صلـاـي (Play) لعبlaeib
Tara BriefA video piece exploring elements of play in our environments, with each other and reawakening the different aspects of what it is to play as to move whilst opening ourselves up to sensory interactions with a non-anthropogenic and inquisition based research of how we move in our bodies.Through the 7 minutes of this video- we aim to use the screens to bring in a multidimensionality incorporating context and use of these in how we play through the different realities- imagination, technological and environmental.We aim to Playfully explore the body in motion and our environment through sensorial interactions we meet to spend time outside, into the wilderness, engaging with its resources and its challenges, eventually re-awakening what is asleep inside of us. Through Play we can open up our perception and start finding new solutions, learn to trust the intelligence of our body and re-pattern those reflexes that have become dysfunctional over time. We can be re-born playful and then cultivate this quality in every aspects and circumstances part of everyday Life. The first thing we must make clear to ourselves is that play is so elementary a function of human life that culture is inconceivable without it Hans George GadamerLife isnt going anywhere, we arent arriving, we dont work music, we play Alan Watts
The music is playful, a journey, un-trying to get somewhere.A radical act of reconnecting, searching, belonging, exploring, freedom, breaking walls down, nurture, values, finding ourselves, identity, senses, bonding, listening, inquiry, systems, exploring notions of identity.Nature, our provider and place of birth and death, little do we play with our environment in this anthropogenic society sapiens a giant leap up the food chain insecure and self centered- reality we must connect !  In an attempt to deconstruct anthropocentrism using inquiry based research and listening into nature and the authenticity of our movements- whether choreographed or not, sensing in and connecting with our surroundings and each other.Play in life and in art is an aspect of experience that is common to both those taking part in it and those who look on. Watching or becoming the observer of those playing brings delight and for those who also remember what it is like to play. Improvised and imaginary situations a willingness to suspend disbelief and involve oneself in the premise of imagination.Rules and games a metaphor of life, should we decide to break them to play loose and fast and reassert the glorious primacy of free and undirected play we may feel alive again.Using contact improvisation, shifting and sharing weight we start to incorporate progressive movement ideologies such as testing structure, games, pulling, pushing, throwing, lifting and creating a spontaneous environment for play to occur naturally.But also incorporating Authentic Movement one person takes on the role of the mover while the other takes on the role of the witness. The mover closes her/his eyes, waits, and then moves in response to body-felt sensations and movement impulses. The witness watches the mover and allows a safe space for the mover to explore and surface deep emotions or memories.In this practice as artists we aim to ‘listen’ somatically to ourselves, and surroundings and to the energy of the moment.Grounded in a meditative movement practice involving the detailed sequencing of movement through inner pathways; the investigation of gravity through dynamic shifting of balance and alignment; and the investigation of a spectrum of tempi. The simplicity of the performance task—to connect/harmonize (body/mind/place) while approaching stillness we can always result in heightened consciousness and a sense of centering for both dancers and viewers
The role of an environmental dancer, and any environmental activist, we propose, to find a practice that habituates ‘listening, playing and moving alongside non-anthropocentric values. Authentic Movement is one such practice as well as Contact Improvisation (CI). The basic structure of CI allows for dancers to interact with each other without any allocated dominant dancer occurrences integrated into the form. It involves ‘listening’ with your own body to the other bodies moving in space. CI removes hierarchal positioning from the dance making practice and is not an ‘I’-centred dance methodology. In fact, it shares the same principles of community, sharing, ‘listening’ and reciprocity as an ecosystem. Similar to CI, ecological dance and activism should evolve through a reciprocal connective understanding. Practising CI is an effective method for developing the empathy and ‘listening’ skills needed for ecological dance making and perceptive outdoor relationships.
Posted in Uncategorized
Flying, Basing Flow Introduction toAcroyoga
Tara The acroyoga beginners workshop is back! This time in Muscat, Oman

We are looking to build and grow an acro-community in Muscat, Oman and are running a beginners workshop in hopes that we can allow more people to jam and play together! If you are interested to join this workshop check out the information below and send us an email to connect@authenticmotion.org or read below to sign up!

Timings: 10am-4pm

Please arrive at 9.30am for registration we will start at 10am.
We will finish at 4.00pm with an option to play afterwards if you have energy left!

