The Alexander Technique for Dancers

Dawn Karlovsky

By working through the principles of The Alexander Technique and body mapping, dancers will discover the interconnectedness and internal communication of mobility and intention allowing for dynamic balance, action, and reaction. 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, and in the Department of Dance and for 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.
 

Subtle Energy: Invite in the Spirit of Change

Beckah Reed

Subtle Energy: Invite in the Spirit of Change incorporates guided imagery, breath, qigong, movement, stillness, music, silence, color.  The movement is both structured and improvisational.  Participants connect to the energy within their bodies, spirits and minds, focus on it, direct it, listen to it, allow it… Allow change, invite it in, feel its spirit. 

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.

Authentic Movement

Sarah Anne Patz

This class will introduce Authentic Movement, a meditation form of moving and being in stillness which encourages the development of consciousness. Drawing on imagery and sensations and our personal inquiry, we note what arises from within, choosing whether or not to follow an impulse. The role of witness will be introduced and we'll use writing or drawing as a way of being in relationship to what unfolds. Please bring a journal.

Sarah Anne Patz is a dance and movement artist and educator working in St. Louis for over 40 years. Currently she serves as a teaching artist for Springboard To Learning in creative dance for St. Louis Public Schools, and as an early childhood arts integration specialist with Wolf Trap. She offers community workshops in Authentic Movement and teaches it at Washington University.

Embodied Movement

Mary Ann Rund

How do we express our whole self?  How do we invite our internal universe outward so that we move from a place of informed being?  How do we honor our experiences by allowing them to color and shape our dance?  We will explore these questions through a short  somatic warm-up and then a guided, improvised journey.   

Mary Ann Rund (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 CenteringSM. (BMC) training with Maryska Bigos and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as well as 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 recently presented a workshop and video performance (in collaboration with Dawn Karlovsky) at the BMCA conference and is currently serving on the Membership Committee for BMCA. Feel free to contact: marund@att.net

GYROKINESIS®

Jennifer Armstrong

The GYROKINESIS® Method is a movement method that addresses the entire body, opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion, and creating functional strength through rhythmic, flowing movement sequences. It is an original and unique method, which coordinates movement, breath and mental focus. By the end of a GYROKINESIS® session, one's entire system is awakened and brought into greater balance. Focus on the breath stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in a sense of calm, well-being and mental clarity.

GYROKINESIS® is a registered trademark of  GYROTONIC® Sales Corp and is used with their permission.

​Jennifer Armstrong completed her certification in June of 2015 and is currently licensed to teach Level 1 & 2 of the GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Methodology, she is licensed on the GYROTONIC® Leg Extension Unit, Archway, Jump Stretch Board and GYROTONER® .  Additionally is a certified Teacher Trainer and was recently selected to study GYROKINESIS® Breathing Experience with Juliu Horvath (creator of © The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® ) in Germany, September of 2019.  Jennifer specializes in dancer applications, as well as principles of the psoas.  Jennifer is a graduate of Lindenwood University in St. Louis. She holds degrees in Dance, Mathematics and Secondary Education.  Jennifer has extensive training in ballet and modern dance and is an accomplished performer, choreographer, and teacher.  In 2001, she was hired by Modern American Dance Company, the professional dance company in residence at the Touhill Performing Arts Center (MADCO).  She was appointed the company’s Rehearsal Director in 2004 and served as Director and dancer until Spring 2015.  Jennifer founded Metro Dance Company, NFP in 2006 and serves as Artistic Director.  She is currently working at Sports Medicine & Training Center as the Dance Medicine Coordinator, teaching a program of stretch classes weekly designed for cyclists and endurance athletes.

Yoga for Dancers

Summer Beasley

Practicing yoga helps us to be present, in our bodies and in the space around us. This class will focus on how our dance technique and performance can benefit from the mindfulness of yoga. A yoga mat or towel is recommended.

Summer Beasley received a BFA from Webster University and a MFA from Lindenwood University. She has performed and choreographed across the U.S. and she has performed internationally with Karlovsky & Company Dance. Summer completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training with Pam Schulte and a 95 hour children’s yoga teacher training with Lisa Roberts. She is currently teaching dance, creative movement, and yoga at MICDS.