Introduction: The Fundamental Somatic Principles* Beneath the level of our verbal, acculturated consciousness is a realm that we are only now beginning to perceive and trace out. I call it the somatic realm — somatic because it sees the human being and all living beings not merely in terms of bodily structure but in terms of bodily function, namely, movement.— Hanna 1993, xii

The term somatics has become fairly mainstream in the world of dance and performing art, and even beyond, in our contemporary self-help culture. Many dance teachers and performers draw upon and reference somatic theory, with more or less knowledge and experience supporting their use of these ideas. In reality, the somatic lexicon has become so intertwined with contemporary modern dance that for some it has become a basis of the technique itself. As somatic work is a powerful tool in creating efficient, expressive, and creative artists, one can only encourage this fusion. Others in the dance field may not have ready access to somatic practices, or may struggle with integrating somatic content into their teaching or performance of dance technique. Our hope is that this book provides dancers and teachers with background information, general concepts, and experiential activities drawn from somatic work to assist them with continuing this trend as effectively and appropriately as possible. In this chapter, we create a working definition of somatics and introduce the fundamental Somatic Principles of breath, sensing, connectivity, and initiation that are central to many somatic practices. These four fundamental principles of breath, sensing, connectivity, and initiation were primarily culled from the following somatic disciplines: the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals, Body-Mind Centering, and Ideokinesis, although other somatic practices and practitioners are referenced as well (Alexander 1932; Bainbridge-Cohen 1993; Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Feldenkrais 1972; Fitt 1996; Hackney 1998; Hanna 1979; Swiegard 1974). While, strictly speaking, Pilates training, yoga, and the martial arts are not always considered to be somatic disciplines, we have chosen to include ideas from these forms given their widespread popularity among *Portions of this Introduction previously appeared in Journal of Dance Education (Brodie and Lobel 2004) and are reprinted by permission of the authors and the publisher.

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Introduction dancers and dance educators. It also seems appropriate and helpful to include yoga and the martial arts based on the influence of these older, Eastern forms on more current somatic thinking.

Definition of Somatics Derived from the Greek word soma, meaning “the living body in its wholeness,” the term somatics is credited to Thomas Hanna (1979, 5–6) and references processes inclusive of the entire being — body, mind, spirit, and the environment in which they coexist. This work rides on a belief that the soma is a changeable, fluid entity that responds to both external and internal stimuli (Hanna 1979). The focus is on the individual experience; how we feel as opposed to how others perceive us or how we think we are being perceived. By increasing internal sensitivity or listening, we can become aware of habitual ways of moving and responding and arrive at new movement possibilities (Feldenkrais 1972; Hanna 1979). In this manner, somatic thinking emphasizes the process, rather than the product.

Utilization of Principles Rather Than Techniques The many somatic practices provide differing points of view, but they have at least three elements in common. They all: 1. Deal with “Truths” about the way the body works and moves. Human movement and body/mind (Bodily) wisdom are fundamental to life itself. It stands to reason that there are basic concepts or principles supporting all movement and movement re-education systems. In other words, there is no copyright on concepts like breath, connectivity, sensing self and the environment, and initiation — they are innate components of the living organism. 2. Believe that awareness is the first step toward change. Once a person can sense what he or she is doing and experiences new options, he or she can make choices, and lasting change becomes possible. 3. Have common goals: improving alignment and efficiency to enhance physical functioning and artistic capacity. Focusing attention on these fundamental aspects of the living experience and on the manner in which we embody them can help us identify our tendencies and maximize our movement potential. The exciting part is understanding and experiencing the many different approaches to getting at the same end result. In her article “Matching,” Elizabeth Behnke (1995) reminds us of Don Johnson’s distinction between principles and tech6

Introduction

Figure I.2 Triangle of Commonalities among Somatic Techniques.

niques in somatic education: “Principles are fundamental sources of discovery that enable the inspired person continually to invent creative strategies for working with others, whereas techniques are specific methods arising from such principles” (Behnke 1995, 317). It is the identification of these Somatic Principles that we believe is most important and useful for dancers and dance educators and that makes our approach unique.

