UI Press | Drid Williams | Teaching Dancing with Ideokinetic Principles

Teaching Dancing with Ideokinetic Principles

A personal account of teaching and learning dance according to ideokinetic principles

In examining ideokinesis and its application to the teaching and practice of dancing, Drid Williams introduces readers to the work of Dr. Lulu Sweigard (1895–1974), a pioneer of ideokinetic principles. Drawing on her experiences during private instructional sessions with Sweigard over a two-year span, Williams discusses methods using imagery for improving body posture and alignment for ease of movement. Central to Williams's own teaching methods is the application of Sweigard's principles and general anatomical instruction, including how she used visual imagery to help prevent bodily injuries and increasing body awareness relative to movement. Williams also emphasizes the differences between kinesthetic (internal) and mirror (external) imagery and shares reactions from professional dancers who were taught using ideokinesis. Williams's account of teaching and practicing ideokinesis is supplemented with essays by Sweigard, William James, and Jean-Georges Noverre on dancing, posture, and habits. Teaching Dancing with Ideokinetic Principles offers an important historical perspective and valuable insights from years of teaching experience into how ideokinesis can shape a larger philosophy of the dance.

"Highly recommended."--Choice

"A groundbreaking work that examines the relationship between ideokinesis and the teaching and practice of dance. The fascinating insight into Sweigard's teaching methods provides important guidance to dance educators and practitioners."--Elizabeth Dempster, coeditor of Ideokinesis and Dancemaking: Writings on Dance

Based in Minnesota, Drid Williams is the senior editor of the Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement and the author of Anthropology and the Dance: Ten Lectures; Anthropology and Human Movement: The Study of Dances; and Anthropology and Human Movement: Searching for Origins.

To order online:
http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/54gcy8dm9780252036088.html

To order by phone:
(800) 621-2736 (USA/Canada)
(773) 702-7000 (International)