Dancing Freedom

Dancing Freedom

For those looking to expand their physical, creative and communicative expression through playful and meaningful dance improvisation. Offered as an introductory session with follow-on series of four indoor group workshops. Also offered as one day workshops and outdoor sessions.Join in the upcoming sessions.

“Improvisation is acceptance, in a single breath, of both transience and eternity. We know what might happen in the next day or minute, but we cannot know what will happen. To the extent that we feel sure of what will happen, we lock in the future and insulate ourselves against those essential surprises. Surrender means cultivating a comfortable attitude toward not-knowing, being nurtured by the mystery of moments that are dependably surprising, ever fresh.” – Steven Nachmanovitch from ‘Free Play’

Dance Improvisation and Contact Improvisation can enable us to play and explore, become more comfortable and even relish the surprises of what has been unknown to us. Sessions are not necessarily about aesthetic dance or choreography and no prior experience is necessary.

Contact improvisation is a form of improvised dancing that has been developing internationally since 1972. It involves the exploration of one’s body in relationship to others by using the fundamentals of sharing weight, touch, and movement awareness.

Here are some of the dimensions we will work with:

Free play and exploration
Creative expression and communication through movement and dance
Embodied anatomy – expanding our range of movement expression and reducing the likelihood of injury
Taught repertoire of practices – growing our improvisational palette
Awareness of gravitational and equilibrium responses – building strong foundations of trust, safety and a capacity for more spontaneous responses to the world around us
Awareness of physical contact – growing clarity of our embodied boundaries so we can develop healthy sensuality, making embodied and conscious choices in how we relate to others, consciously aligning with what we let in and how far we extend out

Workshops and Coaching

Working gently with the body, through sensing and moving practices, Somatic Health can be offered in a variety of contexts, and tailored to each unique situation – sometimes working with more than one modality. Below is a menu of the different formats through which we can explore this territory together. I’d love to hear from you if you’d like to schedule a session or workshop, or to discuss possible combinations.

Coming to Our Senses

Group workshops for anyone interested in beginning to connect and more deeply connect with the sensory language of their body. For stabilisation, rest, vitality and resilience from burnout and overwhelm. Offered as an introductory session and follow-on course of eight, two-hour workshops. Also as short, responsive sessions outside of regular workshop spaces.

Recovering Connection

Recovering Connection for groups in recovery from all kinds of addiction. To safely meet the challenges and thrive within a community of practice. Offered as an introductory session with follow-on course of eight, two-hour workshops.

Touching Earth: Tuning-in to the Movement of Life

Group workshops growing your experiential realisation of the body as a direct experience of the natural world.

One-to-one Co-creation

Led by you, the client, these ninety-minute one-to-one sessions invite a collaboration where the client and facilitator work creatively together in awakening awareness of the human body.

Embodied Visioning

For those wanting to explore a vision of their future by connecting to their somatic felt sense – that is intrinsically trusted, meaningful and clear to the body itself. Exploring the link between embodiment, awareness, and social systems. Half-day group workshops.

Dancing Freedom

For those looking to expand their physical, creative and communicative expression through playful and meaningful dance improvisation and contact improvisation sessions (we will be clear about invitations to engage in physical contact in our course descriptions). Sessions for adults and children. Offered as an introductory session with follow-on course of four more indoor group workshops. Also offered as one-day workshops and outdoor workshops.

What People Say. True Testimonials.

Enjoyment

‘This is the best experience. I love it’ (S)

‘I can’t say how fantastic this is. It is beyond fascinating’ (B)

‘Apart from being with my children this is my very favourite part of the week’ (J)

Feeling of Body Connection

‘I’m starting to connect to my body for the first time’ (G)

Embodied Visioning

‘The clarity of the visual and gesture that came from Embodied Visioning is still of great value to me now, a year later – I have fully embodied it – it has become part of me and has walked me forward into so much newness in my life’ (Sarah N D)

Understanding the Body-Mind Connection

‘I’m coming to understand that the mind and body don’t function in isolation but in tandem – each informs the other, they are in constant communication’ (H)

‘I learn more about my whole self. I value this time – I’ve denied myself body time. I’m realising that for years I have ignored my body and my mind’s ability to work with it. I am grateful, in no state of need and full of positive expectation’ (J)

Understanding Me Just As I Am

‘Jenny has done more to help me understand and unlock the depths, subtleties and aliveness of my body, through our body work and somatic sessions, than any other practitioner I’ve ever worked with.

Jenny’s humanity and deep commitment to understanding me just as I am in that very moment, comes through every time we work together.

Jenny’s breadth of life experience, skills and talents means she can move in an instant in almost any direction with ease, spontaneity, creativity and presence’ (abie)

– One to One Co-Creation

Healing Shock by Bringing Past and Present Together

‘Jenny has a unique way of connecting people to what deeply matters to them. I could feel the hurt in my body, name it and locate that with the confusion in my mind. I could link what was happening in the present to what had happened in the past.

It put something back into my hands because I had connected to the source of it and got some level of balance again.

I had a desperate need to understand and this unique approach brought me into the zone so that I could safely explore the magnitude of what had happened. I could manage the hurt because I knew what it was.

This is a unique way of helping me to make sense of a difficult situation’ (L)

– One to One Co-Creation

Body as a Source of Relief

‘I felt so safe’ (S)

‘I realised how much more of me there is, unconsciously giving me relief, versus the part of me identifying with the addiction’ (JE)

‘When the word REST was said, in relation to my knee: the restriction I had placed on my body to be well was released, multiple muscle sets released and the body suddenly felt more at peace with itself.

It just hadn’t occurred to me before, as a real tangible option, that I and my knee could have a direct communication as a way of healing. Over time my knee became my friend as I could recognise when I was pushing it and myself too hard or when my body was up for challenging itself more.

This placed the whole recovery process firmly back into mine and my body’s hands. The results were a fast rate of recovery which I hadn’t found through physiotherapy and pain relief medication’ (Re)

Contact Info

Phone

+44 (0) 7387 904467

jenny@somatichealth.org

For more information about upcoming courses or to book a one-to-one session contact me on the form below...