IADMS London 2003   [back to the Category]

Isolating, exploring, and integrating the fundamental principles underlying somatic practices into t   [read the french version]

Author :   Julie Brodie & Al.

Isolating, exploring, and integrating the fundamental principles underlying somatic practices into the dance technique class.


Julie Brodie, Department of Dance and Drama, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, USA
Elin Lobel, Department of Kinesiology, Towson University, Towson, Maryland, USA

Participants: The primary audience for this movement experience is dance educators, dance students, and those interested in the application of dance science into the dance class. Purpose: The purpose of this movement session is to introduce dance educators and students to the fundamental principles that underlie many somatic practices and how they can be applied and integrated into the dance technique class. For the dance educator, identifying the fundamental movement principles in somatic practices can enable them to address the individual needs of diverse learners. In addition, applying this approach with the context of the dance technique class further enables the concepts to be immediately applicable to the learner Approach: The participants will be introduced to the underlying fundamental principles found in many somatic practices through slides, guided through selected authentic movement experiences found in the somatic practices, and participate in the application of these key concepts to selected dance combinations. Participants will be asked to do some moving on the floor and simple dance combinations and will need to wear clothing that they can move in comfortably. Relevance: Many dance educators believe somatic principles are an effective means of improving efficiency and ease of movement within their dance students. However, dance educators do not always have the resources to either implement separate somatic courses within their curriculums or their technique classes.

This workshop will provide the participants with some basic methods to transfer core principles of somatic practices into the dance technique class.

Presenter Experience: The primary presenter has taught both dance and dance kinesiology at the University level for 11 years and is trained in the Bartenieff Fundamentals, Alexander Technique, Martial Arts and Yoga.

The secondary presenter has taught both kinesiology and dance at the University level for 9 years and is a certified Laban Movement Analyst.