Somatic Foundations Slides Somatic Foundations
Breath & Core Connectivity
The Somatic Hook
"Lie on the floor and imagine your breath is moving your limbs—how much muscular effort can you remove while still creating movement?"
1
Focus on the internal sensation rather than the external shape.
2
Find the 'path of least resistance' for your joints.
Defining Somatics
From the Greek "soma": The body as perceived from within.
First-person experience
Internal authority
Proprioceptive awareness
Bartenieff Fundamentals
A movement system developed by Irmgard Bartenieff that applies Laban Movement Analysis to the body. It focuses on functional movement and the "inner life" of the body.
Breath: The First Principle
Functional
Oxygenates blood, stabilizes core, and facilitates fluid joint movement.
Expressive
Initiates dynamics (heavy, light, sharp, soft) and phrased movement.
Supportive
Acts as a 3D "cushion" for the spine and a motor for the limbs.
Core-Distal Pattern
Starfish Awareness
Establishing the relationship between the center (navel/core) and the six distal points (head, tail, hands, feet).
Condensing toward center
Expanding away from center
HEAD
TAIL
L HAND
R HAND
Laboratory Practice
01
Yield & Push
Contact the floor (yield) and push away to initiate a roll. Feel the core support the transition.
02
Heel Rocks
Drive movement from the heels to ripple through the entire spine to the head.
03
Sequential vs. Simultaneous
Compare moving limbs one-by-one (sequential) vs. all at once from the core (simultaneous).
Somatic Floorwork Guide Somatic Floorwork Reference
Bartenieff Fundamentals & Core Connectivity
Dance Basics
Lesson 1: Foundations
Student Name
Date
Core Concepts
Connectivity
The internal relationships between body parts (e.g., hip to heel, core to distal). It is about the flow of energy rather than the shape of the pose.
Core Support
The internal "lining" of the body that provides stability. True core support allows the limbs to be light and expressive.
Foundational Movements
Movement Pattern Internal Cue / Focus Common Pitfall Breath Support Expand into the floor; let the breath move the spine first. Holding breath during transition. Core-Distal Reach from the navel to the fingertips and toes. Limbs moving without core initiation. Heel Rocks Initiate with the heels; let the head "nod" in response. Rigid spine; "faking" the rock with the pelvis. Yield & Push Give weight to the floor (yield) before resisting it (push). Moving against the floor rather than with it.
Personal Somatic Reflection
After our floorwork session, record your internal sensations. Avoid using "dance-y" terms; use descriptive sensory language (e.g., heavy, tingling, wide, hollow).
1. Where did you feel the most "efficiency" today? (Least effort for most movement)
2. Describe the sensation of 'Core-Distal' connectivity. How did it change your reach?
3. One question or "unknown" sensation that arose during your practice:
Dance Laboratory 101
Somatic Facilitation Guide 1 Instructional Facilitation Guide
Somatic Foundations: Breath and Core
Lesson Duration
90 Minutes
Key Learning Objectives
Establish a shared vocabulary for internal sensation vs. external form.
Demonstrate breath-initiated movement to reduce extraneous tension.
Integrate core-distal patterns into basic locomotory movements.
Studio Setup
- Clean floor (bare feet recommended)
- Dim lighting for the initial 20 mins
- Calm, rhythmic ambient music
- "Somatic Floorwork Guide" handouts
The Instructional Arc
00-20m
Arrival & The Somatic Hook
Begin with students lying in "constructive rest" position (on back, knees bent, feet flat). Use a low, calm voice. Focus on the breath as a physical volume within the torso.
"Imagine your lungs are two balloons. Feel them press against your back ribs... against the floor. Let that expansion gently push your arms away from your sides."
20-50m
The 6 Fundamental Patterns
Transition through: Breath, Core-Distal, Head-Tail, Upper-Lower, Body Half, and Cross-Lateral. Teacher Note: Don't correct "alignment" yet. Instead, ask "Where is the support coming from?"
50-80m
Exploratory Locomotion
Take the somatic sensations from the floor to standing. Challenge: "Move across the floor as if your core is a magnetic pull and your limbs are following its lead."
Common Facilitation Challenges
The "Performative" Student
Challenge: Students trying to look 'graceful' or 'correct' rather than feeling the movement.
Fix: Give 'messy' cues. "Try to move without using any 'dance' muscles. Imagine you are made of clay or seaweed."
Physical Tension
Challenge: Gripping in the neck or hip flexors during floorwork.
Fix: Use the "Yield and Push" concept. "Let the floor hold you 100%. Don't hold yourself up."
Improvisation Techniques Slides Guided Improvisation
From Sensation to Creation
The Creative Spark
"If you had to dance the texture of 'melting ice' or 'shattering glass,' what would your body do naturally without planning?"
The "Score"
A Score is a set of instructions or parameters that guide an improvisation without dictating specific steps.
It provides a "container" for creativity, allowing freedom within structure.
Types of Scores:
Imagery-based
Action-based
Temporal/Time-based
Relational
Imagery: The Internal Cinema
Concrete Imagery
Real-world objects or phenomena.
