1. Start standing. Explore how you can move within your space and through the environmental space, initiating movement from a distal end such as fingertips, toes, head, or tail (coccyx region). Notice how the movement sequences through the body when it is initiated from a distal end.
2. After exploring initiating from different distal ends, shift your attention to initiating the movement from a mid-limb joint (elbows or knees). Try the homolateral knee and elbow and then the contralateral knee and elbow. Again, notice how the movement sequences through the body. Now, try initiating the movement from the proximal joints (hips and shoulders), and attend to how the movement sequences through the body.
3. Let the core initiate movement within your space and through the environmental space. How does it sequence through and out of the body? Let the initiation lead the whole movement. Continue to explore by initiating movement from the core and make it smaller and smaller until it resolves into stillness. Take a few moments to reflect on where you are now. How do you feel and what do you sense? (2004:84).
Observation and Movement Exploration
1. Start standing: Fingertips and toes help to lead the body part into another movement. I could feel the weight of heaviness to the forearm. Through improvising, I reverse the movement sequence and experience the soft sensation running through back into my fingertips. For example, if my head initiates a movement, it begins to follow through the centre of the body before moving to another part, regardless of the direction or facing. My sensory awareness helps me to explore subtle movement and gesture of body parts like the toes and the ears. I could send the flow of movements, and the movement quality was inwards towards the self.
2. Elbows and Knees: There was more energy send outwards into the space. The movements were bigger through the space. There was a bigger initiation of movement, which flows through one part of the body to the centre and the other side of the body.
3. Hips and Shoulders: I was able to bring the body forward and backwards into the space. There was a clear transference of weight from one leg to another. I could sense the rotation of my limbs through my hip sockets as I thrust my body into different directions in the space.
4. Use of the core to initiate: My chest and shoulders were more open as compared to how I would normally move. I could sense an expansive energy outwards through the body into the space. My body goes into a rounding and opening like movements.
5. Movements become smaller and smaller into stillness: My breathing becomes subtler as my core becomes engaged and activated. The weight of my body is centered and focused with energy channeling in the vertical plane.
Application to dance technique class
These exercises can be included as an improvisation warm-up before class or contact improvisation. This help the dancer to achieve a greater sensory awareness of his or her body, connectivity, integration of body parts with the mind, build balance and stability in the dancer. Employing Feldenkrais’ Initiation can be a useful method for creative exploration in choreography and give the dancer an opportunity to re- organize, analyse and evaluate what is happening in their bodies.
References:
Brodie, J and Lobel, E (2004) Integrating Fundamental Principles Underlying Somatic Practices into the Dance Class. Journal of Dance Education 4 (3) 80-87. Available at:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e4839929-284a-433b-ba2e-670400e9f702%40sessionmgr4005&vid=0&hid=4201 [ Accessed 20 January 2015].
2. After exploring initiating from different distal ends, shift your attention to initiating the movement from a mid-limb joint (elbows or knees). Try the homolateral knee and elbow and then the contralateral knee and elbow. Again, notice how the movement sequences through the body. Now, try initiating the movement from the proximal joints (hips and shoulders), and attend to how the movement sequences through the body.
3. Let the core initiate movement within your space and through the environmental space. How does it sequence through and out of the body? Let the initiation lead the whole movement. Continue to explore by initiating movement from the core and make it smaller and smaller until it resolves into stillness. Take a few moments to reflect on where you are now. How do you feel and what do you sense? (2004:84).
Observation and Movement Exploration
1. Start standing: Fingertips and toes help to lead the body part into another movement. I could feel the weight of heaviness to the forearm. Through improvising, I reverse the movement sequence and experience the soft sensation running through back into my fingertips. For example, if my head initiates a movement, it begins to follow through the centre of the body before moving to another part, regardless of the direction or facing. My sensory awareness helps me to explore subtle movement and gesture of body parts like the toes and the ears. I could send the flow of movements, and the movement quality was inwards towards the self.
2. Elbows and Knees: There was more energy send outwards into the space. The movements were bigger through the space. There was a bigger initiation of movement, which flows through one part of the body to the centre and the other side of the body.
3. Hips and Shoulders: I was able to bring the body forward and backwards into the space. There was a clear transference of weight from one leg to another. I could sense the rotation of my limbs through my hip sockets as I thrust my body into different directions in the space.
4. Use of the core to initiate: My chest and shoulders were more open as compared to how I would normally move. I could sense an expansive energy outwards through the body into the space. My body goes into a rounding and opening like movements.
5. Movements become smaller and smaller into stillness: My breathing becomes subtler as my core becomes engaged and activated. The weight of my body is centered and focused with energy channeling in the vertical plane.
Application to dance technique class
These exercises can be included as an improvisation warm-up before class or contact improvisation. This help the dancer to achieve a greater sensory awareness of his or her body, connectivity, integration of body parts with the mind, build balance and stability in the dancer. Employing Feldenkrais’ Initiation can be a useful method for creative exploration in choreography and give the dancer an opportunity to re- organize, analyse and evaluate what is happening in their bodies.
References:
Brodie, J and Lobel, E (2004) Integrating Fundamental Principles Underlying Somatic Practices into the Dance Class. Journal of Dance Education 4 (3) 80-87. Available at:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e4839929-284a-433b-ba2e-670400e9f702%40sessionmgr4005&vid=0&hid=4201 [ Accessed 20 January 2015].