Somatic practices to help you reconnect to and rejuvenate your feet.
Feet are the foundation of our dancing. They are the “ground floor” of our support. They help us find balance with each step and through continuous movement. Through their own dynamic dance of bones, joints, muscles, fascia, and nerves, they truly are the roots that help us connect to the floor, our partner, and the music.
In this experiential dance conditioning playshop, you will be encouraged to:
Develop a deeper awareness of, and a stronger presence through, your feet.
Work on foot strength and mobility.
Playfully challenge and improve your balance and response-ability to changes in weight transfer.
Release tension in the feet and lower legs.
Experience the kinetic chain “conversation” between the feet, knees, hips, pelvis, and spine.
In addition to supporting you in feeling more grounded in your dancing, these practices will help you feel more rooted in your movements off the dance floor.
This special class is $15 per person. You may pay in advance or at the door via cash/check, Venmo, or PayPal. Please email Lane for links. Pre-registration is appreciated but not required.
If participants can tolerate barefoot, that would be preferred. If you choose not to go barefoot, socks with some traction would be better than just straight socks since the floor can be slippery. We will provide some yoga mats to stand on to eliminate the slip factor. Jennifer will offer adaptations if someone needs to keep their shoes on for orthopedic reasons.
Participants should wear clothing that allows for freedom of movement. Jennifer will have some movement plays for those comfortable getting on the ground. For those who do not feel comfortable getting down to the floor, she will show parallel activities, either seated or standing.
Jennifer Speiden of Inner Awareness is a certified yoga therapist, registered yoga teacher, and has an MS in Physical Therapy. She has also immersed herself in the study of transcultural dance and drum rhythm traditions that serve to connect people in the community while celebrating and expressing one’s unique experiences. She enjoys weaving tools and teachings from both Eastern and Western medicine, as well as expressive arts approaches, to encourage people of all ages and ability levels to tend to and befriend their bodies, breath, hearts, and minds.