Somatic Movement in the Arts + Education
ISMETA’s Somatic Movement in the Arts & Education Committee works to connect the worldwide Somatic Movement community to bring the power of somatic awareness into Education and the Arts. We bring information and resources to our members through our website, webinars, conferences, articles and pedagogical artifacts and highlight our members good work in the world. We collaborate with other organizations to highlight the benefits of Somatic Movement Education in the Arts and Education.
SOMATIC MOVEMENT IN THE ARTS
Somatic Movement in the Arts encompass the individual and collaborative ways in which we communicate artistic expression embracing the myriad systems within the body, and methodologies within the field. This approach supports our ability to listen and trust our own internal landscape making it possible to realize our creative vision. Somatic movement practices in the arts facilitate embodied and holistic body-mind awareness that open personal agency and community collaboration in the creative process and in artistic choice making.
Featured Somatic Artist Series
ISMETA’s Somatic Arts and Education would like to thank Paula Josa-Jones for submitting husk/vessel as the first Featured Somatic Artist. To continue celebrating and acknowledging the many Somatic Artists and Educators, we announce the next Featured Somatic Artist, Melissa Michaels. Here’s a statement about her somatic creation, a short film entitled Twisted Gift.
In this award-winning film, Melissa shares her healing journey through ovarian cancer. In these 11 minutes, she takes her audience into the painful and powerful transformative experience she had and how she used the arts to amplify her resilience.
The Somatic Arts and Education Committee invites all somatic artists-educators to submit images or videos representing their work in the field as somatic artists or somatic educators. Applicants must submit their name, ISMETA credentials, a valid email address, Artist or Educator Statement, and Artist or Educator rendering. Videos and photos images are encouraged to have high-quality sound and images to ensure the best viewing online.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO BE A FEATURED SOMATIC ARTIST OR EDUCATOR
SOMATIC MOVEMENT IN EDUCATION
Somatic movement methodologies offer experiential and constructivist learning for children, youth and adults in a myriad of educational settings. The methods are known to serve all types of learners including those with different abilities. Through exploratory learning somatic movement education aims to teach self-awareness, neuro-motor development, and body-mind agency, as well as foster self- and co-regulation. As counterpoints to exclusive intellectual learning, these embodied experiences provide knowledge and support for teachers working with children and students of all ages. ~ Martha Eddy, PhD, MSME Mindful Movement
Featured Somatic Educator Series
Over the last 15 years, Sylvain Meret, MSME/T, has been developing movement, dance and music performances for and with children. Together with Makiko Ito and Tutti Collectif, they have explored the repertoire of non verbal communication, somatic movement and music attunement with babies and young children. In the context of dance/music performance, their work invited a baby audience to experience and eventually take part of the choreography. Naturally the work evolved inviting fathers to lay down, roll, attune and play with their children workshops. Now the artistic unfolding is taking place in creche using somatic movement, dance and music to move and stimulate playfulness, attunement and care within baby with disabilities, parents and nursery nurses as one ecosystem for development and growth. ISMETA Members see full lesson plan below in the Sample Lesson Plan Library. For More information about Sylvain and his work visit www.soufflecocreateur.com
Special Event
NOT MY ENEMY
A Film Screening and Artist Conversation
This Special Encore Event is a recording of select excerpts from the February 26, 2023 Live Interactive Film Screening featured Board Member Kehinde Ishangi's documentary film, Not My Enemy featuring the process and the power of using somatic methodology in processing and overcoming trauma. This Special Event was hosted by the ISMETA Somatic Arts and Education Committee.
This acclaimed film had its first United States premiere at the San Francisco Veterans Film Festival in December, and it will be shown at the Screen Dance Miami Festival and the Denton Black Film Festival this month. Directed by Ishangi and filmed by Tiffany Rhynard, the feature-length film is based on her original choreographic work “Not My Enemy” and uses embodied narrative to understand and resolve issues around the absence of her biological father and how it impacted her life. The exploration leads her to the Vietnam War and its aftermath and the effect it had on her father, her family, and her community. With the assistance of four brave Vietnam Vets and other members of her community, she uses dance as a tool for somatic healing.
ISMETA MEMBERS SIGN INTO YOUR ACCOUNT TO GAIN ACCESS TO:
- Somatic Movement Lesson Plan Library
- Panel Discussion: Evolving, Developing, and Sustaining Somatic Practices in Higher Education Dance Programs
- Bill Evan's Keynote Address: ISMETA/NDEO Emerging Pathways in Somatic Movement and Dance Education Conference
- Sign up to become our next Member in the Featured Somatic Artist Series or Featured Somatic Educator Series