The Feldenkrais Journal #16 Performing Arts

52 Pages·2003·10.264 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Beringer (ed.)

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NO. 16
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E=FEH SHE-*=H F*==E=CL eERFoRMTNG ARTS 2, Two, Too, To
cET R D oF Tr--t E orD wHEN you HAVE Nrw The discomfort, or
even pain, expenenced during normai behavior after a arge number
of success ve movements in one parlcu ar position s inreresr ng.
\r,/e are unab e to use our bodies rn any but accustomed patterns
oi muscu ar action When extensive change is inrroduced to mosr
oi the muscies, or at least to those essentia io the movement car-
ried our as l"-ith iwenry-f ve repertions of a movement-we nev-
errhe ess instruct our muscles to iall into the r usual patrern.
On y the experience of change and close attention wi lcon-
,.,ince us ro think and direct ourselves differenrLy. on y when
i,r s erperience of change causes us to discredir and tnhibrr rhe
,li :
accL-s:omed pattern, which now appears nval d to us, wrl we be
a! e to accept ihe new pattern as habit second narure. Theoretical y,
a :ia: is needed isan effortof thernind, but in pracricerhis is nsuf-
fcerr Our nervous system is so constructed that habits are pre-
served and seek to perpetuate themselves. ir is easier ro srop a
-a::
br'neans of a sudden traumatic shoc< rhan ro change ttgrad-
-.r . - : s a iunct ona d fficu ry, and rhat ls why ir rs rmporranr ro
la. : l:. a:renr on ro every improvement and to assimilate it after
:.:-. i:. es oi movemenrs. We thus ger a double effect on our
::-: '-: ra:aci:;r: the inhibition of the previous, auromalc parrern
:'-- r.:.-a.a, r,irh ch norr,, feels wrong, heavy and ess comfortable,
j.-: the encouragement of the new parrern, which will appear
-i-: :cceptab e, n'rore f or,ving and more sarsfactory. The insighr
,-,i cL-.:a reC is nor an nre ectua one-proven, undersrood and
...'. r. .g brLr a matter of deeper sensing, rhe fruir of ndividuai
:.\ri- ence. : is mporrant to know and understanci the connec-
t on between change and its causes in order to encoura,ge one to
'e pea: :l'e exper ence rv th suffic enr accuracy under stmllar cond -
: or-rs :o "e niorce irs ellecr and mpress rhe movemenr deeply on
senses.
ti
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The Feldenkrais Iournal
number
16
Tf,ble of Contents
2
Letter from the Editor
3 ADancer'sNewlightness:AFeldenkraisCaseStudy AngelicaAnkeFeldmann
10 Crowned Heads of State Anita Schnee
l1 WakingUp in Space:
Awareness Through Movement A Roundtrip Excursion Nancy Galeota-Wozny
20 Penelope's Trunk Gwendollm Schwinke
2t A Light at the End of the Tunnel: A NewApproach for Criminal Iustice Linda Flanders
32 Articles & nouns for all sentient beings Diana Nieves
Mantra with staff for all sentient beings
33 Working with Actors Mara Della Pergola
43 Ioan: Vocal Fold Injury Following a FreakAccident Marina Gilman
4B Contributors
I'HE FI,LDENKRAIS IOI]RNAL NO. 16 SUMMER 2OO3
Letter from the Editor
Dear Colleagues,
In this issue we continue the Performing Arts theme from last year's
Jottrnal. We chose to overflo,,v the Performing Arts articles into another
issue due to both the number of submissions and the overall enthusiasm
rvith rvhich this subject was greeted. It is probably the strongest response
to a Journaltheme that we've had since the /ournal'sinceptionl Too often
the Method is pulled into a medical context. These two issues setwe as a
welcome antidote to this trend. We already have submissions within the
Performing Arts theme for the upcoming issue and lt e hope that this trend
continues into the future.
Performing Arts is a broad subject and although this is not a large issue,
that breadth can still be glimpsed here as the characters include actors,
dancers, and singers. In addition there is an extraordinary article b-v Linda
Flanders who rvrites about using an expanded and very creative version of
the Feldenkrais Method to r,r,ork with a troubied teenager.
Recently lve've had a number of interesting articies submitted that
deal with the first-person experience of practitioners and the impact the
Method has had on particular issues in their lives. I think this is an inter-
esting trend and r,r,e rt ould like to encourage it. We cannot reallY r,r,rite
about our clients' experiences; rve have to be satisfied lr,ith the glimpses
they gir,.e us verbali_v and the shifts we experience rtith them kinesthetically.
