Restorative Improvisation: Dancing the Parasympathetic
Class will begin with time to arrive and be present in our bodies.
From a place of deep listening, we will explore internal sensations and experiences with anatomical cues, imagery and sound to encourage dancers to drop into a parasympathetic state. From that place, we will take a deep dive resourcing movement and dancing from the wellspring inside.
After some time exploring solo, the invitation will be to bring awareness to the external space in the studio and the other dancers, the environment and the details in the room. We will spend some time being inspired by each other and end with an open improvisation. There will be drawing materials for those who wish to use them.
We will work with self-touch, breath, perceptual games and instant composition, witnessing ourselves and the others in the class, to experience being danced and taking a ride on the movement.
The invitation is for serious play with dynamic states of attention from a place of deep rest The intention is that dancing will refresh and provide an antidote to overstimulation. Class is open to all from beginners to those with years of experience.
Sources/Influences: Tuning Scores, Experiential Anatomy, The Underscore, Instant Composition, Neurological diversity, post-modern dance, Evolutionary Biology, BMC, Somatic Education, Relational Intelligence, Embryology, Functional Movement
For safety, we would like to encourage everyone to take a Covid-19 lateral flow test before attending. The studio will also be well-ventilated even in colder weather – please bring extra layers for warmth. Siobhan Davies Studios current risk assessment and policy is available to read here.
Colleen Bartley has a Dance and Education degree from Swarthmore College and a diploma in Community Dance from Laban with years of experience with Somatic Education. She has been a regular at ID since 1999.
She has worked directly with most of the founders of Contact Improvisation and been influenced by teachers of contemporary and post-modern dance, experiential anatomy with Gary Carter and Caryn McHose, Authentic Movement with Susan Schell, Improvisation & Composition (Tuning Scores with Lisa Nelson, The Underscore with Nancy Stark Smith, Ensemble Thinking with Nina Martin, Relational Intelligence with Nita Little) and is very active in dancing, organizing, writing about and documenting dance.
Colleen has an invisible disability which informs her practice as a teacher and an artist. She believes that its everyone’s birthright to move, that people are inherently creative, movement is our first language, and sees dance as a way to empower people, to effect social change and to build community.