Learning to listen deeply to ourselves, to the songs
our bodies sing, creates the potential for growth, insight, and healing.
This potential already exists within us, but rarely have we learned to value this kind of asking and listening.
About Body Songs
Body Songs is an invitation to gently untangle the places you feel stuck or disconnected in movement and in your life. Across many modern cultures, including the subcultures of ballet and many other disciplines rooted in perfectionistic thinking, we have a collective need to improve the quality of relationship with ourselves, with our own bodies. I believe we find ways to move into healthy relationship by learning to listen to the songs we are already singing. You can call it instinct, internal wisdom, or whatever you like. But that true north in us is what we need to remember to hear and respect.
Through this platform of offerings I am calling Body Songs, I offer a multifaceted approach to serve multiple populations, abilities, and stages of life. Through lenses of trauma informed philosophies, embodied dance and movement techniques (including classical ballet), and internal martial arts teachings I offer an alternative framework of processing and learning movement. This framework centers the voice of the body as the primary compass. This work is affective when done one on one but also in group and organizational environments. My choreographic processes as well as individual coaching are all integrated with these processes I have learned. My intention is that we get closer to increased senses of liberation, empowerment, confidence, connection and freedom in movement as we do this work together. I am here to walk beside you as an accurate and respectful reflector, curious observer, and open co creator. With my own experience and learning to offer as support I would love to work together.
What I do…
As a principal ballerina in a classical ballet company I have honed my craft as a professional dancer in the industry for over 22 years. In this time I have been privileged to experience many roles that pushed me to technical, physical, mental, and emotional limits. My experience with what has and has not worked in approaches to training has inspired me to pass on the best of what I have been given and absorbed while refining and reworking the aspects that I have seen that cause harm and even deterioration in any of these areas of us as people. Dance is demanding and must be met with rigorous integrity by both dancer and coach/teacher/choreographer in order to hold the respect of the whole person.
To support my process of changing and learning new approaches in dance I have become an Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Practitioner and am earning certificates of proficiency in multiple disciplines of Internal Martial Arts including Xing Yi, Ba Gua, and Tai Chi. I integrate the practices and research based methods included in these disciplines into teaching and coaching ballet and in my work with others.
Group workshops, classes, and intensives
Working in groups exponentially changes our responses and the way we see and experience our environments. If we come into learning spaces together with curiosity and respect for ourselves and others we can literally shift our sense of being. That is powerful and something I facilitate with the utmost care. I look forward to offering seasonal intensives and workshops here. Some centered around dance and some centered around nature and introspection. There will always be crossover between these.
Individual Movement Coaching
I love offering a fresh set of eyes and perspective when it comes to coaching. One way I can support you in your journey of improving your relationship to movement, technique, your own body and subsequently overall well being is by inviting you to tune into your instincts and practice learning to work with them. When we are in balance within ourselves, alignment, strength, and clarity emerge in all aspects of our expression, including in dance and movement.
Choreography (*Trauma informed)
Choreography has long been the vehicle where I can do the work of exploring new frontiers both in my own internal creative processes and with the dancers I am lucky enough to work with. I have been choreographing commissions in many parts of the United States for the last 14 years including 13 world premieres for Houston Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, Kansas City Ballet, Contingent Ballet, Apollo Chamber Players, The Four Seasons Hotel Houston, Kingwood Dance Theatre, and REACH. I also have had the pleasure of working as a choreographer for multiple films including the Festivus Film Festival Award winning short, Self Sabotage. It has always been my goal to create an open and supportive container to house the creative process for all involved. We must respect and value each others vulnerability and input and so I see the creation process as highly collaborative and sacred. I am a trauma informed choreographer and that is a combination of trainings that inform and influence my work.
My experience and how I can work with you…
“Demanding perfection of ourselves or others is a manifestation of shame.”
— Nkem Ndefo