Dancing with Presence by Hugh Stanier

Dancing with Presence

Tai chi movements to inspire the body and connect to flow.

In this workshop we will share the practice of Tai Chi Movements for Wellbeing and connect the principles that underpin the sequence in to dance practice. Cultivating an atmosphere of presence and awareness, relaxation and flow and connection to self, to move with ease, freedom and poise.

The practice itself is a series of 16 gestures drawn from Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong that offers the mover a way to connect to qualities that support living more fully ‘in the moment.’

From this place we will expand outwards with the body to find tools to flow easily across the ground, into our animal body, and evolving further to discover ways up & down, in to and out of and into the floor. Exploring ideas of spiralling, falling, building momentum, & riding inertia. We will also work with simple movement ‘patterns’ that can help establish efficient ‘known pathways’ for the body to then improvise freely around.

We flow together, from inner to outer worlds and back. Coming home to rest in the centre of your own being.

The sessions will be presented in 2 sections:

• The 1st half of the workshop will explore the Tai Chi Movements for Wellbeing sequence and the principles surrounding the practice.
• The 2nd part will work with some of the movements from the sequence and the principles supporting them and apply them to improvised movement explorations and simple choreographed phrases.

This workshop will give people at any level of movement practice a clear set of tools to move and improvise from a place of presence, grounded relaxation and flow.

About Hugh Steiner

Hugh qualified as a TMW instructor in 2015 and has taught the sequence as a stand alone practice, and also uses the core principles of TMW throughout his teaching practice.

My approach to sharing dance practice is on releasing tension from the body and working with fluidity, rhythm and momentum to find economic and efficient ways of moving through space and in and out of the floor. Swimming in the floor and cutting smoothly through the air.

I Approach movement technique from a perspective that focuses on economy  and efficiency of the body. Paying specific attention as to how correct alignment and an embodied understanding of biomechanics can deepen the understanding of the body in movement.

Also allowing the individual to discover their own way of moving through structured improvisation exercises, that encourages openness, flow and presence.

More information about TMW (Tai chi Movements for Wellbeing)

Founded in 2009 by Richard Farmer and Dr David Quinn, TMW is a sequence of movements drawn from the core principles of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. The sequence provides an accessible vehicle to promote wellbeing, vitality and health.

TMW’s approach uses movement to put participants in touch with the fundamental qualities, which aid wellbeing; Presence, relaxation and flow, connection to the self, and an understanding of body/mind mechanics.