Somatic Recess with Gwen Ritchie
Location: Nalanda Campus – The Dojo
Somatic recess is an intuitive somatic improvisational practice based in creative movement expression, self-care/recovery, and play. The class will include solo work, creative partnering work (with or without touch based on consent), and ensemble attunement. Some themes we will explore in class: Intuitive improvisational movement, yielding and shifting our weight, authentic movement, connecting to our fluid system, spine articulation/fluidity, leading/following, and flocking and herding.
Gwens Ritchie holds a BA cum laude in Dance from the University of South Florida, attended SUNY Purchase, and an MFA in dance and somatics from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has danced professionally with various contemporary dance companies/choreographers including: Malashock Dance & Company, Liz Lerman and the Dance Exchange, Lower Left Dance, Dance Alloy, PearlArts, and The Kevin Wynn Collection. She directed her own repertory dance company, LABCO Dance in Pittsburgh from 2002-2009. Her research interests include ensemble improvisation, contact improvisation, the intersection of dance and disability, interdisciplinary collaboration and disrupting hierarchical structures in dance. Gwen is adjunct faculty at Naropa University teaching various dance courses; contact improvisation, dance lab (contemporary dance), body/mind improvisation, and dance ensemble.
