Full Description
Training in somatic techniques--holistic body-centered movement that promotes awareness and well-being--provides an effective means of improving dance students' efficiency and ease of movement. However, dance educators do not always have the resources to incorporate this knowledge into their classes. This volume explains the importance of somatics, introduces fundamental somatic principles that are central to the dance technique class, and offers tips on incorporating these principles into a dance curriculum.
The authors demystify somatic thinking by explaining the processes in terms of current scientific research. By presenting both a philosophical approach to teaching as well as practical instruction tools, this work provides a valuable guide to somatics for dance teachers of any style or level.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface: Somatics in Dance
Introduction: The Fundamental Somatic Principles
1. Pedagogy: Strategies for Teaching and Learning Based on Somatic Principles
2. Breath: Bridging the Conscious and the Unconscious
3. Kinesthesia: The Sixth Sense for Dancers
4. More Than Just a Mirror Image: The Visual System and Its Relationship to Other Modes of Sensing and Learning
5. Connectivity to Self, the Environment and Others
6. Intention and Initiation in Movement
7. Developing a Practice of One's Own
8. Specific Applications to Technique
Conclusion
A Selection of Suggested Resources
References
Index
