Dance and Movement – How are they different, how are they the same?
Hi,
It’s been awhile since my last post! I have been busy working with the kids on the holiday dance, completing my Pilates mat class training, and starting my dance therapy internship at Alta Bates hospital. I have learned so much already about compassion by working with these psychiatric patients. When I see them doing movements in the group, especially their own choreography, it just warms my heart and makes me understand why I love movement for its own sake. It is so healing just to move the body to music in a joyful way. I don’t have to critique anybody, I don’t have to make sure their technique is right – I just have to support them to do the best that they can. It is still such a pendulum swing for me in some ways – the swing between technical dance, and movement for everybody/authentic movement. While I can sincerely appreciate well-executed virtuosic dance and choreography (I just recently enjoyed The Hard Nut by Mark Morris for the 5th time), I can just as easily appreciate a depressed patient making an effort to clap their hands to the music. And so I continue to hold space in my life for both.
In a way, the bridge for me is the Life/Art process, created and lived by the Halprin family. Lawrence Halprin has recently left us and there will be a memorial service for him this weekend. Anna is still very actively teaching and I will be with her in class tonight. The article I recently wrote on Anna is finally online now. To see it go here:
http://www.dancestudiolife.com/2009/08/anna-halprin/
I hope to resume creating new work for the company in 2010. There is a flashmob for Valentine’s Day in the works, so stay tuned.
Happy Holidays!
Love,
Heidi
