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'There is something about the accumulation of experience that emerges in performing that has very little to do with technique … As time goes on, dance becomes less about technique and more about somatics, about the uniqueness of the individual body, rather than having to conform to a set of practices and ideas.' Temporality of the Dancing Body: Tears, Fears and Ageing Dears Mark Edward and Dr Helen Newall eBook Publication by IDP Publishers. Somatics and Release Techniques Thomas Hanna describes the field of somatics as “The art and science of the inter-relational process between awareness, biological function and environment, all three factors being understood as a synergistic whole.” It is “the study of the soma, soma being the biological body of functions by which and through which awareness and environment are mediated. How can this improve my dancing ? Many of us who dance or work within the fitness and leisure industries, suffer from having too much tone in the body. We have been so sold on the idea that we need to build 'core strength' that we adopt regimes that were designed to remedy hyper-mobility. The key to many of our issues relating to pain, posture and flexibility is release, awareness and a sense of how the interior landscape of our musculature works. If you're a tango dancer and you wish to understand 'disassociation' then you need to know how the muscles of the upper back and shoulders affect the movement of the trunk, hip and ankle. If you're a competition dancer then you need to know how use of the ankle affects your topline, and if you play golf for your relaxation then you need to know how the hip flexors affect your swing. Somatics involves the detailed study and understanding of anatomy and physiological processes in movement, including the processes of mind. The experiential nature of the work is key. The various approaches often emphasize one or more aspects of human bio-life processes, but the subjective experience of the individual is primary. The act of exploring and experiencing one’s inner world through sensory awareness and integration is a means toward understanding and engaging the impulse toward health. The experience of “conscious embodiment” – a key term and central to somatics work – can be developed through a process of movement exercises, direct touch from a skilled teacher or therapist (a “bodyworker”).Touch and movement exercises are often designed to mirror and influence the natural processes of the body and mind, providing a fluid interconnection between movement, sensation and thought. Habitual or unhealthy patterns of being and experiencing oneself in the body can be released, facilitating trust in one’s inherent body wisdom. As perceptual, postural, and movement interaction with one’s environment is improved, more advanced motor function and neo-cortex facility are revealed, which supports structural, functional and expressive integration. Those experiences serve as a form of self-education and self-development, with the intention of developing a healthier, more integrated state of being and a better dancer. Somatic re-education is an invaluable tool for professional and amateur dancers, fitness instructors, athletes and their coaches.
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