Somatic Dance and Brain-Based Dance
Somatic Dance (BodyMind Dance) and Brain-Based Dance (Developing Neurological Patterns) are the roots of Creative Movement.
Neurological brain patterns are developed in the first year of life that wires the central system for sensory-motor development. A gap in the process can lead to learning disabilities or disorders in behavior, memory, balance, and sleep.
Dance IQ’s Brain-Based Dance classes include the work of Anne Green-Gilbert called “BrainDance” or Brain-Compatible Dance. Dance IQ incorporates somatic and brain-based dance instruction from Dr. Martha Eddy’s BodyMind Dancing which is based in her system of somatic movement called Dynamic Embodiment in which she blends Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals of Irmgard Bartenieff and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen’s Body-Mind Centering.
What is BodyMind Dancing?
• Deepen your dance intelligence through theories of somatic education.
• Enhance your knowledge of anatomy and physiology through dance.
• Explore Laban/Bartenieff principles of efficient movement functioning.
• Apply Body-Mind Centering to technique and improvisation.
• Analyze students’ movement and become sensitive to their dynamic use of alignment and space.
Brain-Based classes focus on developmental movement
to help develop neurological brain patterns.
Brain-Based Dance
Brain-Based Dance incorporates the dance system of BodyMind Dancing using dance phrases and improvisations and kinesthetic intelligence of the body, including support structures of breathe and body alignment, while working with imagery and community building. The developmental patterns move through a sequence from breath through head to tail. This can be seen in a baby learning to crawl and then standing and walking. In between are stages that develop organically, such as breath, navel radiation, spinal patterns, homologous patterns, homolateral patterns, and contralateral patterns.
Alisa Jacob is a Certified Teacher of BodyMind Dancing (CTBMD). Alisa has created a sequence of locomotor and non-locomotor movement as a warm-up for students to go through the developmental sequence.
In somatic dance education, somatic therapy goes through phases of what would have been the child’s development in the first year of life. For example, tummy time is critical for a child to develop the muscles in the back when turning over or the stimulation of rolling (vestibular inner ear balance of gravity as well as speed in stopping and going), which is created with the log roll. Locomotor movement techniques help the child find the vestibular spinning in their brain, which helps with eye tracking for reading. The child will learn symmetrical and asymmetrical movement and shapes as well as contralateral movements such as an alligator scoot, bear crawl, and creeping.
The developmental patterns move through a sequence from breath, core-distal coordination, through head to tail connection, to torso and limb coordination that progresses from upper-lower and then right left body halves to cross-lateral (crossing the midline with a twist at the waist) movements. Each movement uses the full body but is initiated in a specific body part or sequence of body parts, like a baby learning to move. Specific actions include wriggle, roll, crawl, creep, and sit, as well standing and walking.
Starting at a young age, for example, a three-year-old child doing somatic movement dance patterns can help develop neurological patterns in the brain. Exercise also increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Dance can assist students to focus in class.
The Somatic Movement Classes also incorporate brain-based movement.
Brain-based dance is based on Anne Greene Gilbert’s “BrainDance.” Brain-based dancing is crucial for the neurological pathways of the brain, which helps the child with ADD, ADHD, and autism. Creative Dance as well as Brain-Based dance will help your child in his or her academic classroom. The classes can be in mainstream groups or private 30-minute sessions.
Our Classes
Classes at Dance IQ are scaffold in a transitional design to allow for challenges appropriate for each child’s level and dance experience. All classes are conducted under the National Standards of the National Dance Education Organization.
Brain-Based Dance
In Brain-Based Dance the student will understand and execute the developmental patterns through movement phrases demonstrated and taught by a Certified Teacher of BodyMind Dancing (CTBMD) The social and emotional development of somatic movement is a vehicle for self-expression. The child learns about teamwork, co-operation, and compromise. The last movements that we experience when learning to crawl or “creep” are cross-lateral. There are 5 other fundamental building blocks before we get to this oppositional movement that crosses “the midline.” The developmental patterns move through a sequence from
• breathe
• connecting with the whole body (navel radiation),
• head-spine patterns,
• symmetrical use of the limbs (homologous) patterns,
• right and left side coordination (homolateral) patterns
• opposition (contralateral) patterns
These patterns can be seen in babies learning to lift their heads, roll, sit and crawl and then standing and walking. The non-locomotor and locomotor warm-up sequence incorporates these patterns.
Brain-Based (coed 3-4 yrs)
Starting at a young age, for example, a three-year-old child doing somatic movement dance patterns can help develop neurological patterns in the brain. By combining locomotor movement, non- locomotor movement, symmetrical limbs, right-left side, and contralateral coordination will help open the sensory-motor pathways.
Brain-Based (coed 5-7 yrs)
Dancing is crucial for the neurological pathways of the brain, which helps the child with ADD, ADHD, and autism. Neurological stimuli come from perception of sensations and the “sensory-motor loop” of somatic movement activities involving diverse types of coordination underlying cross-lateral based movement.
Brain-Based (coed 8-10 yrs)
Brain-Based dance can help your child in his or her academic classroom Learn more at NDEO. The classes can be in mainstream groups or private 30-minute sessions.