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ent000666-051
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    University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Libraries

    Steve Harmon: Actor and Dancer J0E AS SLPITT He got to do what he wanted to do by being stubborn by Viola tiegyi Swisher Since making the transition from dancing to acting, Steve Harmon, who portrays Ensign Pulver in NBC-TV's "Mr. Roberts" series, has found new values in old disciplines. Constantly, he adapts his dancer's concentration, breathing, muscular and mental coordination into the reading of lines and their accompanying action. Just as regularly, he adapts his dancer's focus, phrasing and motivated movement to the naturalistic needs of television. Adaptation is the key to his technique of transition. "The truth is," said the young six- footer, "I've never stopped being a dancer. By acting, I think ?╟÷ at least I hope ?╟÷ I'm adding another dimension to my dancing. At the same time, adapting methods of dance to the dramatic field helps me expand my power of projection as an actor. feO WEST 57th STREET feUITE 1308 NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019 m%) 765-6373 . "Because Ensign Pulver isn't a dancing role some people think I've hung up my dancing shoes for the present. But I use dance all the time to make Pulver tick. Let me explain. "Ensign Pulver is a born operator, always figuring his way around obstacles that complicate his life aboard ship. He's a character so carried away by the fantastic schemes hurtling through his energetic mind that his body is just left to shift for itself most of the time. My problem is to coordinate ?╟÷ very clearly ?╟÷ Pulver's concentration on the wheeling-dealing patterns of his mind with the actions of that body he ignores so lightly. Here is an instance of how I adapt my dance background to solve the problem. "In a recent scene while the captain was sleeping, I had to steal into his cabin and replace one object with another. I (over) 135