October 21, 2022
The Magazine By, For, and About
Feldenkrais® Practitioners and Trainees
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Welcome!InTouch is a quarterly e-newsletter about developing one's competence as a Feldenkrais® teacher. Issues will contain articles about teaching the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education, running your own business, and more.
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Photo by Samatha Weisberg on Unsplash
The Dance Issue
From the Editors
The approach to learning movement in the Feldenkrais Method® is a fundamentally different pedagogy to most traditional dance forms, such as ballet. Instead of an emphasis on memorization and the execution of a series of “correct” movements, the Feldenkrais® student is invited to engage with the body in a non-goal-oriented fashion that prioritizes comfort and allows for individual variation. So when dancers encounter the Feldenkrais Method, it can be a profound reframing of personal identity. The potential for positive change is enormous, yet the clash of perspectives must be treated with care.
In this issue, practitioners Mary Armentrout and Anna Haltrecht share their personal journeys with Feldenkrais and dance. In addition, trainer Alan Questel shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book, Practice Intentional Acts of Kindness…And Like Yourself More, which speaks to the radical self-care at the heart of the Feldenkrais Method.
Joe, Jane, Yulia, and Seth
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'Being Yourself' in Dance and the Feldenkrais Method®:
An Interview With Anna Haltrecht, GCFPCM, Assistant Trainer
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In this month's interview for the In Touch magazine Yulia Kriskovets speaks with Assistant Trainer Anna Haltrecht about her experiences with Feldenkrais® and dance.
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About Anna:Anna Haltrecht is a GCFPCM (1986) and FGNA Assistant Trainer with over 40 years of experience as a somatic educator, dance teacher and performer. Anna is a long standing FGNA member, serving on the Board from 2001-2005 as the Canadian Director and Secretary. Anna inspires and motivates people to live fully by finding their true authentic expression. She is continually studying and practicing the art of mindful movement. She also enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking and kayaking. She is a Senior Movement Intelligence Trainer, offering teacher and trainer certification trainings online and maintains a Feldenkrais® professional practice on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada and online. Her website is: www.bonesforever.com
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Dance and the Feldenkrais Method®:
An Interview With Mary Armentrout, GCFPCM
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In this month's interview for the In Touch magazine Joe Webster interviews Mary Armentrout,GCFPCM, about her experiences as a Feldenkrais® practitioner and dance teacher/choreographer.
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About Mary:Mary came to The Feldenkrais Method® after having a chronic back pain condition for about 15 years. She has been exploring the connections between dancing, creativity and Feldenkrais® in her own dance practice for many years, and sharing the joy and excitement of what Feldenkrais can do with friends and family for many decades. Mary brings all this into her current teaching and works with "high performers" like athletes and performers, people with neurological conditions like Parkinsons, MS, or stroke, and people with chronic pain issues. Her website is www.maryarmentroutdancetheater.com/feldenkrais.html
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‘Getting Comfortable in Yourself’
An excerpt from his new book: 'Practice Intentional Acts of Kindness… And Like Yourself More'
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By Alan S. Questel
“When do you get comfortable? Meaning, what are you doing when you feel comfortable?
Is this a silly question? Think on it. What if I said you’ll discover you may be living your life in a rather odd way.
Among the answers I get when I ask “When do you get comfortable?’ are: when I want to relax; when I go to bed; at the end of day; after I exercise; when I’m with my kids; when I’m with my grandchildren. The most frequent answer, one that seems true for everyone, is we decide to get comfortable when we are uncomfortable. Of course! This makes perfect sense.
And yet, if you consider the logic in that answer, it means you have to feel uncomfortable before you decide to make yourself comfortable. How did that happen?!”
(...)
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About Alan:
Alan S. Questel is known for his clarity, creativity and down to earth style of teaching while bringing a depth of understanding, humor and a gentle human perspective to learning the Method. Trained by Dr. Feldenkrais, he teaches in and directs Feldenkrais® Professional Training Programs in the USA, Australia, Europe, Japan and South America. He is the author of Creating Creativity, creator of Pregnant Pauses – Movement for Moms as well as 19 Feldenkrais-Awareness Through Movement® CD sets for the public. His current trainings are in Santa Fe, NM and Aurillac, France.
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