UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This semester, Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement workshops return to the Arts and Design Research Incubator (ADRI) with special guest Carol Kress, guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner and master Feldenkrais trainer, leading a two-lesson workshop on concepts and practice.
Andrew Belser, ADRI director and professor of movement, voice and acting, will also lead a two-part Feldenkrais series involving gentle movements, done slowly with minimal effort and special attention on personal experience.
According to wholehealthmd.com, “The Feldenkrais Method is a form of ‘body education’ that teaches students how to move their bodies more efficiently, improve coordination, expand range of motion, reduce stress on joints, and increase flexibility." The method is “often sought out by those who have movement dysfunction and pain,” and is “very popular with dancers, actors, musicians, and athletes who regularly challenge their bodies with repetitive motion.”
The website also explains that the method involves having students repeat simple movements with slight variations, providing sensory cues to the central nervous system and helping to shift patterns of automatic movement and posture so they're more efficient and comfortable. A goal is to minimize stress on any one area and foster body awareness, improving efficiency and comfort in movement.
The workshops will be held in the ADRI (16 Borland Building), as follows:
Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM)
5-6:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 30, and Thursday, Sept. 13
Registration is required: for Aug. 30 at https://feldenkrais-atm.eventbrite.com, and for Sept. 13 at https://feldenkrais-atm2.eventbrite.com
ADRI director and certified Feldenkrais instructor Andy Belser will teach this series of Awareness Through Movement lessons. Each class features a different Feldenkrais exercise or “lesson,” and involves gentle movements, done slowly with minimal effort, while paying attention to your own experience.
Belser, producer and director of FaceAge, is currently researching in the areas of neurosensory perception, art/science collaborations, and the integration of movement and voice pedagogies into actor training.
The Feldenkrais Method: Special Event with Master Trainer Carol Kress
5-8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 6
Registration is required: https://feldenkrais-method.eventbrite.com
Carol Kress, guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner and master Feldenkrais trainer, is a master teacher of the Feldenkrais Method and teaches in training programs around the world. This participatory workshop will include two Awareness Through Movement Lessons, along with discussions of Feldenkrais concepts and practice.
Kress' work is informed by a long-time involvement in equestrian arts, yoga, and the martial art of Aikido, for which she holds a 4th-degree black belt. Since finishing her Feldenkrais Training Program in 1993, Kress has been an associate of Elizabeth Beringer and David Zemach-Bersin. She is the long-time continuity trainer for the Feldenkrais Training Programs in Berkeley, California.
About the ADRI
The Arts and Design Research Incubator provides support for high-impact arts and design research projects. All programs are free and open to the public and, unless otherwise noted, take place in the ADRI, 16 Borland Building.
For more information, visit http://adri.psu.edu/ and connect with Penn State ADRI on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.