These classes are informed by experiential anatomy and the improvisational values of the mover-witness framework (also referred to as ‘Authentic Movement’). The sessions begin with gentle prompts for moving which are gradually woven with experiential anatomy material. In the latter part of the session, you will explore the process of returning to (self-selected) movement content as an invitation to grow and deepen the relationship with it. The intention is to cultivate sensitivity to the emergence and quality of movement alongside an imaginative and atmospheric pleasure in solo-dancing. Time for reflection is embedded within the sessions and individualised responses are welcome throughout.
Amy’s approach to facilitating experiential anatomy has been influenced by the work of Linda Hartley, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Andrea Olsen, Caryn McHose, Satya Dunning, Miranda Tufnell, Natalie Garrett Brown and Fabiano Culora amongst many others.
This week of morning class forms part of the MA/MFA Creative Practice: Dance Professional programme, meaning that there are a reduced number of public places available. If this class is sold out, please join the waiting list to be notified if a place becomes available.
Amy Voris (she/her) is a dance-maker and facilitator based in Manchester, UK. Her practice is process-oriented and collaborative, driven by the desire to develop enduring relationships with people, places and movement material. The outcome of the work is contingent on hunches and interactions that occur during the process and varies widely. Examples of current projects include a site-responsive project (enter & inhabit), a collaboration with a jewellery maker (flockOmania) and an artist-led curatorial project for experimental performance practices (accumulations). She has completed training in Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy with Linda Hartley which informs her approach to dance-making and facilitating.
Experiential anatomy is an umbrella term used in different ways within a variety of movement, somatic and bodywork practices to refer to the dual processes of learning about human anatomy while at the same time exploring the processes of sensing/feeling/moving subjectively ‘from the inside’. The idea is that the anatomical information (or anatomically-inspired prompts) might offer ways of noticing and learning about our own ‘anatomy’ or tissues through the sensorial, movement, emotional and imaginal response to such prompts.
‘[Experiential anatomy] encourages the individual to integrate information with experience’ (Olsen 1998: 8).
To borrow an adage from Andrea Olsen who writes in the foreword to her experiential anatomy book Bodystories: ‘The function of a book about anatomy is not to demystify the body – it is to help embody the mystery.’
So here too, rather than de-mystifying the moving body, it is hoped that these workshops/sessions support creative engagement with its mysteries.
‘Authentic Movement’ was first developed in the 1950s and 60s by Mary Starks Whitehouse (1911-1979), a North American dancer with some training in Jungian analysis. The practice arose out of a unique fusion of Modern Dance, Dance Movement Therapy and Jungian approaches to creativity inspired by the Swiss psychologist and theorist Carl Jung.
Whitehouse sought to develop a format for movement practice which would enable the unconscious (or that which we do not know) to surface through open-ended movement exploration. She initially called the practice ‘movement-in-depth’ and later ‘inner-directed movement’.
Since Whitehouse, Authentic Movement has evolved in a number of directions with therapeutic, contemplative/spiritual and artistic applications. Underlying these varying applications of the practice is a common basis which has become known as its ‘ground’ or dyad (one-to-one) form which involves closing one’s eyes and allowing movement to arise in the presence of a witness.
Explicit boundaries related to time, space and roles offer a clear counterpart to the openness of the practice. Periods of moving are always followed by periods of reflection during which mover and witness seek to articulate their experience to each other.
Since Whitehouse’s founding of the practice, Janet Adler has noted that the development of Authentic Movement can be charted in terms of its ‘three root systems’ or theoretical foundations which she identifies as dance, psychotherapy and mysticism.
Authentic Movement is not concerned with being ‘authentic’ per se, but rather refers to an open and enquiring attitude toward experiencing and reflecting upon movement. Many practitioners thus choose to adapt alternative terminology for the practice such as ‘the mover-witness framework’.
Independent Dance is resident at Siobhan Davies Studios. To find out more about accessibility and the amenities available within the building please see here.
If you have any questions about the accessibility of our programme and would like to discuss any specific access requirements, please feel free to reach out to us via email info@independentdance.co.uk or by phone on 0207 091 9650, to speak to a member of the Independent Dance team.
During class, all participants are welcome to take breaks, observe, exit and enter the space as they wish. Lounge areas are available on the first and ground floors of the building. Yoga mats, blocks, cushions and ear defenders are available for use. We also welcome you being in contact if you would like to discuss the option of bringing your access support worker. Please speak to a member of the ID team if you require any assistance.
Prices for classes are kept very low and are subsidised by ID in order to support artists to attend. To keep admin manageable for our small team, we don’t offer refunds if you cancel or can’t attend a class, and we can’t transfer your booking to a different class/event. We hope this is understandable. If a class is cancelled or changed by ID however, we do offer refunds/transfers to everyone who has booked.