Hello Mariposa families!
This is my first blog post and I am here to check in with you all about the new Dance and Movement workshop Eva and myself have headed up in this new year. We are very excited to be bringing our passion to the kids and I want to tell you more about what that means to us.
First a little background on us: My background is actually in Philosophy of Mind, which would seemingly bear no relation to dance and movement, however it was my interest in cognition and
consciousness that lead me to return to dance and movement in my own life. The first author I encountered on the subject of Somatics was Thomas Hanna. He defined somatics as "...the field of study dealing with somatic phenomena, i.e., the human being as experienced by himself (or herself) from the inside." He defined soma as the body experienced from within. An embodied explanation of
consciousness seemed to cut through all the back and forth dualistic arguments
I encountered in my Philosophy career.
As I continue to read and explore more about embodied consciousness I have come to realize there is a practical aspect to working with our bodies, and have begun to take dance classes for the first time (that is, since I was a little hyperactive girl enrolled in as many physical classes as my mother could find to tire me out each day!). As I began to explore I noticed a lot of new sensations. I noticed quite clearly the things that scare me and that to me feel uncomfortable, as well as those that feel good. I started to notice how some of those uncomfortable things could change, and start to feel pleasurable even, as I softened my approach and listened to what was there. With this exploration of my personal boundaries I was able skyrocket into a thrilling growth process that has inspired me to share the possibilities of self and our own relationship to it with others!
Eva is a beautiful dancer. She studied dance all throughout her schooling in Mexico and continued to dance with a company for many years before her lovely girls came into her life. Mariposa has been an opportunity to share her experience of embodiment with all of us, which I am certainly grateful for. When she expressed interest in doing a dance class with the kids I jumped on the opportunity to work alongside her in this project.
About the Workshop:
As we approached the idea of the Movement workshop we were completely exploratory. Neither of us has taught a children’s dance class before so the first sessions have been quite improvisational. We have learned some things, and solidified some goals and structures, and are moving forward with enthusiasm.
Neither of us felt comfortable from the very beginning with the idea of requirement in an exploratory class, so we approached the children with very few boundaries. They don’t have to come every week, and can leave or join at any time so long as it’s not in the middle of an exercise. We are also trying
to include a variety of elements to keep the doors open to as many kids as are interested. There is usually a circle exercise (to build group coherence), a creative movement activity (to open up and improvise and see what we are drawn to express), and choreography building session. Eva has been KEY in her ability to listen to the children’s movements and reflect them back in flow in order to turn their inspiration in to choreography.
We are hoping to bring together a piece or two to present to the Mariposa community in the coming months! All in all, we are hoping to encourage the kids to try new things, and to feel free to move from their own impulse. We are keeping a respectful and judgment-free environment and hoping that with the opportunity to be embraced by their peers we might see less embarrassment and hesitation when it comes to the individual interaction with the physical world through all the incredibly awkward and challenging stages that lay ahead.
We’ll be movin and shakin every Tuesday afternoon from about 4-5 at Rolph!
-Paola