N{anv practitioners came to their trainings after porverful personal experi-
ences u,ith the Method, which often continued in the training. It is impor-
tant to put these experiences in writing as they bulk up the bodv of uriting
that ure have about the work. I am particulariy interested in rrriting that
expresses the flrst-person experience of doing arnr, of rvhich u'e haYe
alnrosr nothing in writing.
The editorial staffworked overtime to put out two Journals in the last
tr,velve months. Many thanks for their efforts. Elaine Yoder is taking on
more and more responsibility for the management of the /ottrilal process,
r,l,hich makes it possible for me to function as editor. I'nl r,en'grateful.
Thanks also to ail the artists, both in this and recent issues for their support.
The next /ou rnal'stheme wili be Parenting. Anv article on this theme is
welcome including articles on how the Method has influenced your parent-
ing, stories about parents and children r,r,ith r,t'hom You've r,vorked, or mus-
ings on development and childrearing. As usual articles on any theme are
welcome for all issues.
Sincerely,
/- /'-/
//
Elizabeth Beringer
Editor
,
suMyER 2OO3 THE FELDENKRAIS ]OTIRNAL No, 1ti
AngelicaAnke Feldmann
A
D"..*/,s Norn, I-i3ht,-r.ss: ./\ F.lJ.,.'krais ease Str-rJy
afael first came to my private practice about one year ago. A friend had
suggested that he workwith me, and get to know the Feldenkrais Method
of Somatic Education. Rafael (34) r,r,as a higirlv skilied and graceful dancer,
trained in ballet and contemporary technique. He had been a member of
dance companies performing all over the u,orld, and was going to spend
a fer,r, months lir.ing in Basel and working with the Basel Dance Theatre. He was
raised in South America and had lived in many places, spoke several languages
fluentlv, and lor,,ed to be "on the move." \trhen r,ve first talked on the phone, I could
sense that he rvas an outgoing and bright person.
The flrst time he came to me, however, he seemed tired; after initially holding
himself upright nhile sitting, he slumped into a more comfortable position, and
told me that for the past fer,v months he had been experiencing recurring attacks
of back pain, u,hich troubled him so much that he was fearful of not being able to
continue u,ith his life as he had in the past. For the first time in his life, he said, he
felt the rvish to take some time offrather than r,vorking and moving as much as
he had been, and he n as concerned about getting older and losing his habitual
r,.italitr,. His explessir.e face mirrored his thoughts and I could sense some sadness
and apprehension.
To mv compassionate question nhether he could, in fact, take more time off
and a11orv l-rimself a longer break he replied, "That's when the trouble reaily starts."
He explained that as long as he staved r,vithin a daily training routine and contin-
ued to perform, l-ris back rvould be more or less fine, but the very moment that he
3
I
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SUMMER 2OO3
1HE FELDENKRAIS IOURNAL NO. 16
would stop, he would often start to feel the pain' As a consequence he
found himself in an impasse of being fatigued, yet unable to cease working'
Since his childhood he has dealt with scoliosis, and a lot of his life has
centered on this issue. He tried physiotherapy as a teenager and had
worked hard and tenaciously at becoming a dancer. In a very remarkable
way, he had dealt with what he considered his "handicap" by alnrays work-
ing to overcome it. \\4rile touching his back, I noticed that his spine seemed
relatively well organized and balanced. Rafael was convinced that his scol-
iosis was the reason for all his troubles and he had come to me because he
had heard that the Feldenkrais Method "has some great tricks of how to
deal with scoliosis."
In the beginning of the f rst lesson I asked him to do a number of move-
ments while I observed. \.Vhat came to my attention spontaneouslywas not
so much the tlvist in his spine but the level of control and the extent of his
muscular self-image, even while performing simple movements. There rt'as
obvious evidence of years of intense training, over-exertion, and, likely,
uneconomical use of self. In moving as a dancer it is crucial to flnd relation-
ships from the periphery to the center of the body, and to spread movement
evenly across the whole organism. The aesthetic demand of a dance tech-
nique can ask, for example, for a strong muscular support and counterbal-
ance of one limb. Often that is taught and performed with the idea of flxing
the center of gravitv and isolating the movement of the limb. This reduces
the dancer's abiliw to move r,l ith the sensation of liveliness and integration.
For Rafael this also resulted in too much tension in his torso, and in his
muscular system making up for the lack of support through his skeleton'
His middle appeared to be tightened and pulled up almost as if he were lift-
ing himself arva\, from the ground; his center of gravity was raised ahove his
pelvis, and because he habituallv contracted his abdomen, his diaphragm
would not move dou'nrt'ard efficientlywhile breathing in' He seemed to
position his bodv in space rvith a limiting and rigid view of himself.
