Vision
A spine injury significantly influenced the development of my movement signature, as damaged nerves altered the way I inhabited my body. Between February 2020 and March 2021, I was unable to dance without pain, while physicians struggled to identify the root of the problem. This resulted in an unintentional process of movement exploration, guided by discomfort and closely intertwined with meditation practice. Even after my recovery, the quality of movement shaped by that injury remained embedded in my body.
This experience revealed how inseparable physical sensations are from mental processes. Its aftermath of anxiety and panic was not merely a reaction to the present moment; they also resurfaced buried memories, altering my thought patterns and behavior. My struggle with the lingering effect of the injury sparked a fascination with the physical and emotional experiences stored within the body, leading me to phenomenology in dance, a field grounded in embodied knowledge and kinesthesia.
My research engages with somaesthetic practices, specifically their imaginative potential to transport a mover into a safe space that reconnects the body to itself. By transforming the interconnection between embodied memories and imagination into performative material, we expand the interpretative possibilities of movement. Therefore, I explore Strategies to Develop the Imaginative Potential of Somatic Inquiry in Choreography.
Through this process, I have identified a methodology that unfolds across three distinct phases:
- Activating the “Self-Moving Body”: We begin with somatic tasks that engage varied physicalities and movement qualities to establish a state I call the self-moving body.
- Integrating External Sources: We introduce external stimuli, such as visual art, literature, and theoretical frameworks, to spark the imagination. These sources form additional conditions that influence the self-moving body, helping shape narrative, ensuring the physicality has a motivation, while also expanding the movement’s broader context.
- Establishing Relational Dynamics: In the final phase, we focus on how these movement qualities and imaginative landscapes interact with others and the space.
This research departs from the premise that imagination holds strategies for bridging gaps between individual realities, thereby fostering mutual understanding. In a world where empathy and the willingness to comprehend one another are often lacking, imagination may offer a way to connect diverse perspectives across inherent differences. Just as children naturally share their imaginative worlds to build connections, choreography becomes a method of translating inner worlds into something tangible.
Ultimately, my vision is to create across diverse settings and make this approach accessible within educational and community arts contexts.