Authentic Movement

This class introduces Authentic Movement, a meditation form of moving and stillness. There is no predictable style, no prescribed movement. It can include anything from complete stillness to vigorous movement through space. Drawing on sensations, imagery, and personal inquiry, the practice invites us to note what arises, and choose whether or not to follow an impulse. Sarah Anne Patz is a dance and movement artist and educator working in St. Louis for over 40 years. Currently she serves as a creative dance teaching artist for Springboard To Learning in St. Louis Public Schools, and as a Wolf Trap teaching artist in arts integration. She is certified in the practice of Contemplative Dance/Authentic Movement and has taught it at universities and in the community.

The Alexander Technique: Opportunities to Observe

By working through the principles of The Alexander Technique and body mapping, participants are invited to discover the interconnectedness and internal communication of mobility and intention. This thinking and sensing practice allows for opportunities to observe the dynamic balance, action, and reaction within oneself. Explore the dynamic relationship and integrated use of thought, movement, inhibition (non-doing), and sensory awareness to discover easeful and harmonious movement. Dawn Karlovsky is the Founder and Artistic Director of Karlovsky & Company Dance, a St. Louis-based contemporary modern dance company and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Karlovsky’s movement language is somatically inspired emphasizing the detailed use of touch and spatial and sensory awareness. Dawn maintains a private teaching practice in the Alexander Technique, and teaches Modern Dance and The Alexander Technique at Washington University/University College, and in the Department of Dance and the Department of Music at Webster University in St. Louis. Dawn holds a MFA in Choreography and BA in Dance Performance, and is a nationally certified teacher of the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) since 2004. Dawn is thrilled to present a workshop on the Alexander Technique at the 35th Annual BMCA Conference at Denison University this summer where she and Mary Ann Rund will also perform a new movement work together.

Therapeutic Movement for Self-Care

Elise Ringenberg

Therapeutic Movement for Self-Care is a group movement exploration class that draws from Dance/Movement Therapy techniques, including elements from Marian Chace’s work, Laban Movement Analysis, and the Kestenberg Movement Profile. This class is ideal for individuals interested in diving deeper into self-care, mindfulness, and exploration of joy –all through movement. Participants will develop a greater awareness of sense of self and connection to others. Elise will support participants by serving as a facilitator and guide. She will provide verbal prompts to support mindful movement, self-awareness, and group cohesion. Elise brings a trauma-informed approach and incorporates her knowledge of the nervous system into her teaching practices. Come prepared to move your body, mind, and spirit! Elise Ringenberg (she/her/hers) is a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in-training, and certified pilates instructor. She holds a Master’s degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance. Elise is excited to join Karlovsky & Company Dance for her fifth season. In addition to dancing and choreographing, Elise works as a psychotherapist at Emovere: Embodied Therapy, a group creative arts therapy practice in St. Louis. In support of her clinical work, Elise also leads workshops on trauma-informed care within a variety of education and treatment settings. Elise is grateful for the opportunity to continue dancing for herself as well as spreading the psychotherapeutic benefits of movement to others. She is passionate about bringing the body into the conversation and looks forward to connecting with you during Karlovsky & Company Dance’s Summer Somatic Series.

Feldenkrais Method® - From Fixing to Connecting

Kelly Feder

What if our mindset to fix a problem undermines our ability to improve and get better? What if connecting with yourself is more powerful than judging? What if the idea of a “good” and “bad” side, knee, standing leg, etc. is preventing you from reducing your pain and utilizing your whole self? Join me as we explore these questions through the Feldenkrais Method® of Awareness Through Movement®. Kelly Feder has always been interested in human potential and how we create and move beyond our limitations in both moving and thinking. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and has been learning and exploring with this method for almost 20 years.

Subtle Energy:
Invite in the Spirit of Ease in Transformation

Participants access subtle energy, finding relaxation, rejuvenation and the opportunity for balance, discovering ways to reflect and support their personal energy. Come explore the chakras and energy fields, develop chi, promote healing through creativity, set intentions for one’s life and find ways to live with ease. Energy forms our thoughts, our physical manifestations. Absorb your-self and nature; sink into the possibilities of life. This is a process of active listening, with no expectations or judgements. Beckah Reed believes in the integration of body, mind, and spirit. She enjoys her work in somatics, focusing on transformation through subtle energies, inviting wholeness for groups and individuals for over two decades. She is a Master Reiki Practitioner with training in Hun Yuan Taiji and Qigong, Transcendental Meditation, as well as other healing modalities. Beckah has been a professor of dance at Webster University for 35 years. She worked as co-artistic director for GASH/VOIGT Dance Theatre (GVDT), an all women’s contemporary dance theatre ensemble, based in St. Louis. GVDT spent fifteen years self-producing their work, conducting educational residencies and international cultural exchanges. Beckah’s choreography, best described as theatre dance, draws on the use of props, voice, and the motivation of human interactions to create her pieces.

Cultivating Qi: Using the 5 Elements to Integrate, Heal, & Connect 

Dr. Kade Stotler

In this workshop, we will use qigong & creative movement techniques to learn & explore the foundational components from the 5 Elements Theory of Acupuncture medicine. The poignancy of Acupuncture medicine is its communal cultural lens which not only integrates & balances the metal, water, wood, fire, & earth elements within a person for individual health, but also offers a broader aspect of connecting this inner landscape to the outer world. Be prepared to move, introspect, be open to creative flow, interact, & learn new techniques to bring home with you to cultivate a self-healing practice of your own. Dr. Kade Stotler DACM, MSOM, BFA, L.Ac (They, Them, Theirs) is an activist, mover, healer, & queerbodied human who is excited to have recently returned to St. Louis. They earned their BFA in Dance at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, & have trained, choreographed, & performed for over 15 years in various modern dance companies in St. Louis, Seattle, Portland, & New York. Along their life journey, Kade has worked in behavioral health as a neurodivergent specialist as well as trained in aikido, qigong, & taiji. They earned their Masters of Science in Acupuncture Medicine at Southwest Acupuncture College, Boulder, & Doctorate at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco where they studied all 5 branches of Acupuncture medicine. Nationally certified through NCCAOM as a Dipl Ac., Kade is a trained herbalist & licensed acupuncturist in the state of CO & MO. They are a lover of anything outdoors especially hiking, backpacking, kayaking, & tree climbing, & love to spend time dancing or in their garden with their partner, chickens, cats & dog.

Embodied Movement of the Nervous System

What comprises our nervous system? How is it a conduit for information, a connection between tissues and brain? In what ways does it inform our movement sensation and expression? In this workshop we will look at the nervous system, its form and function, and how it effects and directs our physical/emotional expression. We will experiment with varied sensations, allowing immersion, and explore moving from connectivity to those internal responses. Mary Ann Rund (aka Reis), MFA, SME, IDME is a dance artist and educator in the fields of dance, yoga and somatic movement whose work is greatly influenced by her Body-Mind Centering (BMC) training with Maryska Bigos and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as well as ongoing exchanges with BMC colleagues. She has been teaching for several decades at institutions including Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Mary Ann regularly presents workshops and performances at the annual BMCA conferences. She recently collaborated with Dawn Karlovsky on a video project that will be shown again at this year's conference as well as a new live movement art piece.Feel free to contact: marund@att.net