The Poetic Body: Performing the Poem

Welcome to the sixth class of the Versopolis Traineeship, an initiative committed to deepening poetic practice through interdisciplinary and performative engagement. This session, The Poetic Body: Performing the Poem, delves into the art of delivering poetry out loud – on stage, in public space and in front of an audience – with conviction, presence and authenticity.

Led by Czech poet, performer and national slam poetry champion Ondřej Hrabal, this immersive workshop unpacks what it takes not only to write poetry, but to embody it. Hrabal – winner of the 2018 Czech national slam championship who performed his poetry in front of 300,000 people during the country’s largest post-revolution demonstration – guides participants through a three-part structure that explores the full range of poetic performance: verbal, non-verbal and paraverbal expression.

At the heart of this class lies the transformative question: What happens to a poem when it leaves the page and enters the room? Hrabal explores how to activate a poem through voice, gesture and presence – revealing performance not as a secondary act, but as an integral dimension of poetic meaning.

The first part of the session – verbal – focuses on language: word choice, poetic devices, rhythm and how the fact that the text will be performed might influence writing.

The non-verbal component shifts attention to the body. How does posture influence perception? What does gesture add – or take away – from a poem’s impact? How do spatial awareness, eye contact and stillness become tools of narrative and emotional force?

Finally, the paraverbal component explores the subtle but essential terrain of how something is said – tone, emotion, pitch and the interplay between spoken meaning and vocal nuance. Poets are encouraged to experiment with whatever the text demands to discover their most resonant voice.

The session is about making meaning not just through what is said, but how and by whom, and in what space. Join us for this exploration of performance poetry. Whether you’re preparing for the stage or simply seeking to feel your own words more fully, this session invites you to turn your body into a poetic instrument – and to let the poem speak through you.

Further Reading:

• Marc Kelly Smith, Joe Kraynak, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slam Poetry, 2004.
• Marc Kelly Smith, Joe Kraynak, Take the Mic: The Art of Performance Poetry, Slam, and the Spoken Word (A Poetry Speaks Experience), 2009.
• Rudolf Laban, The Mastery of Movement, 2011.
• John C. Goodman, Poetry: Tools & Techniques: A Practical Guide to Writing Engaging Poetry, 2011.
• Gary Mex Glazner, Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry, 2000.