The Awareness through Movement and Improvisation Lab is a dynamic, experiential class that combines Somatic techniques, the principles of Contact Improvisation, contemplative movement, and improvisation tools. I’ve been teaching this class since 1991, after returning from my training in New York, with the pioneers of contemporary and post-modern dance/Contact Improvisation/Release techniques.

Conscious practice means expanding our ability to listen and feel our inner movement, giving it meaning as it expands and moves through space, while we interact with others. We explore movement patterns to release tensions and muscular holdings, supporting presence and flow. By activating the senses, the emotions, the imagination, and the instinct with mindfulness and knowledge of the biomechanics of movement, we discover the potential of our expression. We embody the physical information we acquire while practicing. We dance with more sensibility, clarity in form, connecting with different aspects of ourselves.

The cultivation of technique and the exploration of movement lead to the integration of information and stimuli, based on Somatic techniques. In particular our work focuses on experiential anatomy, on developmental movement patterns based on Body-Mind Centering, and on slow continuous movement based on Kinetic Awareness practice. This develops body awareness, presence, and the poetic quality of bodily expression. As the practitioner moves, they discover functional ways of organizing their body, connecting with rhythm, pulsation, and the movement of energy through space.

In this class, we create a safe framework that allows body and mind to rest and release withheld energy, by moving slowly and consciously at the speed of one’s attention. We encourage movement that starts with surrendering into gravity, to witness and connect with our breath, to be in contact with the support of the ground and the sensorial movement. This process allows the mind to become more attentive to the present moment in the physical experience; the body softens, and sets free all the unnecessary tensions. The participant moves by activating their muscles and organs internally, expanding and opening up their curiosity and their availability for interaction; they transfer their weight, changing levels with more ease and flow in space. The dance becomes more inspiring, focused, and authentic.

Using improvisation tools, play, and touch (hands-on work), we awaken areas that are inactive and disconnected. By relaxing and strengthening at the same time, we fulfill basic needs on multiple levels, we discover a sense of spirituality through the embodiment of experience, and evolve as individuals. In this way, daily life gains meaning, we connect with our vital energy and we discover pleasure as we move. By supporting ourselves, our bodies and what is revealed through our movement, we create a higher quality of life—one filled with wellness, knowledge, harmony, freedom, and self-love.

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