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What
is authentic dance?
Authentic dance is about surrendering to the
deep internal choreographer that is a source of ongoing
movement in each one of us. This is a form of meditation
in which we offer our attention to what is happening
beneath the level of the cognitive mind, feeling into
the dance that emerges from us moment by moment. This
way of dancing is about being rather than performing,
witnessing rather than spectating, feeling rather than
creating smooth aesthetic surfaces. There are no steps
other than those that spontaneously materialise and
then dissolve. This is a practice of mindfulness, a
tool of self-reflection, a celebration, a chance to
play, a journey into ecstasy, a means of waking up to
the true energetic nature of ourselves and of our universe.
Where does it come from?
Authentic dance is my own approach to somatic
dance practice. It grows out of my experience of many
different dance / movement forms and has affinities
with authentic movement, ecstatic dance, contact improvisation,
Phoenix Rising yoga therapy and the 5Rhythms® dance
practice of Gabrielle Roth.
Ongoing development
This is a form in evolution, so what it may
become remains fluid. This is the way it is at the moment.
Underpinning authentic dance is an understanding of
the nature of the human body and human being, in line
with buddhist philosophy, as a temporary energetic process.
At the same time, here and now, also in line with buddhist
philosophy, we are embodied, in this particular body,
on this particular earth, feeling these particular feelings
and having these particular experiences. This ‘both
and’ is the ground of our dance.
The process at the centre of authentic dance is one
of mergence, emergence and re-mergence. We begin merged
with the ground of being, dance our way through an emergence
of some sort, and re-merge with the ground of being
as we integrate what we have emerged. This process of
mergence, emergence and re-mergence is spirallic in
form, starting small, rising to a crescendo and then
dying away to rise again. We begin / complete / begin
each spiral with movement and sound that takes us into
the parasympathetic nervous system, moving into a sympathetic
state as the spiral rises. In this work, the voice is
also a body part and is invited into the dance. We may
move to music, to our own sounds or to silence. We may
move alone, with a partner or in a group.
My intention in holding the space for authentic dance
is to create no-facilitation facilitation, or facilitation
that is transparent. The facilitation establishes parameters
for practice but, once the parameters are set up, refrains
from directing or intervening in what happens within
them. Much of the time it is by being in the dance with
the participating dancers that I hold the space and
open up the possibilities for movement and sound.
Inherent in this form is the commitment to ongoing simplification
of structure and decluttering of concepts. Structure
acts as a framework for something to happen. My intention
is to offer the barest possible structure to enable
and hold this happening, and to stay alert for dogma,
reification and stuck ideas, so that these can be continually
dissolved back into fluid space.
Who is it for?
You don’t need any dance experience or
aptitude to take part in authentic dance. In fact, learnt
techniques can get in the way of being spontaneously
present to the natural impulses of your body to move.
Authentic dance is for anyone – irrespective of
age or physical fitness – who is curious about
movement and interested in expanding their possibilities
for being in the body.
The Open Space
The Open Space is an opportunity to just dance. This
is an minimally facilitated authentic dance event, the
intention being to allow the dance to evolve spontaneously
from the group without external intervention. The parameters
of the form are created by the music, and I do some
basic space-holding. There is lots of permission to
move, sound and be however you are. No dance experience
or aptitude is necessary; however, you do need to have
the capacity to stay present to your own dance and to
the dances emerging from others in the room. Open Space
dates are posted, when scheduled, on the Classes
and Events page. Contact
me to receive updates.
The Moving Laboratory
MLab is a context for the evolution of authentic dance.
It is open to anyone with a willingness to move, be
present and engage in an ongoing investigation of what
it means to be in a human body. It is more structured
than the Open Space, generally containing some simple
frameworks for exploration in movement and some time
for speaking together to share our experiences. However,
once the framework is set up, I don’t intervene
in the process in any way, and there is plenty of time
to just dance. We are currently investigating how we
can witness our own dance and the dances of others in
the group, cultivating our capacity to observe clearly,
communicate skilfully and ‘see’ from the heart.
MLab dates are posted, when scheduled, on the Classes
and Events page. Contact
me to receive updates.
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