Inspiration for this class comes from the moon, which on 27 September is waning Gibbous. After taking time to arrive and feel what is present in our bodies, we’ll wake up our senses and work with tuning in and noticing our internal movement then open to the external surroundings. The class begins with a rest to allow the body to yield and for movement to arise from a still place and deep listening. The movement material arises from who is in class, we respond to what emerges in the moment.
We’ll focus on breath and consider the lungs, arms, hands and nerve pathways. The class atmosphere is a laboratory for movement research, sourcing material from the collective influenced by each individual’s interests. I aim to be inclusive to all abilities and instruction will be tailored to who is in class. There will be space for witnessing composition and learning from each other’s explorations.
Colleen Bartley has a Dance and Education degree from Swarthmore College and a diploma in Community Dance from Laban and years of experience with Somatic Education. She has worked with many of the founders of Contact Improvisation. She’s 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) and is very active in dancing, organizing, writing about and documenting dance. She co-edited Contact Quarterly’s bi-annual newsletter.
Colleen has an invisible disability which informs her practice as a teacher and an artist and the communities she engages with. She believes that its everyone’s birth right to move, and that people are inherently creative, and sees dance as a way to empower people, to effect social change and to build community.