A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice

An introduction to embodied movement through the work

of a dance education pioneer



In this

introduction to the work of somatic dance education pioneer Nancy Topf (1942-1998),

readers are ushered on a journey to explore the movement of the body through a

close awareness of anatomical form and function. Making available the full text

of Topf's The Anatomy of Center for

the first time in print, this guide helps professionals, teachers, and students

of all levels integrate embodied, somatic practices within contexts of dance,

physical education and therapy, health, and mental well-being.



Hetty King, a movement educator certified in the

Topf Technique(R), explains how the ideas in this work grew out of Topf's

involvement in developing Anatomical Release Technique--an important concept in

contemporary dance--and the influence of earlier innovators Barbara Clark and

Mabel Elsworth Todd, founder of the approach to movement known as

"ideokinesis." Featuring lessons written as a dialogue between teacher,

student, and elements of the body, Topf's material is accompanied by twenty-one

activities that allow readers to use the book as a self-guided manual. A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice

is a widely applicable entry point into the tradition of experiential anatomy

and its mindful centering of the living, breathing body.