Why Integrate Somatics and Dance? Shifting the focus from product (skill acquisition) to process (what is actually happening in the body) can promote optimal functioning and help prevent injury (Alexander 1932; Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Hackney 1998; Swiegard 1974). However, it is all too easy for dancers and teachers alike to get caught up in trying to master class material, and certainly, the emphasis needs to be on dancing, not on theories for how to dance best. How, then, can dance educators encourage process-oriented learning and moving without disrupting the flow of class? Bringing awareness to the bodily processes of breathing, sensing, connecting, and initiating can help students reconnect the mind with the body within the context of technique class. Again, these are not new ideas. These concepts are addressed in various existing somatic techniques, which have long been recognized as a potent resource for dancers (Batson 1990; Green 2002; Myers 1983). However, identifying and isolating fundamental principles or bodily processes common to many somatic practices can provide teachers with a method for applying and integrating this body of knowledge into the dance technique class. Additionally, applying these principles within the dance technique class facilitates the transfer of learning (Magill 2007; Schmidt and Wrisberg 2008). Even when dance students have access to separate 7

Introduction somatics courses, they do not always know how to implement their new insights into their dance technique classes and performance situations. In order for the learner to integrate movement information and awareness gleaned from somatic training, they must have opportunities to transfer that knowledge to the target context of dance technique class or performance. In addition to being vital components of the movement experience, focusing on these fundamental Somatic Principles helps occupy the conscious, judgmental aspect of the mind and can assist in achieving a state of quiet consciousness more conducive to optimal learning and performance. The various somatic techniques are founded on an underlying belief in the wisdom of the body — they just utilize different approaches to access that wisdom (Hanna 1979). Essentially, directing attention to breathing, sensing, connecting, or initiating enables the body to take full advantage of its own innate knowledge. Timothy Gallwey (1976), author of the performance enhancement text The Inner Game of Tennis, discusses it in terms of Self 1 and Self 2, in which Self 1 is the “teller” and Self 2 is the “doer.” As he notes, “Self 1 does not trust Self 2, even though it embodies all the potential you have developed up to that moment and is far more competent to control the muscle system than Self 1.... By thinking too much and trying too hard, Self 1 has produced tension and muscle conflict in the body” (12). This movement pattern of increased tension and inefficient muscular coordination decreases movement potential, so it is important to find methods for quieting the voice of Self 1.

Four Fundamental Principles Found in Somatic Disciplines Breath. This first principle is central to all aspects of life and movement. Mabel Todd (1937, 217), author of The Thinking Body, said of the diaphragm: “Like the equator, it is the dividing line of two great halves of being: the conscious and the unconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary, the skeletal and the visceral.” As such, it connects the mind and body in the most immediate fashion. Changes in emotional and/or physical states are reflected in the breath, and embodiment practitioners attest to the breath’s ability to work in the opposite direction as well (Alexander 1932; Mayland 1995; Speads 1995). This speaks to the importance of the breath in promoting overall health and relaxation, in addition to controlling the effects of the sympathetic nervous system in times of stress. In other instances, the role of the breath in connecting to the core and in finding the flow of movement is emphasized (Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Hackney 1998; Todd 1937). This is vital to dancers working to achieve their full functional and qualitative range. Sensing. Sensing both self and the environment can assist with being fully present in the moment, opening the door to increased responsiveness. Attending to information provided by the exteroceptive systems (vision, audition, touch, and smell) 8

Introduction provides the proprioceptive system with information necessary for accurate and appropriate reaction to stimuli (Hackney 1998; Moore and Yamamoto 1988; Schmidt and Wrisberg 2008). Frequently, dance students rely primarily on visual information from the mirror to detect and correct errors in their movement skill performance. However, in application to dance performance, the visual system should really be used to navigate and negotiate space, people, and objects in the environment. Providing students with the opportunity to experience how their exteroceptive systems inform them about the environment and how that information influences movement can help redirect the learner’s attention from product orientation to process orientation. Placing focus on the environment is therefore reinforcing the innate functions and interactions of all the exteroceptive and proprioceptive systems (Hackney 1998; Kandel, Schwartz, and Jessel 1991; Schmidt and Wrisberg 2008). We have separated the topic of sensing into two chapters; one on the subject of kinesthesia and the other Figure I.3 Somatic Principle of Breath (Evi about the visual system and other Brodie; photograph by Marcella Hackbardt). modes of sensing to help clarify the differing, yet overlapping roles of the exteroceptive and proprioceptive systems. Connectivity. Connectivity within the body and into the ground is necessary for movement control, power, and efficiency. Connectivity implies understanding, on a kinetic level, the forces acting on the body and the body’s structural potential to resist, yield, or amplify these forces in movement (Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Hackney 1998; Hamill and Knutzen 1995). Discussion and exploration of the physical laws of movement are included in order to clarify these forces and ways of responding to 9

