Movement is our first language. Dance is the poetry of that language. To be fluent, dancers need to move with ease, flexibility, strength and expression. Although we often think of dance or other movement as being muscle based, all of the body systems play important roles in the support and articulation of our body and are expressed as a wide range of movement qualities and consciousness
Bones are a wonderful entry point for exploring the body systems. When our bones are actively engaged in maintaining a vibrant and informed structure, our muscles respond easily. However, when the bones lose awareness of themselves, the neuromuscular system is recruited to buttress the structural integrity of our body. This leads to patterns of local muscular fixations and joint compensation resulting in effortful, restricted and inefficient movement and injury.
Our psychophysical geography (anatomy) and history (embryological development) help us discover where we are in this body and how we got here. Exploring these processes through embodied movement opens a path to natural, effortless fluency, an increased dynamic range, expanded choreographic possibilities, and more extensive improvisational creativity. Revisiting the process of our creation – re-membering ourselves – brings us into the presence of the ongoing dance of existence. This is the essence of our dancing.
In this workshop, we will explore opening our awareness to the inner vitality of our individual bones and the energetic spaces (joints) between them. Explorations will also draw from other body systems and from developmental movement and their applications to dance.
Participants should have previous experience in dance or other movement disciplines. No prior experience with the Body-Mind Centering® approach is necessary. Come and share with curiosity and a sense of inquiry about movement, touch, the body and consciousness.
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen is a movement artist, researcher, educator, therapist and developer of the Body-Mind Centering® approach to movement and consciousness. In 1973 she founded The School for Body-Mind Centering®. Her work has influenced the fields of dance, bodywork, yoga, body psychotherapy, infant and child development and many other body-mind disciplines. She is the author of the books, Sensing, Feeling and Action and The Mechanics of Vocal Expression and numerous DVDs on dance, embodied anatomy, embryology and working with children with special needs.