A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice: The Anatomy of Center

An introduction to embodied movement through the workof a dance education pioneerIn thisintroduction to the work of somatic dance education pioneer Nancy Topf (1942–1998),readers are ushered on a journey to explore the movement of the body through aclose awareness of anatomical form and function. Making available the full textof Topf’s The Anatomy of Center forthe first time in print, this guide helps professionals, teachers, and studentsof all levels integrate embodied, somatic practices within contexts of dance,physical education and therapy, health, and mental well-being.Hetty King, a movement educator certified in theTopf Technique®, explains how the ideas in this work grew out of Topf’sinvolvement in developing Anatomical Release Technique—an important concept incontemporary dance—and the influence of earlier innovators Barbara Clark andMabel Elsworth Todd, founder of the approach to movement known as“ideokinesis.” Featuring lessons written as a dialogue between teacher,student, and elements of the body, Topf’s material is accompanied by twenty-oneactivities that allow readers to use the book as a self-guided manual. A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practiceis a widely applicable entry point into the tradition of experiential anatomyand its mindful centering of the living, breathing body. Read more