I shared mv observations rvith Rafael and we got into a discussion about
the training of dance techniques. From my own background in dance edu-
cation I am familiar u.ith the ideas of "pulling up through the middle" and
"flattening out the cun'es of the spine, " which often are visuaily enforced
and controlled u,ith a mirror r,r'hile the dancer experiences kinesthetic
confusion about horv to achieve the desired results. This wav of learning
is based on the traditional, frontal teaching approach (r,r'atch and imitate),
with the teacher dispensing continuous criticism while the view of the
dancer is trained to the mirror. Even improvisation is often simply a repe-
tition of routine and preset, or stereot),ped, movement sequences' More
importance is placed on form than on rhlthm, on outrvard gestures rather
than inner space, on formalistic criteria rather than authenticity. Along
with this comes the development of parasitic efforts and contradictory
actions, and a hyper-state of compulsive action which causes a loss of
"being present" and being in touch with one's own spontaneity.
Since Rafael had r,vorked so hard to accomplish these tasks, he seemed
to have forgotten how to move in other ways-the traces of his identity as
a dancer were obvious in all his movement' He had no conscious differen-
tiation between dance as a highly sophisticated and refined art form, and
movement as a basic function of life and well-being. He seemed to be stuck
in a ruell-trained virtuosity, uncomfortable and unsatisfled with himself.
In consideration of Rafael's request to "ltrork with his scoiiosis" and his
wish to practice movements by himself, I decided to offer a basic "crawling
on the belly" lesson. Supporting the pattern of his spine, I turned his head
4
SUMMER 20O3 THE FELDENKRATS J0URNAL No. r6
while drar,ving up one leg and changing over his arms. He easily understood
the idea of t-,r,ists and counter twists and enjoyed noticing the sensations
throughout his spine. Staying with the dynamic idea of the lesson I asked
him to do parts of the lesson himself (like anAwareness Through Move-
ment lar-r.rl iesson) while directing his attention to the sensations of effort-
lessness, breathing, and skeletal awareness.
In the back of mv mind, I had the intention to allow movement in his
abdomen to be integrated with his breathing, to sense support through his
organs and his inner volume, and to establish a vital connection from head
to tail. Rafael was no\,v better at staying in a vertical axis while turning in a
sitting or standing position, and a balance was easier to achieve. I invited
him to join my erlur class so that he could deepen his experience and get
the most out of the two months that we could work together.
In rhe second lessonl raised the subject of how he employed the trans-
mission of ground forces through his legs to his spine, and the correspond-
ing role of the pelvis. The entire lesson was based around "Getting to know
the hip joints" (Solor,vay, E., ed. Autareness Through Mouement Lessons from
Alexander Yonai, Vol. 5, Part B, # z4t, p. 166r). This included tilting his pelvis
for-rt ard rvhile mapping his abdominal region, sensing when and how he
contracted his abdomen, discovering his hip joints and the function of his
psoas rvithout triggering his ingrained habit of contracting his belly and
diaphragm. He had done this errur during myArM class the previous week
and r,r,,as intrigued about the effect of feeling taller and more erect.
Yet it seemed l,ery difficult for him to bend his leg toward his chest while
bringing his pelvis for",,r,ard, and letting his belly be full and expand. Lying
on his back, I put a small stl,rofoam ro11er belorv his pelvis and asked him
to move his pe1r,,is backnrard lvhile distinguishing between his abdominal
muscles and his Iegs, and fonr.,ald while letting his belly go, and sensing the
motion in his hip joints. Follor,r{ng this, mor..ing his pelr,is both ways r,vhile
bringing his leg to\\,ard his chest (adding an out\vard rotation of his thigh)
helped to uncover a clearer image about the intelaction between his legs
and his pelvis.
Sitting, he nolr, felt more stable and grounded on his sitz bones, with his
spine more naturally mounting upr,r,ards, and r,r,ith a new and unfamiliar
feeling of having a pelr.ic r,oiume. His process of creating a positive self-
image was disturbed by " having a belly, " vet he agreed that breathing was
much easier. I shared mv observation that he had been trained to pull in his
belly and to actuallv lift his center of gravity to meet the aesthetic require-
ments of desired shapes and conflgurations. Hor,t ever, in his everyday life
he might be able to experience a better sense of groundedness and ease of
breathing if he lvouid allor,v his belly to be soft. There are good reasons for
strong and trained bellv muscles, but Rafael would also need to know how
to 1et them go. The habit of constant contraction restricts the resilience
of the diaplrragm and the pelvic floor, and inhibits the vitaliry of the
inner organs. Ovenvorked muscies become tired, they lose their elasticity
and strength; a lr,ell-distributed tonus allolvs a better postural support and
d_vnamic balance. Besides, I told him with a smile, "Having a soft bellv also
permits more contact r,r,ith a full feeling for the juice of life."
