Press Release

Naropa University Somatic Psychology Department To Present Ninth Annual Somatic Arts Concert

Students, Faculty and Alumni to Participate

Naropa Somatic Psychology Program One of the First in the Field

BOULDER, Colo. (January 18, 2005) -- Naropa University (Boulder, Colo.) will host its Ninth Annual Somatic Arts concert, entitled "Invitation," on January 28, 29 and 30, 2005, in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus of Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. The program will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings (January 28 and 29) and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The public is welcome.

"We invite our audience to enjoy a unique mosaic of human experience presented through movement, dance, text and music," said Sam Elmore, student director of "Invitation." "This concert represents a wholly eclectic collaboration, choreographed, composed and performed by students, faculty and alumni of the Somatic Psychology department at Naropa."

Tickets will be sold at the door and are $8 for Naropa community members and seniors and $10 for the public. All proceeds will go toward scholarships for students in the Somatic Psychology department. For additional information, the public may call 303-245-4845.

Naropa University was one of the first institutions in the nation to offer a degree in Somatic Psychology. The philosophy of the 20-year-old Master of Arts program is based on the belief that a functional unity exists between the mind and body and that therapeutic change occurs through direct experience of the present moment. Fostering body-based awareness is an important and effective way to accomplish this change. Within the Somatic Psychology program, there are two unique areas of concentration: Body Psychotherapy and Dance Movement Therapy. Both areas offer extensive study, training and supervision in the practice of psychotherapy that is grounded in the integration of body, mind and movement. Graduates are eligible to take the Colorado state licensing exam in counseling.

Naropa University is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian liberal arts institution whose core mission is contemplative education. Contemplative education is an approach to learning that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, creating and implementing a new paradigm in higher education. This model seeks to help students know themselves deeply so that they can engage constructively in a world of individuals who are not like themselves. The university comprises a four year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental studies, psychology, religious studies, and creation spirituality. It offers BA, BFA, MA, MFA, MDiv and MLA degrees, as well as professional development training and classes for the community through its School of Extended Studies. In addition, the university runs study abroad programs in Sikkim, North India and Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, visit www.naropa.edu.

Contact:

Jane Rubinstein
Manager, Public Relations
Naropa University
PH 303-245-4643
FAX 303-245-4676
Jrubinstein@naropa.edu
www.naropa.edu