Introduction

Left: Figure I.4 Somatic Principle of Sensing. Top: Figure I.5 Somatic Principle of Connectivity (both images of Evi Brodie; photographs by Marcella Hackbardt).

them. Different somatic practices address this concept of connectivity in different ways: primary control in Alexander Technique, lines of movement in Ideokinesis, total body connectivity patterns in Bartenieff Fundamentals and Body-Mind Centering, and the powerhouse in Pilates, to name a few (Alexander 1932; Bainbridge-Cohen 1993; Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Hackney 1998; Silver 2000; Swiegard 1974). The developmental patterns that support our progression from birth to maturity and our ability to navigate the pull of gravity are part of all of these approaches to connectivity (Fiorentino 1981; Haywood and Getchell 2009; Mills and BainbridgeCohen 1990). Initiation. This last principle is vital to accurate and efficient performance of a movement. Directing the learner’s focus to where the movement originates and how it sequences through the body increases the likelihood that the kinetic chain will be completed as desired (Bartenieff and Lewis 1980; Hackney 1998; Hamill and Knutzen 1995). Therefore, precision in initiation and sequencing can lead to greater biomechanical efficiency in movement as well as a heightened sense of expressive capacity. The motor learning and development concepts related to intention provide 10

Introduction Figure I.6 Somatic Principle of Initiation (Evi Brodie; photograph by Marcella Hackbardt).

a conceptual framework for understanding and selecting from the various initiation techniques or ideas employed in somatic work.

Conclusions It is important to remember that the four Somatic Principles of breathing, sensing, connecting, and initiating do not exist in isolation in the human body — all are occurring simultaneously and are intimately connected (Hackney 1998). For example, breath can be used to explore connectivity and initiation, or sensing the environment can initiate movement and alter the breath. Only for simplicity and clarity are each discussed individually. Eventually, the classroom approach should also emphasize the interconnectedness of these bodily processes. The ultimate goal is that students are able to discern which techniques for connecting the mind to the body are most effective for them in given situations, allowing them to shift fluidly from one to another while dancing. It is equally important to recognize that there is no substitute for a meaningful experience in a somatic technique with a trained practitioner. However, not all dance educators and students have ready access to trained practitioners, even if budgetary and curricular restraints are irrelevant. In addition, different somatic approaches work for different people. Extracting and understanding the common themes (or truths about the organization of the body) for inclusion in dance training can enable the dance educator to take advantage of this body of information in order to address the individual needs of diverse learners. For students, applying new information and experiences directly to dance technique assists with the transfer of these somatic concepts. The ultimate goal of focusing on breathing, connecting, sensing and initiating while dancing is to increase awareness, and it is that awareness that opens the door to making new choices. When they are present in movement, dancers are making 11

Introduction choices informed by the kinesthetic sense and the external environment, not based on habit, feedback from the mirror, or verbal commands. Presence in movement is a consciousness of posture, motion, and state of being (Alexander 1932; Feldenkrais 1972; Fitt 1996). This manner of moving and learning enhances artistic as well as technical growth. As Elsa Gindler (1995, 6) said, “When a task is executed thoughtfully, and when we are contented with ourselves in the doing, we experience consciousness. By that I mean consciousness that is centered, reacts to the environment and can think and feel.” Likewise, being conscious of movement results in a thoughtful and satisfying performance. The following introductory movement experiences introduce the four fundamental Somatic Principles explored in depth in subsequent chapters.

MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE ONE : BREATH a. Lie on your back, arms and legs extended, and palms up. Bring your awareness to your breath. Notice areas of the body contacting the floor; how air enters and exits; where in the body the breath flows; the rhythm of your breathing; movement of the body with each breath. Notice sensations arising in the nose, mouth, chest, abdomen, and limbs. Feel the path of air traveling from the nose, to the lungs, then filling the abdomen. Reverse this path on the exhalation, emptying the abdomen, then the lungs, and allowing air to escape through the mouth. Send the breath to any areas in which tension is sensed. Have you made any discoveries about the breath cycle? Is the exhalation full and complete? Is there a pause between the exhalation and the next inhalation? b. Roll to the fetal position and connect the hands to the floor to assist with coming up to a cross-legged position. Place your hands on your belly and ribs: send attention to the motion in the sagittal plane. Move your hands to the sides of ribs: direct attention to the lateral motion in the frontal or vertical plane. Round forward, placing the torso on the knees: pay attention to the expansion in the back. Press to downwardfacing dog (weight on hands and feet, chest pressed through the shoulders, and coccyx reaching toward backward high): feel the softening of the external muscles and the hollowing in to the center with each exha- Figure I.7 Three-Dimensional Breathing. 12

Introduction lation. Walk back and hang; then roll up. Take a moment to experience the breath while standing. Sense the movement of the breath in all three dimensions.

MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE TWO : SENSING a. Take a moment to sense and feel where you are in the space. Scan the environment with your eyes. What do you see? Where are you in the room? Begin to notice the textures of what you are seeing. Notice any objects in the room. Notice the shapes and forms of the objects and people in the environment. Notice the depth of the surfaces. Let your gaze travel to the ceiling. Notice the texture, depth, and form of the ceiling. Let your gaze travel to the ground. What do you see? b. Now let your visual scanning of the environment lead you into walking. As you are moving through the space, continue to take in your environment. What are you seeing? Parts of your body, others, objects, surfaces? Explore the phenomenon of really seeing while you change directions, levels, and timing. Notice the visual information that is stationary and the visual information that is moving. As you continue to move, shift your attention to the sounds in the room. What do you hear? Do you hear yourself, others, the sound of movement? Continue moving through the space, and shift your attention to what you smell. Notice the changes in smell as you move and pass by others. Continue to move through the environment and shift your awareness to touch. What are you touching? What is touching you? Your clothes, the ground, the air? How is the air moving around you as you pass by others? c. Now use your awareness of touch to meet and greet others in your environment. As you move near someone find a way to communicate with each other briefly through touch. Start by connecting with your hands, but then begin to explore communicating with different body parts and body surfaces. Touches may be brief and light, but be fully aware of the body parts in contact. What can you convey and sense with the hands, the feet, the head, or the back surfaces of your bodies? Conclude your exchange, and communicate in the same manner with the next person you move near to in the environment. Staying with your partner, develop this communication through touch into a conversation through touch by responding to the tactile information your partner is giving you. Try not to judge or pre-plan the conversation. Stay focused on what you perceive, and allow your responses to be spontaneous. Find an ending, separate, and have another touch conversation with someone else in the environment. Continue this exploration of communicating and conversing via touch with others in the environment. Now take this touch conversation to the floor. See a place in the room and move toward it, separating from your partner. Relax into the ground facing down (prone). Take time to sense how you are touching the floor. Which parts of you are contacting the ground? Take a moment to feel, see, and hear where you are in the room. Does the room seem the same or different than when you began this experience by scanning the environment with your eyes? 13

Introduction

Figure I.1 “Somatic Principles” (Karen Snouffer).

MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE THREE : CONNECTIVITY THE BODY AND INTO THE GROUND

WITHIN

a. Start prone. Explore pushing with your arms. Try both, then one at a time. Take time to yield before the push, and feel how the force of pushing ripples through 14

Introduction the body. Allow the pushing to move your body through space, as well as changing your orientation in space by rolling, sliding, rotating. Then repeat the process with your legs. b. While still on the floor, try locomoting through space by pulling with the arms, then the legs. Begin by reaching both hands toward a specific point in the space. Grounding your hands on that point, try pulling your body toward it. Imagine that you are holding onto a rope, trying to pull yourself out of quicksand. How can you pull with the feet and legs? Progress to exploring different combinations of pushing and pulling with the arms and legs. Does the experience differ when coordinating the limbs on the same side of the body (homolateral) rather than the limbs on opposite sides of the body (contralateral)? Try incorporating different facings, levels, and dynamics. Gradually bring the energy inward until you find yourself standing quietly. Notice any changes in your sense of your body — its connections internally and into the earth.

MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE FOUR : INITIATION a. Start standing: explore how you can move within your own space and through the environmental space, initiating movement from a distal end such as the fingertips, toes, head, or tail (coccyx region). Notice how the movement sequences through the body when it is initiated from a distal end. b. After exploring initiation from different distal ends, shift your attention to initiating the movement from a mid-limb joint (elbows and/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 movement from the proximal joints (hips and shoulders), and attend to how the movement sequences through the body. c. Let the core initiate movement within your own 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 initiating movement from the core, making 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? Teaching Tip: These guided discovery movement experiences can be done separately but also can be done consecutively (one through four) as a discrete movement exploration class based on the four fundamental principles found in somatic disciplines.

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