Somatics is a fluid movement science, and it is in a constant state of growth. It is frequently assimilated in the dance field and used as a tool or improvisation. The principles of somatics encourage the dancer to cultivate awareness during dance training.
Somatics is carried out at a super slow pace. Somatic practitioners specialize in asking questions, and it is a trial and error process to infuse dance class with the same practical understanding that it takes to move the whole selves.
Somatic practices that have been integrated readily into dance curriculum include Ideokinesis, The Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique and the Body-Mind Centering. All these approaches have a common goal that is enhancing kinaesthetic awareness in a non-judgmental and non-competitive environment. The use of sensory awareness to modulate or constrain movement range and effort helps to uncover new mobility. Rest gives time to the dancer to listen to the body, clarify sensations within and allow them to get rid of unwanted stimuli and consolidate motor learning.
According to Martha Eddy, the dance class is a good environment to teach concepts like dynamics of movement, development and body systems. Eddy founded Body Mind Dancing in 1986, a somatic dance technique that combines somatics practices of Body-Mind Centering, Laban Movement Analysis, Graham, Limón and Hawkins dance technique. Body Mind Dancing start from the floor to the barre, following the path of human development. (Lobel, 2006)
In her classes during standing, she brings the attention to the released quality from the floor to the vertical body. Time is essential to give students the opportunity to work the material. Teaching with somatics concepts rather than focusing on a particular dance style allows Eddy to have mixed abilities in one classroom. Eddy uses improvisation, a crucial part of the somatic technique to develop creativity in her students. (Kearns, 2010)
Martha Eddy (Kearns, 2010) explains that “Somatic inquiry focuses the awareness process on ‘the whole person’ inclusive of his or her associated physical and emotional needs, inviting the wisdom ‘from the within’ to inform decisions.” This requires the student to go deep within their selves to create quiet contemplation and investigate the within.
A challenge for teachers is to apply somatic techniques without breaking the flow of the class. A simple somatic exercise using a real hand brush can enhance a tendu sequence by stimulating a sensory experience to wake the feet up. This type of exercise is link to the pioneering works of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen in Body-Mind Centering. This is an important aspect of teaching as each student has different learning techniques; some are more hands-on while others may be more visual. Allowing the students to participate in hands-on activity can cultivate self-discovery, self-evaluation, and self-correction. Students learn to discover what the movement should feel like from within, rather than what it should look like, imitating aesthetic movement qualities from the mirror.
Somatic
“Practices of somatic movement education and therapy encompass postural and movement evaluation, communication and guidance through touch and words, experiential anatomy and imagery, and the patterning of new movement choices…to enhance human processes of psycho-physical awareness and functioning through movement learning.” (Quoted by International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, 2009)
Here, somatic encompasses movement evaluation through the guidance of touch and verbal cues to assist in the sensory awakening, in order to initiate an experiential discovery within oneself, resulting in new avenues for movement choices. This in turns heightens and enhances the overall body processes, affecting one’s movement, impacting their daily lives.
Somatics will inevitably continue as an independent field. However, its assimilation into dance has desired effected, spreading relevant body knowledge and improving the health of dancers. Somatics is an essential component in the development of a well-rounded dancer and majority of dancers are already soma-savvy, whether they are or not they are aware of it. The same can be applied to dance teachers who desire their students to experience embodied movement quality through simple exercises.
A body scan exercise of lying on the floor allows the dancer to notice any aches, pains or tension in various parts of the body. Breathing in and out allows the dancer to release tension, put aside emotions and thoughts and prepare one’s body for moving. (Seago, 2014). I found this exercise particularly helpful as I become more aware and sensitive to my body while moving and this develops a sense of ‘groundedness’ when I travel across the space.
Most somatic practices have these two components in common:
1. Deals with basic concepts and principles about the way the body works and moves. The same truth supports all movement and re-education systems.
2. Improve alignment and awareness for greater movement efficiency and maximize movement potential. Increased capacity for expressivity in the individual.
I believe it is not impossible to infuse somatics into dance technique class. It may be tricky because the two differs in pace, effort, intention and motivation. Somatics can be helpful to cultivate sensory awareness and attunement to one’s body and facilitate creativity in new movement choices. I will further examine and discussed the different components that constitute to that particular somatic practice that is used to enhance dance technique.
References:
Batson, G. (2009) Somatic Studies and Dance. International Association for Dance and Medicine. Available at:
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/resource_papers/somatic_studies.pdf [Accessed 10 January 2015].
Kearns, W. (2010) Somatics in Action How I “feel three-dimensional and real” improves dance education and training. Journal of Dance Education, 10 (2) 35-49. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=14&hid=4204 [Accessed 15 January 2015]
Lobel, E. and Brodie, J. (2006) Somatics in Dance- Dance in Somatics. Journal of Dance Education, 6 (3) 69-71. Available at:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=17&hid=4204 [Accessed 12 January 2015].
Wozny, N. (2012) The Somatic Infusion. Dance Magazine, 86 (5) 36-39. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=4&hid=4204 [Accessed 28 January 2015].
Wozny, N. (2010) Taking Somatics off the Mat. Dance Teacher, 32 (3) 38-42. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=10&hid=4204 [Accessed 28 January 2015].
