This IDOC is a general description of my Body awareness and movement classes for people struggling with an eating disorder. I was co-operating with The Eating Disorder Association of Eastern Finland. The local member organizations (like in Joensuu) are responsible for maintaining local activities, for example peer support groups. I was working with them during the year 2013 – 2014 by work grants of Arts promotion Centre Finland. Purpose was develop body awareness, and through that provide way of express individuals repressed feelings and affect positively to people who often have body image dissatisfaction.

My work with people with eating disorders based on contemporary dance and body-mind centering techniques. I think movement is a natural part of the daily life of a human. This is the insight and the experience that I would like to share with others. To me, dance is also my life. Through physical movement, with my dance, I reflect on myself and on what it is to be a human being. These are the reflections I also endeavour to raise and strengthen in my students. The way I see it, working as a dancer, teaching, and facilitating groups, are activities that all support one another. In both art and life, I appreciate open-mindedness, curiosity, and sharing of new experiences. Artistic work carried out with a sensitive mind and careful, keen thought is inspiring. The interest in human being, exploring the strange and the unknown, as well as the joy of doing and discovering, are what take me further in my work.

Process with people which struggling an eating disorder, based on somatic experiences, information and opportunities. I was also looking for ways to encourage participants to throw away a bit their inner control and to have fun with each other. I named my classes as Body awareness  and movement class instead of Dance Class, because word “dance” seemed to cause quite limited associations and people were hesitating that can they participate because lack of skills.

A typical class description was:

1.Warming up ( warming up own body, being with the group, being in the space and finding the presence)

2. Working “alone” with specific task

3. Working with the partner / group with specific task

4. Variation of the authentic movement or improvisation task

5. Finding the presence and relaxing using for example breathing with peaceful moving or light touch

6. Ending: Sharing experiences about the class with each other with the talking

That structure gave also space to improvise. Every class was different but I usually used same structure. Sometimes I jumped out of it. The biggest challenge for me was the question: how to get individuals to focus on the task instead of focusing of body image issues. I tried to find the way encourage each individual and lead them to be focused on personal doing in a different ways. During the classes I used many kinds of working tools: concentrating to the space, different kind of images, music, pictures, drawing and objects.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

I am freelanced as a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor for seven years. My background is based on contemporary dance techniques including improvisation, somatic methods, physical theatre and ashtanga yoga. I’m a 2007 graduate of an international three-year vocational dancer programme at the North-Karelia College in Outokumpu, Finland (Movement & Performance Research, Dance Education).

I work as independent solo performer and as a dancer in Finnish Routa Company. ROUTA is a open company for contemporary dance. The aim of the company is to produce high-quality, unique dance performances which are rooted in the ground of the Northern Finland region.

My pedagogical work bases on thought that everybody can dance. I work with dance hobbyists, dance students, professionals, theater students and non-dancers. I’ve also developed collaboration between arts and social work in the Eastern Finland.

Here is link to my other IDOC: Documentation of my Body awareness and movement class for people struggling with an eating disorder

http://www.idocde.net/idocs/891