MIND/BODY is based on the teachings of Butoh dancer Min Tanaka. It’s an energetic, dynamic and rigorous movement ‘workout’ that demands a keen kinesthetic sensitivity and moment-to-moment consciousness. It uses the entire body in multiple and increasingly complex co-ordination and rhythm as a vehicle for examining both the mental and physical habits that can inhibit expressive and creative potential, The class cultivates full and sustained attention and on-going mindful participation; a bringing of one’s whole self to each action. As the mind ‘drops’ into the body, a concrete experience of sustained embodied presence is made possible. The class challenges notions of self-judgment and expectation and invites a more open spirit, a true sense of working from where you are and of being in process.
With practice, the student learns to strengthen their ability to perceive the existing state of their body as they become increasingly available to sensation, to the direct, felt experience of the moment. Gradually, within this heightened condition, change may occur. The movement may become more precise and freer and the mover more alive and available. Excess tensions and strains can be removed and clarity of intention can release, focus and articulate newly accessible energies. MIND/BODY is exceedingly relevant for performers (dancers, actors etc) as well as anyone interested in an in-depth exploration of the body.
With practice, the student learns to strengthen their ability to perceive the existing state of their body as they become increasingly available to sensation, to the direct, felt experience of the moment. Gradually, within this heightened condition, change may occur. The movement may become more precise and freer and the mover more alive and available. Excess tensions and strains can be removed and clarity of intention can release, focus and articulate newly accessible energies. MIND/BODY is exceedingly relevant for performers (dancers, actors etc) as well as anyone interested in an in-depth exploration of the body.
Click here to read testimonials of the class.
Tedi Tafel has been a teacher, dancer and choreographer for over 25 years. At the heart of her work is an interest in exploring movement as an entranceway into the deeper layers of human experience. Tedi is an award -winning artist with a reputation for creating innovative and deeply sensitive work. Her most recent project, Calendar, was a yearlong site-specific performance series. She is inspired by a long-term engagement with somatic practices that access the intelligence of the body and reveal its intrinsic expressive language. Along with her studies with Min Tanaka, she has worked extensively with renowned teachers Janet Alder and Judith Koltai in the disciplines of Authentic Movement and Embodied Practice. Tedi has taught across the country and at the Stratford Festival and Playwrights Workshop of Montreal. From 1997-2013 she played a principal role in the training of actors and playwrights at the National Theatre School of Canada.
CONTACT [email protected] TO BRING MIND/BODY TO YOUR SPACE.
Image: Trajectory Fields by Anthony Gormley