Dancing the Self: Bridging Movement and Life

Anna Halprin, Daria Halprin, and The Tamalpa Institute have been pioneering and innovative forces in the fields of expressive arts, dance, somatics, education, and therapy. Based in California, their work has been a fertile laboratory of cross disciplinary creative exploration that brought dance off of the stage and into the streets and nature; brought healing out of the therapy office and into art, performance, and ritual; brought a pedestrian aesthetic of functional movement into performance that reflects the art of the every day. Taught by Natan Daskal, on core faculty at the Tamalpa Institute, and one of Anna Halprin’s last mentees, this will be a special opportunity to experience the legacy of the Halprin work in person on the East Coast.

Learn more about the Tamalpa Institute here:

https://www.tamalpa.org/about-us/our-history

This workshop will use their method, the Life/Art Process, to bridge our moving, sensing, expressive bodies with our lived experiences, emotions, and stories. Through movement, dance, voice, creative writing, drawing, ritual and performance, we will explore, express, and discover deeper aspects of who we are ….. How does our movement reflect and reveal our inner world? How can the real stuff of life be the foundation for our dances? How can our art and movement explorations generate resources to bring into our daily lives? What can the power of artmaking offer us for healing, growth, and transformation? How can somatics and the arts bring us into closer connection with our deepest stories, knowing, and longings?

Read Natan's teaching statement here: https://www.natandaskal.com/about

Learn more about his other work here: https://ouroboros-somatics.com/

Photo credits:

Rick Chapman, Elisabeth Osgood Campbell, and Angela Niederer; courtesy of the Tamalpa Institute

Our setting will be in beautiful Western Massachussets at Earthdance, which has been a hub of dance, contact improvisation, somatics, and interdisciplinary arts since its founding in 1986. We will take advantage of its natural setting among the fall leaves in Autumn, occasionally moving outdoors in partnership with the land -- a significant legacy of the Halprin work.

A wood-fired sauna will be available a short walk through the woods.

Meals will be vegetarian, lovingly prepared by Earthdance staff. Workshop participants will be asked to contribute to the collective care of our space with some light chores.

Options for lodging can be seen by clicking on the Tickets link, a short walk through the woods between Gratitude Lodge and the Umbrella Studio, a gorgeous sunlit dance studio.

Let's Dance!