1. Le Centre du Silence was founded in 1971 by Samuel Avital after his U.S. and European tours. The school celebrated its 31st anniversary the summer of 2002.
2. Avital studied in Paris for eight years, performing and teaching in Europe. He came to America in 1964 and began teaching in schools and universities. Also, he performed and traveled in the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe.
3. He moved to America after watching President Kennedy's assassination on TV, the sight sparked a curiosity in a nation that could be extremely wealthy while also primitive enough to kill a leader. This became a new chapter in the Avital odyssey.
4. Avital founded and directed the Boulder Mime Theatre (1972-1982) which toured locally and nationally with an unusual repertoire depicting the wonder, absurdity, frailty, strength, and comedy of human nature.
5. After the traumas of a critical automobile accident and the Challenger tragedy, Avital created, produced and performed "In Search of Destiny: Personal and Global." In this performance he explores the folly of the *Bicameral human behavior, the absurdities of human nature, and integrated laughter as the dynamic link to conscious awareness of oneself, and one's environment.
This performance was for Avital a pivotal moment for a more passionate and balanced sense of life.
6. He published his first book Mime Workbook in 1975 and Mime & Beyond: The Silent Outcry in 1985. The Mime Workbook is translated into German as "Mimenspiel."
In 1992, The Conception Mandala: Creative Techniques for Inviting a Child into your Life, co-authored with Mark Olsen was published by Inner Traditions.
7. Developed over thirty years of teaching, BodySpeak™ - The Avital Method applies to theatre students, dance students, clowns, physical movement artists, teachers and business people. People who are honestly willing to discover their hidden talents through the unique principles of the BodySpeak™ concepts can benefit from the performances, demonstrations, teaching and basic principles of creative and practical wisdom.
A video outlining these principles titled "The Silent Outcry: The Life and Times of Samuel Avital" is now available from Le Centre du Silence.
8. Avital intentionally avoided applying or accepting grants from any foundations or institutions in order "to safeguard his artistic sanity." He did not want to depend on "charities" to survive artistically. "Being in America taught me to practice my independence, my individual sovereignty" he said.
9. Avital has established a remarkable reputation for BodySpeak™ training - The Avital Method through the International Summer Mime Workspace.This has been a yearly event since l975 which has attracted students and professionals from various fields worldwide to Boulder, CO. See also Dare To Imagine: Private sessions and theBodySpeak™ Training Program. He was nominated for Colorado Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1985.
10. Mr. Avital speaks several languages. Published numerous articles in both English and French, Many articles and interviews about his work appeared in various publications. Actually he is working on his new book, BodySpeak™ - The Avital Method: Selected writings of Samuel Avital.
*The Bicameral (two-chamber) mind is one that functions as an unconscious, two step processes. Automatic reactions and thoughts originate in the right hemisphere of the brain and transmitted to the left hemisphere as instructions to be acted upon. The bicameral functioning is nature's automatic, learned mode of response without regard to conscious thinking.
*The Bicameral mind was first identified by Dr. Julian Jaynes of Princeton University in his book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, 1976, Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA 1976.