KINAESTHESIA DANCE WORKSHOPS

Kinaesthesia Open Level​

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Kinaesthesia is a dance class for all levels and ages with no experience needed and can be modified for those with disabilities or injuries. In essence, this class draws from these main dance practices: contemporary dance and somatic dance. This class was created with a vision to empower all people with the experience of dancing with freedom and joy. The intention is to open up physical and mental blockages that come from either fear or self-criticism or simply from leading a lifestyle restricted to basic perfunctory movements. The human body is designed to move in a myriad of ways and unless trained in dance, yoga, martial arts or such exploratory practices, many of us go through life with a very limited range of movement which can lead to stiffness, early ageing and lethargy. When the body is locked up it has an effect on the mind and can limit one’s connection to lateral and higher thinking. We all know that exercise releases endorphins and kinaesthesia is a sure-shot way of feeling good in your body, shaking things loose and learning new and healthy ways to move your limbs. When possible we bring in live musician and highly acclaimed singer-songwriter Julian Temple to create soundscapes, rhythms and song to the kinaesthesia experience.

 

Kinaesthesia by definition is: awareness of the position and movement of parts of the body by means of sensory organs (proprioceptors) in the muscles and joints.

 

Here is a little more detail about how we get there in this dance practice.

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Somatic dance by definition is: a mind-body practice focusing on internal physical sensations (the “soma”) for authentic movement, self awareness and healing rather than external performance or rigid steps. “Dancing from the inside out” utilising breath and imagery to release tension and express what can be difficult to verbalise.

 

Contemporary dance by definition is: a dance form that evolved out of modern dance from the 20th century. Modern dance was born out of a need to break away from the strict repertoire of classical ballet and features asymmetrical movement, use of suspension and release and abstract themes. Contemporary dance further developed from the 1960’s to include more somatic/mind-body ideas and furthermore seeking healthier joint pathways. Although contemporary still incorporates some ballet exercises and technical positions, the overall style is more free-form. Currently ballet now also draws influence from contemporary in many ballet companies across the world. The use of partnering and floor work, gravity (suspension and release) and sensory awareness become the distinctive framework of contemporary dance.

 

Kinaesthesia draws from these dance forms as a way to facilitate healthy sound movement principals, even drawing influence from pilates, yoga and barre with setting up correct alignment. From the static to the moving we explore pathways that honour our bio-mechanics yet also connect mind and body to bring us into kinaesthetic awareness. Contemporary dance is a form that is generally a highly trained skillset and demands ongoing training over time. Kinaesthesia 'open level' looks to take the foundational elements of contemporary, that assists general movement with helpful and fun exercises that can be performed by most people. In the open level class we learn steps that flow into another, however, we leave out choreographed sequencing so that participants can feel confident to move without the task of remembering a series of successive movements. Therefore we bridge basic contemporary dance ideas with internal “soma” sensory exploration. We encourage an open-mindedness, playfulness and a curiosity to learn new ways of moving. The result of this class often leads to new understanding of our inner dance and our unique way of moving.

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​​​​​​​​​​Kinaesthesia Intermediate - Professional Level

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Kinaesthesia intermediate-pro level is aimed at dancers with at least an intermediate level of training in contemporary, ballet or jazz. The same premise of the class exists as open level, which is to open kinaesthetic awareness, facilitate healthy alignment plus all the moves to shake up, shake down, swing, spiral and flow through steps and structured improvisation. The warm ups are more technical and move faster and the steps form into choreographed sequences. In this class when it comes to the somatic work, we delve deeper into imagery and use of sensory awareness. Proprioception is brought to the fore as we explore function through various body parts and challenge our established ways of moving. We work more on suspension/release and floor work, garnering information and remembered sense perception from previous exercises. We close the class with a jam that can take influence from learned choreography and findings from our somatic explorations.

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