• Honey pouring
• Dry leaves in wind
• Molten lava
Abstract Imagery
States of being or emotional textures.
• "Electric blue" energy
• Brittle silence
• Expanding light
Habit vs. Discovery
Habit
"I always do a triple turn when the music swells."
Discovery
"I'm going to find a way to descend using only my elbows and spine."
Improvisation is not about "what you know," but about "what you find."
Lab Practice: Textures
🍯
Viscous
Moving through resistance; heavy, thick, slow.
⚡
Staccato
Sudden changes; sharp, fragmented, electrical.
🎈
Buoyant
Lightweight; suspension, floating, drifting.
Improvisation Score Cards Improvisation Scores
Guided Exploration Prompts
STUDIO SET: 02
Instructions for Students
Use these score cards to guide your independent or small-group improvisation. Focus on process over product . If you find yourself doing a "typical" dance move, pause, reset, and try a different initiation point (e.g., your ear, your tailbone, your knee).
Score 01
Liquid & Stone
Identify 3 joints as "liquid" (fluid, constant motion) and 3 joints as "stone" (rigid, locked, immobile). Improviser must maintain these qualities while moving through space.
Contrast Joint Isolation
Score 02
The Magnetic Limbs
Imagine your elbows and knees are powerful magnets. They are constantly attracted to or repelled by various points in the room (the floor, the ceiling, the door, a partner).
Initiation Spatial Pull
Score 03
Micro-to-Macro
Begin with a tiny vibration in one fingertip. Let it grow into a hand shake, an arm wave, and eventually a whole-body explosion. Then, reverse the process slowly.
Dynamic Build Tempo Control
Score 04
Negative Space
Focus only on the space between your limbs. Move to change the shape of the negative space. Imagine you are sculpting the air around you.
Shape Air Awareness
Post-Improv Reflection
Which score felt most "unnatural"? Why?
One movement discovery worth keeping:
Improvisation Facilitation Guide 2 Facilitation Guide: Improvisation
Guiding Safe & Productive Creative Risk-Taking
Teacher Resource L2
The Facilitator's Role
In Lesson 2, the teacher moves from being a "demonstrator" to being a "facilitator." Your role is to hold space, provide timing, and offer verbal scaffolding that deepens students' focus without interrupting their flow.
Creating Safety
• No-Judgment Zone: Remind students there is no "wrong" movement.
• Eyes Closed/Softened: Encourage internal focus initially to reduce performance anxiety.
• The Permission to Stop: Students should feel they can pause if they feel overwhelmed.
Side-Coaching Cues
• "Follow the sensation, not the reflection in the mirror."
• "What does the air feel like on your skin?"
• "Find a way to move that surprises even you."
• "Change one thing: tempo, level, or size."
Lesson Progression
1. Somatic Warm-up (15m)
Revisit Lesson 1 principles (breath/core) to ground the body.
2. Imagery Guided Improv (25m)
Teacher leads a whole-class guided improv using textures (slides 4 & 6). Focus on consistency of the quality.
3. Score Card Stations (30m)
Students work in pods using the "Improvisation Score Cards." Facilitator roams and offers side-coaching.
4. Closing Reflection (10m)
Brief discussion: What did we discover about our 'habitual' movement?
Observation Checklist
Are students breathing or holding their breath?
Is movement initiating from varied body parts?
Are they using all levels (low, middle, high)?
Are they interacting with the space or staying in a box?
Motif Development Slides Motif Development
The Seed of Choreography
Infinite Variations
"Take one simple gesture and perform it five different ways—backwards, upside down, fast, slow, and huge—to see how it evolves into a dance."
What is a Motif?
The Seed
A single movement or short phrase that encapsulates the essence of the work.
The Recurring Theme
It is repeated and varied throughout a piece to create unity and meaning.
The Manipulation Toolbox
Repetition
Doing it exactly the same way again.
Retrograde
Performing the movement in reverse.
Inversion
Upside down or mirror image.
Size
Expanding (huge) or condensing (tiny).
Speed
Fast vs. Slow Motion.
Level
Floor, middle, or high air.
Moving Toward Abstraction
Choreography isn't just "steps"—it's the evolution of a movement idea.
When we manipulate a motif, we move away from literal storytelling and toward emotional or kinetic truth.
The Challenge:
Can you repeat a motif four times, changing its speed and level each time, and see if the meaning changes for the viewer?
The Motif Laboratory
1
Isolate one movement from your improv (3-5 seconds).
2
Apply three different tools from the toolbox to it.
3
Chain them together into a motif phrase (15-20 seconds).
Choreographic Toolbox Worksheet Choreographic Toolbox
Motif Evolution Worksheet
LAB_SHEET_03
Choreographer
Working Title
01. The Seed Movement
Describe your original 3-5 second movement in physical detail (e.g., "Right hand reaches to ceiling while left knee collapses").
02. The Manipulation Lab
RETROGRADE
(The Reverse)
Notes on Execution
INVERSION
(The Mirror/Flip)
Notes on Execution
DYNAMICS
(Speed/Effort)
Notes on Execution
SIZE
(Range of Motion)
Notes on Execution
03. Synthesis Reflection
When you reversed the movement (retrograde), did it change the intention? How?
