To know slowly

How the Feldenkrais Method®​ ​has informed a dance performance and pedagogic pathway

Authors

  • Detta Howe BA, MA, Senior Lecturer in Dance, University of Chichester

Keywords:

Feldenkrais, dance performance, pedagogy, somatic practice, learning, stillness, improvisation

Abstract

This two-part essay offers a personal reflection on an emerging Feldenkrais-informed practice in dance performance and pedagogy. As a post-positivist piece of writing from practice, the essay acknowledges the first-hand experience of the researcher as documenter of embodied process. The essay makes reference to the research of Sylvie Fortin and Warren Long (2000) who explore the potential of Feldenkrais learning for the dancer. The writing of Moshe Feldenkrais (2010, 1990), Norman Doidge (2015) and Guy Claxton (2016, 1997) illustrate notions of organic learning and knowing slowly.

In Part 1 of the essay I reflect upon the impact of the Feldenkrais Method on my dancing. I highlight how the Feldenkrais Method offered me the opportunity to get to know the difference between the dancer that moves and the dancer that knows they are moving. Part 2 directs the reflection towards the experience of students I have been teaching at the University of Chichester, introducing an emerging practice, Awareness in Motion (AIM)​.

Author Biography

Detta Howe, BA, MA, Senior Lecturer in Dance, University of Chichester

Detta Howe is a Senior Lecturer in Dance at the University of Chichester, teaching on both BA and MA programmes and co-directing their postgraduate company ​mapdance​. In 2013 Detta completed her own Masters which furthered her interest in improvisation and awareness in motion, challenging her working processes and curiosity about the dancing body. She has continued her research pathway both as a soloist and with independent artist Cai Tomos, investigating an embodied understanding of presence in performance, deepening her enquiry through improvisational practices. In August 2015 Detta completed a year Feldenkrais Method training; the philosophy of which continues to inform the development of her understanding of awareness, efficiency and choice and continues to enrich her performance and pedagogical practice.

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Published

2019-05-28

How to Cite

Howe, D. (2019). To know slowly: How the Feldenkrais Method®​ ​has informed a dance performance and pedagogic pathway. Feldenkrais Research Journal, 6. Retrieved from https://feldenkraisresearchjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/31

Issue

Volume 6 (2018-2019): Practices of Freedom: The Feldenkrais Method and Creativity

Section

Reflections on Practice