A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice

An introduction to embodied movement through the work
of a dance education pioneer

In this
introduction to the work of somatic dance education pioneer Nancy Topf (1942–1998),
readers are ushered on a journey to explore the movement of the body through a
close awareness of anatomical form and function. Making available the full text
of Topf’s The Anatomy of Center for
the first time in print, this guide helps professionals, teachers, and students
of all levels integrate embodied, somatic practices within contexts of dance,
physical education and therapy, health, and mental well-being.

Hetty King, a movement educator certified in the
Topf Technique®, explains how the ideas in this work grew out of Topf’s
involvement in developing Anatomical Release Technique—an important concept in
contemporary dance—and the influence of earlier innovators Barbara Clark and
Mabel Elsworth Todd, founder of the approach to movement known as
“ideokinesis.” Featuring lessons written as a dialogue between teacher,
student, and elements of the body, Topf’s material is accompanied by twenty-one
activities that allow readers to use the book as a self-guided manual. A Guide to a Somatic Movement Practice
is a widely applicable entry point into the tradition of experiential anatomy
and its mindful centering of the living, breathing body.