Great work last week everyone!
It was nice to see how much we have covered over the semester and how your dancing has been informed by somatics in this class. You’re all doing a terrific job!
“The mind is like the wind and the body is like sand. If you want to know which way the wind is blowing take a look at the sand.”
This is one of my favorite somatics quotes and one that has guided me over the years. This week we will begin looking at the work of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen – Body-Mind Centering. Please check out these websites and I highly recommend that you read Cohen’s book, Sensing, Feeling and Action.
Gerald's class 
I really love this quote : “The mind is like the wind and the body is like sand. If you want to know which way the wind is blowing take a look at the sand.” Thanks so much for sharing! I feel like this is something that can be used not only in dance but life ❤ It's definitely a new favorite!
I’ve really enjoyed working with the body mind centering technique. In so many ways, I feel like it has helped to connect the previous concepts we’ve been working on. I love the fact that this work looks at the body and mind as one unit verses separate entities.
“The mind is like the wind and the body is like sand. If you want to know which way the wind is blowing take a look at the sand.” It is interesting that you use this quote as it was exactly what I was doing Wednesday as we went through class material that day. Even though I missed the Monday class, I got most of what we were doing by watching you demonstrate.
Considering that Friday was our last day of BMC I think that this class format really has not done it justice. Having had Nick Duran last semester sometimes entire days were devoted to each system and I am curious about how deep each somatic practice is…. I’m still not sure exactly what BMC is. My impression is that BMC is just an anatomically/physiologically informed system of imagery based on the human body and is formated to mimic human development. I’m sure it’s moret than that, however I’m still foggy on what it is.
I felt more aware and present in my body this week than I have in a while. It felt like I was getting BMC, but almost as if I was not conscious of the fact that I was getting it. Everything felt more connected in terms of dancing and understanding material. Also, I don’t think I have had that much fun rolling on the floor EVER. I have never been the biggest fan of rolling on the floor (possibly because I didn’t really know the right way for my body to roll). But, it felt so natural, and I was not afraid of rolling over something wrong or getting hurt (which is really important since that always seems to happen).
I agree with Bridget’s comment about the floor work! I’ve really taken to floor work recently, and I especially enjoyed the last floor phrase we did on Friday. It felt familiarly smooth and connected. To be honest, my body this week has been feeling worn down and tired, and my mind sort of foggy, so the concept of body-mind centering hasn’t really set in, unfortunately. But I think because we’ve had some experience in this with Nick, like Mark said, I feel more comfortable coming into it, almost like revisiting some of the same ideas. Even if my perception of BMC isn’t fully formed or intellectualized yet, I believe it’s settling into my body and mind naturally, and though I am still trying to be present, I hope to at least recognize and grow from that innate way of learning, if nothing else. Just let it happen.
I absolutely loved class on Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday I was super tired when I got to class but somehow I felt so grounded and connected in my body. I felt a really strong head/tail connection, which was surprisingly comforting for some reason. I was a happy baby. On Friday, I felt like I was off my balance and kind of all over the place but once I let my mind quiet down and my body take over, everything felt much more fluid. I LOVE THE FLOOR COMBO. I loved the transitions going in and out of the floor and how we really had to just let our bodies melt into the ground. Yay!
I really enjoyed the classes on the BMC studies I felt way more connected to my body and felt more comfortable unlike the PNF studies those were quite hard for my body to coordinate. I totally agree with both Chloe’s and Bridget’s comments. The floor phrases to me felt smooth and like everything connected to the next movement there were no stops or jerks while i was doing the phrase. Doing the evolution walking from where we started in a fettle position then gradually went through each stage felt very natural to me and gave me an awareness to how i coordinate my hands with my feet. I loved it 🙂
Missed this as well:[ I really like the quote though, I had to read it a couple of times and really concentrate to form my own analysis. Basically the mind and body should always be connected. It also makes me think of Pocahontas.. lol.
I love that quote that as well! I feel like there is no better way to describe the way the mind and the body come together to create movement. I also enjoyed hearing those excerpts from the book Gerald read to us in class because it really helped explain somatics. I thought it was interesting comparing the way we move to the way that babies move, and how that relates to dance.
At first I did not really understand BMC, and I think I was over analyzing the practice way too much. It took me a while to get into the correct mind set for the class, but once I was able refocus my energy I found the class extremely helpful.
I love this quote! “The mind is like the wind and the body is like sand. If you want to know which way the wind is blowing take a look at the sand.”
Sometimes I over think things especially in class. I become robotic and just do the exercises and think way more than necessary. I think if I just let my mind relax I will find the exercises will feel more organic and less controlled.
“The mind is like the wind and the body is like sand. If you want to know which way the wind is blowing take a look at the sand.” Thank you for sharing this quote! It is a clear depiction of how the mind can either hinder, or free the body’s movement.
Isn’t that funny? That we are all humans, born with a mind and a body that work together every second of every day yet our perception at times is that they are disconnected? I don’t know if that makes sense. But I guess I’m kind of saying that it’s interesting how easy it is to over think things. To try to be perfect or try to do everything right yet if we ease our minds a little bit more and trust in our bodies a little bit more the outcome is, 99% of the time, something beautiful that feels much more natural than when we were “trying” or “thinking” to hard? This class has really helped me begin to see all movement in a much simpler way than I ever have before. I am beginning to be able to see new movement and accept it, and not be scared or it or discouraged by it because it doesn’t feel natural in my body yet. These classes helped me picture what my bones were doing, not my muscles. They also helped ease me into movement done later in the class because at the beginning of class we moved in a gentle way that felt natural and comfortable on my body.