Please click on the images above to see the different events within Plethu.
Bigger Than The Body
Bigger Than The Body, a 5 day workshop with Susan Schell in June 2019, was attended by movers from the locality, and many from further afield. This immersive experience gave chance to connect through shared interest in the practice of Authentic Movement and how this enlivens and expands into professional, personal and creative life.
Susan Schell: “As movers, we begin with the bare bones that support the form of Authentic Movement; connection to self, sensation, imagination, memory and perception. We also deepen our experience of what it is to hold the space, both within us as well as outside our physical bodies as we witness one another. At first glance, we are often most aware of what occupies the space, the people, walls, floor and so on, and less aware of the space that is surrounding and infusing everything.
In our seemingly concrete world, it is unusual to register the fact that what appears as ‘object’ is predominately ‘space’. To recognize that space does not belong to anyone yet fills ALL, can provide us with an experience of space as connective tissue - the unifying element between the visible and invisible, form and essence - that which is holding us. Through time an intimacy grows, a balance between ‘knowing’ and ‘not knowing’, ‘seeing’ and ‘sensing’ that can bring us to the threshold of grace.”
Susan Schell has been teaching and performing from a foundation deeply planted in the practice of improvisational forms for over 40 years. In the early 80’s she studied in-depth the practice of Authentic Movement with Janet Adler. Since then, she has been exploring, developing and teaching on-going classes, intensives and retreats in the US and abroad. In 2012 she completed a two year interfaith chaplaincy program and now, in addition to dancing, she also serves as a hospice chaplain.
Participant feedback:
“In Susan's presence, I felt my judgements soften, my boundaries clarify and my orientation to life intensify. Throughout the week, I was struck by how Susan fluidly adapted to individual's needs while also crafting a group experience that was attentive to large questions. The group itself was a complex one, and Susan navigated this with such kindness. The workshop made me excited about attending workshops with elders who are in the advanced phase of both refining and letting go of their practices. It was a privilege to be there.”
Amy Voris
