Kent Lindemer — Shivanata—The Art of Moving into Stillness

What does it mean to follow the inner flow of the breath where we meet and experience the body from the inside?

We will explore a revolutionary approach to movement where attention is held and moved within the breath to discover and explore the body’s innate intelligence and infinite fractal beauty. This technique is specific and yet open. There is a path to follow, but that path is your own.

By practicing and developing this mind, body, energy relationship, the dancers natural and abundant creativity can effortlessly arise in spontaneous expression. Each day will begin with a thorough warm-up of Yoga, Qigong, and Dance fundamentals appropriate for each day’s explorations. We will cover both extrinsic and intrinsic movement technique seeking to find and explore the underlying movement and dance of profound presence. Shivanata is a form of Mahamudra practice where the practitioner enters into union with his or her own nature to uncover and participate more fully in the subtle (or not so subtle) dance of being. We will explore the profundity of the ground by Stabilizing and Releasing weight to receive lightness, flow and expression. This can be done alone or in the practice of weight sharing and redistribution that is fundamental to efficient and skillful dancing and partnering.

I will draw upon many years of experience dancing, teaching and choreographing with Pilobolus Dance Theatre as well as my extensive study and teaching of Yoga, Contact Improvisation and Modern Dance. This work is the culmination of many years of deep inquiry brought on through injury and the desire to heal and as such offers the same promise. It is therapeutic as well as deeply creative and potent. This workshop is appropriate for all levels of experience. The week will culminate with an informal showing.

holds a BA in Theatre Arts, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He performed two seasons for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival as actor, dancer, and juggler. He danced for Chicago-based Bob Eisen and for ten years with Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Kent toured with the Broadway musical Swing! and worked for Anti-gravity Dance as massage therapist, aerial bungee rigger and trainer. He was guest yoga teacher and dancer, Northwest Yoga Festival, Los Angeles Music Center Institute for Teachers, and guest artist/choreographer for Freespace Dance. He received his MFA in Dance from the University of Washington–Seattle. Kent works with Lynn Needle’s Art of Motion Dance Theatre as choreographer/dancer, teaches yoga and dance and has a thriving therapeutic bodywork practice.