Where Do the Fingers Go
Where Do the Fingers Go is a physical exercise in which performers explore hand and finger placement in relation to objects, partners, and the environment, building awareness of how hands communicate character, intention, and emotion. The exercise highlights the expressive power of precise hand work in performance.
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Related Exercises
Complete Bodies
Complete Bodies is a physicality exercise in which players practice using their entire body to communicate rather than relying primarily on face and hands. The exercise challenges performers to express emotional states, status, and character through the spine, torso, hips, and legs as well as through their more habitual expressive channels. It builds physical range and presence for scene work and performance.
Foot Soldiers
Foot Soldiers is a physicality exercise in which performers focus attention on their feet and how different footwork patterns create distinct characters. Changes in stride, weight, tempo, and contact with the floor transform a player's entire presence. The exercise demonstrates that character begins from the ground up.
Obstacle Course
Obstacle Course is a physical exercise in which players navigate a real or imagined series of obstacles using their bodies expressively. The exercise may be used to build physical confidence, practice environment work, or warm up the body before performance. It trains spatial awareness and encourages bold physical choices.
Columbian Hypnosis
Columbian Hypnosis is a Theatre of the Oppressed exercise in which one player holds their palm in front of a partner's face, and the partner must keep their face at a fixed distance from the hand as it moves through space. The leader's hand controls the follower's entire body. The exercise explores power dynamics, control, and physical responsiveness.
Exaggeration Circle
Exaggeration Circle is a physical exercise in which a gesture, movement, or sound is passed around a circle, growing progressively larger and more committed with each repetition. The first player initiates a small motion; each subsequent player exaggerates what they received slightly further, until the original gesture has transformed into its most physically extreme expression. The exercise develops range, commitment to physical offers, and the willingness to go beyond habitual comfort zones.
Scene / Character Walkabout
Scene/Character Walkabout is an exercise in which performers walk around the space embodying a character or exploring a scene's environment before any dialogue begins. The physical exploration establishes character through movement, posture, and spatial behavior. The exercise teaches players to build characters from the body outward rather than from dialogue inward.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Where Do the Fingers Go. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/where-do-the-fingers-go
The Improv Archive. "Where Do the Fingers Go." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/where-do-the-fingers-go.
The Improv Archive. "Where Do the Fingers Go." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/where-do-the-fingers-go. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.