a highly-focused approach which works with each individual singer or performer in his/her own right. It also includes line drawings which give a very precise visual representation of the concepts and exercises proposed in the text, thus facilitating their use and understanding. There are also some specific innovations: the combination of body-work with the physical act of singing, which characterizes Goren's work with singers; and sections such as "Sensing and action according to body weight" and "Observation, listening and touch" provide diagnostic tools for understanding the problems of singers which occur during performance.The book is organized into chapters which introduce fundamental concepts, such as breathing, posture and assessment, each of which is subdivided into specific topics within the principle of the chapter. For example: Chapter 1, Posture and Stance, includes sections on grounding, physical warm-up, muscle tone, and more. Information and exercises come together to demonstrate the technique proposed and ensure fullest possible comprehension of the work.The Singing Body is distinctive in that it is not based on a particular theory of body-work (like Alexander, or Feldenkrais), but rather encompasses several decades of intensive experience of working with a multi-disciplinary approach. It takes the most important elements from a range of theories and techniques which have been found to be most relevant to this work with singers. Other writers have separated body-work from singing; but it is precisely by combining the two and working in this way that singers are helped to work correctly on the individual body and voice.