Morning session
10.00-12.00pm 

(1 hour break for lunch)

Afternoon session
1.00-4.00pm

What to bring/wear:
 Yoga mat
 Please wear yoga clothes (leggings and a top)
 A light lunch and some snacks in case you get hungry
 Water for yourself for the day

Location:
Talha body beauty / polefit muscat
Al Khoudh St, Al Khoud Old
9411 1041
https://goo.gl/maps/xLprTKKQYcJ2

Exchange:
30 OMR (please bring the correct change)

What to expect:
This class will be a mixed class but if anyone doesnt want to partner up with a man that is not a problem! Dont worry, the way we structure the class in a way that we will put men together and the women seperate. (Currently we have two guys, one is one of my students and the other a husband and wife team). So women are in the majority! If you have any issues with this please pop me an email back and we can accomodate accordingly. 

What is acro yoga?
AcroYoga is the Yoga of Trust. This physical practice combines yoga and acrobatics to create beautiful and balanced routines between two partners.You will learn the basics of Bird, High Flying Whale and Back Bird before progressing on to Throne, Folded Leaf, and therapeutics. AcroYoga may seem scary at first, but that’s why it’s all about communication and trust between you and your partner. You will learn to use your body and your partner’s body to unlock exciting aerial poses and transitions. Never done Acro before? Perfect! This workshop is the best place to start. You and your partner will learn about alignment, bone stacking, mounts, transitions and more! If you already have an established Acro practice dont worry we have plenty more for you to work on with dynamic transitions and hand balances. 

Here is a link to some acro yoga basics!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znRtPkvEKAU

Register here, or send us an email to connect@authenticmotion.org and

If you have any questions please let me know, looking forward to seeing you.

Tara Atkinson
Co-founder 200H Yoga Therapy Teacher Yoga Alliance
Acroyoga Muscat Oman
www.authenticmotion.org

Whatsapp +97150 7748802

Posted in IntensivesTagged acroyoga, acroyoga workshop, movement culture, movement intensive, muscat oman, somatic movement
The Somatic Flow Contact Retreat2017
Tara

A waterside weekend retreat to switch off and truly connect to yourself others through conscious movement. Find your flow in somatic practise with contact improvisation, yoga in nature, meditation, acro yoga, slack-lining, healing arts, detox food more. .

This somatic weekend retreat by the water in Umm Al Quwain (next to a mangrove nature reserve) is centered around authentic and conscious movement for those interested to go deeper into their own bodies and movement practise. This retreat is for everybody who wants to escape the city, truly disconnect and spend a weekend understanding somatic practise and of course detoxing with a yummy veg/vegan/sattvic menu! (Our vegetarian detox menu will support to cleanse your body and mind with green smoothies, raw and healthy foods).

What will we cover?

Moving in and out of contact, researching and co-creating movement, understanding our own points of contact, witnessing others moving with authentic motion, breath work, building trust in yourself and in others through all the different movement practices in a mindful way.

Inspired by authentic movement, contact improvisation, acro yoga, yin yoga and mediation we will discover movement in our bodies to connect deeply with ourselves and try to stay fully in the present moment.

What is Somatic?

In the fast life we are living and our modern lifestyle we often feel disconnected from our bodies. As a living, breathing and feeling organism that our body is, it needs care and attention to be a healthy vessel for a healthy mind. Somatic from the word ‘Soma’ means conscious living body it comes from greek and describes the living body in its wholeness, the interconnection of mind, body, and emotions. Feeling at home in your body and getting into a flow of movement is what we aim in this retreat and will use this time to discover your own internal movements through somatic practise. With a relaxed body the mind has much more options to relax as well.

Facilitators:


Zuza 

Life Business Coach, trainer, facilitatior, yoga teacher, dancer, former expat in the UAE. Zuzanna works internationally with entrepreneurs and creative minds to find out what it is that they really want and how to get there on their own terms. She teaches and holds workshops on somatic movement, Yoga, and constructive communication. She is passionate about living life fully and tries to be contagious with that way of being. She spent the last 4 years researching her various interests and visited a lot of teacher trainings in the areas of movement practises, dance, coaching, and yoga. The interconnection between embodiment and the mental impact of movement are one of her main fields of exploration.

Tara 

Therapeutic yoga teacher, photographer and performer, Tara explores the world through movement and arts. Her passion for acro yoga, climbing and slack lining have taken her all over the world, and through connecting with different communities she has learnt an abundance of information about conscious and mindful movement. Co-founder of authenticmotion.org a research platform for conscious movement; she is also extremely passionate about contact improvisation and somatic practise. Her interdisciplinary skill set allows her to connect to all different communities and channels new and exciting ideas through research, workshops and retreats.

Contact information:
connect@authenticmotion.org

Facilities
Hot showers, chilled pool, camping, shared dorms, grass, sea, shaded eating areas, dance areas.