Which manipulation felt the most powerful or visually interesting?
Quick Reference Guide
Fragmentation
Breaking the motif into smaller parts and performing only bits of it.
Augmentation
Making a specific part of the movement much larger or longer.
Instrumentation
Performing the movement with a different body part (e.g., foot instead of hand).
Spatial Relationships Slides Spatial Relationships
The Architecture of the Stage
Proximity Matters
"Stand nose-to-nose with a partner, then 20 feet apart—how does the emotional story between you change based solely on that distance?"
Spatial Vocabulary
Facing
Toward, away, or across from a partner. Facing changes the "confrontational" or "collaborative" energy.
Mirroring
Symmetrical movement facing each other. Suggests unity, conflict, or internal reflection.
Shadowing
One dancer follows behind another. Suggests memory, pursuit, or a "hidden" self.
Group Formations & Meaning
Unison Line
Power, conformity, strength in numbers.
Wedge/V-Shape
Directional thrust, leadership, focus on a soloist.
Asymmetrical Cluster
Chaos, organic growth, individual vs. collective.
Where the dancers are in the space is just as important as what they are doing.
The Proscenium & Beyond
Downstage
Closer to the audience. Intimate, powerful, urgent. Eye contact is more effective here.
Upstage
Further away. Atmospheric, distant, elusive. Movement here feels more like a landscape.
Collaborative Composition
Step 1
Pair up. Share your motifs from Lesson 3.
Step 2
Perform them simultaneously while experimenting with three spatial relationships.
Step 3
Choose the spatial arrangement that adds the most meaning to the duet.
Spatial Mapping Worksheet Spatial Mapping Lab
Architectural Design Worksheet
MAP_04
Dancer Names
Duet Title
Spatial Drafts
Sketch three different spatial arrangements for your duet. Use "X" and "O" to represent the two dancers. Indicate the front of the stage (Audience).
Audience
Draft A: Proximity
Audience
Draft B: Level/Depth
Audience
Draft C: Opposition
The "Why" Behind the Space
Relationship Choice Impact on Meaning Mirroring Depth (US/DS) Negative Space
Spatial Analysis
How did changing the distance between you and your partner change your internal sensation while dancing?
If your duet were performed in a massive stadium vs. a small hallway, how would you have to adjust your 'spatial energy'?
Somatic Choreography Workshop
Feedback Protocol Slides Choreographic Workshop
The Art of the Critical Response
Discovery Through Viewing
"Present your work not to be judged, but to discover: did the audience see the intention you felt while moving?"
The Liz Lerman Process
01
Statements of Meaning
Audience shares what was striking, evocative, or memorable.
02
Artist as Questioner
The artist asks specific questions about their work.
03
Neutral Questions
Audience asks questions without embedded opinions.
04
Opinion Sharing
Audience asks permission to share an opinion.
Neutral Questioning
Judgmental
"The ending was too slow and boring."
Neutral
"What was your intention for the tempo of the final sequence?"
Neutrality protects the artist's creative agency.
The Studio Theatre
Generous Presence
Viewing with full attention. No devices, no whispering.
The Affirmation
Applauding the effort, even for 'works in progress'.
"The workshop is a sacred space where vulnerability is met with professional rigor."
Sequence Integration
How did your internal somatic awareness from Lesson 1 influence the choreographic choices we saw today?
This is the bridge between sensation and composition.
Critical Response Worksheet 5 Critical Response Guide
Structured Feedback Protocol
01
Meaning
What was striking, evocative, or unique?
02
Artist
Choreographer asks the audience for specific input.
03
Neutral
Audience asks questions without judgment.
04
Opinions
Audience asks permission to give advice.
Choreographer Being Observed
Observer Name
Step 1: Statements of Meaning
Step 2: Artist's Specific Questions
Step 3: My Neutral Questions
Neutral Question Starters
"What was your intention behind...?"
"What informed your choice of...?"
"Can you talk more about the transition from...?"
"How did the spatial relationship between X and Y...?"
"What were you exploring with the tempo of...?"
"How does the motif in the beginning relate to...?"
Dance Basics Laboratory Critical Response Protocol
Final Somatic Assessment 5 Somatic Synthesis
Final Course Reflection & Self-Assessment
The Somatic-Choreographic Bridge
Think back to Lesson 1: Floorwork and Breath. Then think about the duet you performed today.
1. Identify one specific somatic sensation (e.g., core-distal reach, breath support) that you intentionally used in your final choreography.
2. Which choreographic device (retrograde, inversion, etc.) felt most effective for developing your 'seed' motif? Why?
3. Reflection on Collaboration: How did the spatial relationship between you and your partner change the original 'meaning' of your individual motif?
Skill Mastery Self-Assessment
Skill Area Emerging Developing Mastered Somatic Awareness Moving from internal sensation
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| Motif Manipulation
Applying devices to vary movement
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| Spatial Intentionality
Using proximity and level for meaning
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| Feedback Engagement
Using neutral questioning process
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One personal goal for your future choreographic practice: 
