A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice

Nancy Topf

ISBN 10: 0813068673 / ISBN 13: 9780813068671

Published by University Press of Florida, US, 2022

About this Item

An introduction to embodied movement through the work of a dance education pioneerIn this introduction to the work of somatic dance education pioneer Nancy Topf (1942-1998), readers are ushered on a journey to explore the movement of the body through a close awareness of anatomical form and function. Making available the full text of Topf's The Anatomy of Center for the first time in print, this guide helps professionals, teachers, and students of all levels integrate embodied, somatic practices within contexts of dance, physical education and therapy, health, and mental well-being.Hetty King, a movement educator certified in the Topf Technique®, explains how the ideas in this work grew out of Topf's involvement in developing Anatomical Release Technique-an important concept in contemporary dance-and the influence of earlier innovators Barbara Clark and Mabel Elsworth Todd, founder of the approach to movement known as "ideokinesis." Featuring lessons written as a dialogue between teacher, student, and elements of the body, Topf's material is accompanied by twenty-one activities that allow readers to use the book as a self-guided manual. A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice is a widely applicable entry point into the tradition of experiential anatomy and its mindful centering of the living, breathing body.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780813068671

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice
• Publisher: University Press of Florida, US
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813068673
• ISBN 13: 9780813068671
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 151 grams

About this title

Synopsis

An introduction to embodied movement through the work of a dance education pioneer

 

In this introduction to the work of somatic dance education pioneer Nancy Topf (1942–1998), readers are ushered on a journey to explore the movement of the body through a close awareness of anatomical form and function. Making available the full text of Topf’s The Anatomy of Center for the first time in print, this guide helps professionals, teachers, and students of all levels integrate embodied, somatic practices within contexts of dance, physical education and therapy, health, and mental well-being.

Hetty King, a movement educator certified in the Topf Technique®, explains how the ideas in this work grew out of Topf’s involvement in developing Anatomical Release Technique—an important concept in contemporary dance—and the influence of earlier innovators Barbara Clark and Mabel Elsworth Todd, founder of the approach to movement known as “ideokinesis.” Featuring lessons written as a dialogue between teacher, student, and elements of the body, Topf’s material is accompanied by twenty-one activities that allow readers to use the book as a self-guided manual. A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice is a widely applicable entry point into the tradition of experiential anatomy and its mindful centering of the living, breathing body.

About the Authors

Nancy Topf (1942–1998) was a choreographer, dancer, and internationally known teacher who helped pioneer Anatomical Release Technique and developed her own approach known as the Topf Technique/Dynamic Anatomy®. 

Hetty King, a dance teacher and movement educator based in New York City, is a certified practitioner of the Topf Technique®.