Itinerary:
TBC!

Location:
Umm Al Quwain Marine Club (50 mins from Dubai)

Important things:
* Location: Umm Al Quwain Marine Club UAE
* Save the Date: October 26th- 30th ( dates TBC)
* Price TBC
* Dorms or camping options
* 50 mins from dxb

Posted in Intensives
The Somatic practise of ContactImprovisation
Tara

Tara Atkinson; therapeutic yoga/ movement teacher  and co-founder of authenticmotion.org; an online platform for somatic movement dialogue talks to us about Contact improvisation, what it is and what it means to her.

What is Contact Improvisation?

It’s hard to sum up what Contact Improvisation truly is without experiencing it, but here goes:

“Contact improvisation (CI) is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation. It is a dance/sport/art form involving an open-ended exploration of movement by listening with our bodies through a moving point of contact.”

That was the official explanation, but if I could describe it to you I would say it is absolute freedom to move with another person without any predispositions or structural rules.

Normally any partner work is formal, we have a role and there are certain things we should and shouldn’t do in order to create beautiful alignment or shapes (or even safety, like climbing relationships for instance). When most partner work is taught normally the language is also structured around achieving an “aesthetic”. In contact  improvisation however, we have only ‘guidelines’ for the skills and ‘propositions’ for exercises, with an aim to also use language which relates to feelings in the body. There really aren’t any rules in the jam sessions “just improvisation”.

Observing how we act in society or move with others it’s easy to see how it is all just a formal or functional process. (It blows me away to think how little improvisation there is in the world!). Focusing on just the aesthetic we really move with our minds rather than our bodies creating disconnection.This practise is extremely special; it not only allows us to express ourselves through movement and connect with others, but on a deeper level brings us back to the “soma”; the balance between the body and mind connection and feel instead of think.

Why Contact?

I am a mover, always have been. I have a lot of energy and if I don’t move, climb, surf, slack line, bike I go crazy. I was always interested in the idea of Contact improvisation but never really went in search of it. I feel like contact improvisation found me. I did a lot of Acroyoga and come from a performing arts background, and would normally get my adrenaline fix through very active or high pressure activities like mountain biking or climbing but never felt fulfilled until I over did it! Other than slacklining  or yoga which I find very meditative, contact improvisation gave me a truly somatic practise and encompassed my mind and body and allowed me to connect with others in one go without putting too much strain on my being. It’s not just about ‘doing a movement with a partner’ or the aesthetic which is what I found a lot in Acroyoga, but rather finding the smallest dance within yourself and feeling how this can connect and create grounding with another person all without judgement or too much thinking, “just being”. There is so much creative potential in moving with another person that it becomes more of an art form than anything else. From the moving on the floor by myself to flying on some one’s shoulders I really find a sense of freedom in the practise. I have always been interested in partner movement but this practise truly brings me back into my body, back into the present moment, so much so it’s blissful.

Where can we find out more ?

We run a weekly class at the Urban Tribe Studio in Al Quoz 3. To find out more check out Contact Improvisation Dubai on Facebook or follow the link here: www.facebook.com/groups/contactimprovdubai/

Posted in blog post
EvaLeave a comment What is authentic motion and how is it different from movement?

Are we trying to get something so technically perfect or are we trying to truly ‘feel’ what we do with ease and grace. In order to feel we need to step back from the logical working mind; from the one that uses angles and physics to the one that feels the body. The motion vocabulary that uses breathing, sensation, flow, awareness and contact.

Authentic motion is different from movement. Movement is only a result of the motion. Its the motion is what ‘moves you’. 

The real motion is the process underlying the observable physical shift. The motion set in place is what creates and displays movement.

Welcome to Authentic motion.

Posted in Uncategorized
EvaLeave a comment Partner flow in Acroyoga Intensive

Location: Muscat, Oman (24th of September 2016)

We will come together for a one day intensive workshop to explore motion, contact, breath, and flow in Acroyoga.

Lead by Tara Atkinson, ( Yoga therapy teacher, and co-founder of authenticmotion.org ) in this intensive we will be going on a journey through our own bodies in order to prepare them for motion with others . Through discovery we canuse these as tools to create a grounding and flowing acroyoga practice that empahsises breath and awareness.

Come by yourself or with a partner
Bring a yoga mat an open heart
All levels welcome

24th of September 2016
20 OMR per person
9.30am -1.30pm

Sayh al Malih St., Qurum
212, Qurum Oasis building Muscat, Oman
For more information:connect@authenticmotion.org

Posted in IntensivesTagged acroyoga, oman