Somatic Imagination is an approach centered on sensing and experiencing the individual body. Through guided exercises, participants explore principles such as texture, strength, dynamics, articulation, contrast, and movement qualities. Step-by-step instructions support a deeper understanding of one’s own way of experiencing movement.
These foundational elements then expand beyond the individual, with particular focus on the spine and the use of contact improvisation. Attention gradually shifts from the self to engaging with our environment, with exercises designed to carefully discover the personal space of fellow participants. Through playfulness, participants learn to trust, guide, support, and care for one another.
Eventually, the practice turns toward how somatic inquiry and imagination relate to personal cognition. Since the body carries memories shaped by past experiences, participants are invited to link sensorial memory with movement, activating the dynamic relationship between body and mind.
The development of the workshop is part of my choreographic research, which took shape during the Master’s study COMMA: Co-creation of Movement Masters of the Arts within Codarts University of the Arts and Fontys Academy of the Arts in the Netherlands.
Niels Claes | Body Analogy Dance Theatre 