We ended the lesson standing facing a wall, and I asked him to roll a hard
roller ',r,ith one foot, exploring various w-ays of coordinating his pelvis and
spine. Before he left I gave him Moshe's book, Awareness Through Moue-
mertt, and recommended that he do "Lesson 6: Differentiation of Pelvic
\{ovements by Means of an Imaginarv Clock," to deepen his exploration
and erperience (Feldenkrais, rggo, p. 115).
5
SUMMER 2OO3
THE FELDENKRAIS JOURNAL NO. 16
The third lessonwas based around the "artificial floor," as I wanted to
stay with the theme of the previous lesson, and continue with developing
a more skeletal self-image, and give him the opportunity to experience hor'r'
small, fundamental movements provide good conditions for the nen'ous
system to learn.
In standing and walking after the lesson he had a better sense of pres-
ence in his feet and enjoved a more colorful dialogue n'ith the ground. "Lets
experiment," I proposed. "Stand and think of pushing and sliding an'ay the
ground, gently but flrmly. Listen to r,vhat happens within your self. Keep
your Iower belly full, and if You flnd vourself contracting -vour abdomen
and pulling it in to iift vourself up, Iet it go again, until vou are able to sense
if you are increasing or decreasing the pushing rvith -vour feet, and differen-
tiate betr,veen doing this or rvhether.vou are contracting your middle to
erect yourself. "
Initiall]r Rafael found this confusing, but after some tirne of playing with
it he could clearly sense a difference. He started to enjo-v tire experience
of reducing power to increase his sensitivity and to focus on process-
oriented exploration. I asked him to experiment, balancing on one foot,
and turning his feet outward in first and second ballet position, lvhile
maintaining this speciflc focus of presence. The effect of actively relating
to the ground r,r,ith the core support of his pelvis, dynamicall-v expanding
himself into space, released a more port'erful connection into his spine
and lightness in his upper 1imbs. He lr'as abie to erect and stabilize him-
self r,r.ithout the essential por,ver to do so being generated through a co-
contraction in his middie. "I guess I've got a nerv dance partner," Rafael
smiled r,r,hile rvalking out the door.
In the beginning of ourp ttrth lesson, Rafael was very tired, his back
ached, and he r,t as in a bad mood. The enthusiasm for his new discoveries
had r,vaned and he r,vas back to focusing on his problem, complaining about
his scoliosis and the need to "rvork on it." Taking his tiredness and mood
into consideration i asked him to lie on his longer side, r,vell supported by
blankets, and told him I would work directl-v on his spine and diaphragm.
. He sighed relief and seemed more at ease again.
I started lvorking u,ith the idea of releasing the muscies in his belly and
iort er back, taking over the r,vork of the muscles in the vallev next to the
spine, bringing pelvis and ribs closer together on his upper side, creating
a sense of breathing and innervolume. I supported the lifting of his dia-
phragmatic arch and explored all around the attachments of the diaphragm
while following the directions of his breathing.
Finally his breath started to expand into his lower back and abdorninal
cavity, his diaphragm now enabled to move dolt'n r'r'hiie inhaling. "At the
same time that the surface of the diaphragm is lor'vered by the contracting
of its crura, the ribs and sternum are lifted and the thoracic spine lengthened
by the action of the intercostal and spinal muscles." (Todd, 1959, P. z3z. The
action of the diaphragm-a brilliant description about the d-vnamics of
breathing.) As I sensed the lengthening in his tiroracic spine he told rne
about an intense feeling of relief throughout his entire back. I continued
the lesson nith him iying on his back, staving rvith this sr'rbject n'hile paying
more detailed attention to the relationship betr,veen his breathing patterns
and the movements of his spine and ribs. My hypothesis was that the
release in the action of the diaphragm r,vould offer a ngur pot€ntial of move-
ment in the muscularl,-v inhibited parts of his spine.