Somatics is carried out at a super slow pace. Somatic practitioners specialize in asking questions, and it is a trial and error process to infuse dance class with the same practical understanding that it takes to move the whole selves.
Somatic practices that have been integrated readily into dance curriculum include Ideokinesis, The Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique and the Body-Mind Centering. All these approaches have a common goal that is enhancing kinaesthetic awareness in a non-judgmental and non-competitive environment. The use of sensory awareness to modulate or constrain movement range and effort helps to uncover new mobility. Rest gives time to the dancer to listen to the body, clarify sensations within and allow them to get rid of unwanted stimuli and consolidate motor learning.
According to Martha Eddy, the dance class is a good environment to teach concepts like dynamics of movement, development and body systems. Eddy founded Body Mind Dancing in 1986, a somatic dance technique that combines somatics practices of Body-Mind Centering, Laban Movement Analysis, Graham, Limón and Hawkins dance technique. Body Mind Dancing start from the floor to the barre, following the path of human development. (Lobel, 2006)
In her classes during standing, she brings the attention to the released quality from the floor to the vertical body. Time is essential to give students the opportunity to work the material. Teaching with somatics concepts rather than focusing on a particular dance style allows Eddy to have mixed abilities in one classroom. Eddy uses improvisation, a crucial part of the somatic technique to develop creativity in her students. (Kearns, 2010)
Martha Eddy (Kearns, 2010) explains that “Somatic inquiry focuses the awareness process on ‘the whole person’ inclusive of his or her associated physical and emotional needs, inviting the wisdom ‘from the within’ to inform decisions.” This requires the student to go deep within their selves to create quiet contemplation and investigate the within.
A challenge for teachers is to apply somatic techniques without breaking the flow of the class. A simple somatic exercise using a real hand brush can enhance a tendu sequence by stimulating a sensory experience to wake the feet up. This type of exercise is link to the pioneering works of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen in Body-Mind Centering. This is an important aspect of teaching as each student has different learning techniques; some are more hands-on while others may be more visual. Allowing the students to participate in hands-on activity can cultivate self-discovery, self-evaluation, and self-correction. Students learn to discover what the movement should feel like from within, rather than what it should look like, imitating aesthetic movement qualities from the mirror.
Somatic
“Practices of somatic movement education and therapy encompass postural and movement evaluation, communication and guidance through touch and words, experiential anatomy and imagery, and the patterning of new movement choices…to enhance human processes of psycho-physical awareness and functioning through movement learning.” (Quoted by International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, 2009)
Here, somatic encompasses movement evaluation through the guidance of touch and verbal cues to assist in the sensory awakening, in order to initiate an experiential discovery within oneself, resulting in new avenues for movement choices. This in turns heightens and enhances the overall body processes, affecting one’s movement, impacting their daily lives.
Somatics will inevitably continue as an independent field. However, its assimilation into dance has desired effected, spreading relevant body knowledge and improving the health of dancers. Somatics is an essential component in the development of a well-rounded dancer and majority of dancers are already soma-savvy, whether they are or not they are aware of it. The same can be applied to dance teachers who desire their students to experience embodied movement quality through simple exercises.
A body scan exercise of lying on the floor allows the dancer to notice any aches, pains or tension in various parts of the body. Breathing in and out allows the dancer to release tension, put aside emotions and thoughts and prepare one’s body for moving. (Seago, 2014). I found this exercise particularly helpful as I become more aware and sensitive to my body while moving and this develops a sense of ‘groundedness’ when I travel across the space.
Most somatic practices have these two components in common:
1. Deals with basic concepts and principles about the way the body works and moves. The same truth supports all movement and re-education systems.
2. Improve alignment and awareness for greater movement efficiency and maximize movement potential. Increased capacity for expressivity in the individual.
I believe it is not impossible to infuse somatics into dance technique class. It may be tricky because the two differs in pace, effort, intention and motivation. Somatics can be helpful to cultivate sensory awareness and attunement to one’s body and facilitate creativity in new movement choices. I will further examine and discussed the different components that constitute to that particular somatic practice that is used to enhance dance technique.
References:
Batson, G. (2009) Somatic Studies and Dance. International Association for Dance and Medicine. Available at:
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/resource_papers/somatic_studies.pdf [Accessed 10 January 2015].
Kearns, W. (2010) Somatics in Action How I “feel three-dimensional and real” improves dance education and training. Journal of Dance Education, 10 (2) 35-49. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=14&hid=4204 [Accessed 15 January 2015]
Lobel, E. and Brodie, J. (2006) Somatics in Dance- Dance in Somatics. Journal of Dance Education, 6 (3) 69-71. Available at:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=17&hid=4204 [Accessed 12 January 2015].
Wozny, N. (2012) The Somatic Infusion. Dance Magazine, 86 (5) 36-39. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=4&hid=4204 [Accessed 28 January 2015].
Wozny, N. (2010) Taking Somatics off the Mat. Dance Teacher, 32 (3) 38-42. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8abceabc-1a47-4e99-b3ba-9517cc750abf%40sessionmgr4003&vid=10&hid=4204 [Accessed 28 January 2015].