At the end of this lesson, Rafael said that he experienced a completelv
new sense of inner volume, and he sat on the table Iooking Younger, softer,
6
SUMMER 2OO3 THE FELT]ENKRAIS ]OURNAI, NO. 16
and more r,ulnerable. I encouraged him to simply sit there, and be ar,vare
of himself without speaking or changing anything. He closed his eyes and
seerled to go on a journev of his inner rvorld. Even though as an artist he
r'vas used to being in touch with his emotional life, now his emphasis had
shifted radicall-v from the outside to the inside. After some time I asked him
to slo,"r,lrr open his eyes r,vhile staying in contact with his inner sensations, to
be in both places simultaneously, with fluid transitions. He transferred this
fluiditr.ol attention and presence into standing, walking, pushing against
rnv hands, and into projecting his sight and voice out into space. !\4ren he
left l-re said he felt refreshed, like after a long nap, and his backache r,vas gone.
ln tbe Jifth lessorz, I u,as encouraged by the explorations of the previous
lessons and proposed to proceed and r,r,ork in a seated position with his
arms and head resting on a high table in front of him. Rafael r,r,as back to his
usr.ral r,itaiit], (in lact, alter the last lesson he did not have back trouble r,r,hile
dancing or resting), and immediatel-v agreed to explore this further.
Sitting bel-rir-rd him I inr,ited his breathing volume to expand by taking
o\rer the n ork of the major frontal muscles (in particular the transverse
7
SUMMER 2OO3
THE FELDENKRAIS JOURNAL NO. 16
muscle) and gently lifting and compressing his ribs from different places,
synchronous with the shapes of his breathing' \\4rile touching and support-
ing the three-dimensionality of his inner volumes I gently suggested subtie
turns and twists, staying u,'ith the image of his spine as the axis of rotation,
and acknowledging the unique conditions of his spine. It felt like a multi-
dimensional duet of breathing and molding' To enhance the challenge of
trtisting and bring in a more distal aspect I initiated the turns also from his
arms and integrated the rnovement of his head.
At the end of the lesson I asked Rafael to sit without leaning his arms and
head and turn around rBo", pivoting on his pelvis r,vhile keeping his breath-
ing volume unimpeded from the muscular action. He did this beautifully,
while moving slowly and Iistening to himself. I had the impression of a new
quality of movement unfolding-a sense of length and expansion arising
from the undisturbed flow of his breath, the acknou'ledgement of his skele-
tal structure interacting with his environment. Rafael clearly lvas on his
way to discovering spirals and chain connections as an important part of
economical movement. "It feeis so simple, so effortless," he said, "and I
feel whoie and much more like mvself"' I was touched b-v his expression
and his r,r,ords as I felt he had discovered more of his individual resources,
which may aiso prorride a source lor his creativit-v. "Each of us is an indi-
vidual person . . . but it is important. . . . that an older, large and voluminous
bod-v is just as refined in his sensitivit), as a voung, siim bodv. '.r'vith reflned
I mean that the actor ldancer] is in connection r'r'ith his entire bodv at all
times and if he proceeds with a movement he is a1u'avs ar'r'are of all ele-
ments of his body" (Brook, i998, p. 33).
The slrrlz lesson sart'Rafael becoming more comfortable in his dailv life
and starting to recognize the sensory cues rvhen he u'as leaving his comfort
zone and orrenvorking himself. The qualiry of his resting time had improved;
the spurts of back pain had subsided. He was planning to travel to the States
to participate in a performance project'"t'ith a composer and a director r'r'ho
r,vere both friends of his; he said he rvanted to do sometiring "more fun'"
I r,r,as happv to hear that he was setting out for ner'r'ground; not onlv the
-,"n a), he limited himsell phvsicallv had changed.
With Rafael Iying on his back, I started bv exploring the movements of his
foot as related to his hip and spine, using compression in different planes of
movement, bringing one leg orrer his chest to highlight what happens in his
chest and sternum, and ietting the ribs be at rest. This reconnected us rvith
the previous sessions. Compression frotn his seventh neck vertebra shaped
a pathrvay dor,vn into his hips and guided us into a diagonal exploration'
Rafael's ribcage had become a Iot more pliable and his spine allorved more
movement, both in the transverse and sagittai plane' We kept exploring
compression, passing through upward and downward, finding the thrust
through the bones and a sense of inner space. Lifting his head and follon'ing
the subtle patterns of his spine created a more distinct a.nvareness of his
spinal structure, and a lengthening throughout his entire spine, freeing up
the articulation of his hip joints.
I concluded the lesson by asking Rafael to push r,vith his feet while I
pushed back from head and neck, paying close attention to the various pos-
sibilities, the role of his pelvis and the maintenance of internai pressure.
Guiding Rafael from sitting to standing rvhile holding his head and
sensing his spine and his feet felt like doing contact improvisation. In fact,
it was not I who'"vas guiding him, but us, creating a common experience
about rising and falting in a vertical relationship to gravity. Rafael's halance
in standing and rvalking was effortless and he rvas readl' to move in any
B