The transgressive possibilities of foregrounding somatic values

AbstractIn this article, the author reflects on how somatic values, which are interrelated to yet distinct from somatic principles, direct her pedagogical approach to and the content of an eight-week module for postsecondary dance major students in the United States titled Applied Personal Movement Practices I. The prioritization of somatic values (the beliefs and ethos that permit somatic exploration) creates a communal framework for individual exploration and meaning-making. This module provides opportunities for students to investigate, define and or describe, and practice their emergent personal movement practices. The author suggests that the explicit integration of somatic values provides an emancipatory opportunity for students to recognize and embody their unique movement voices; foregrounding somatic values in all aspects of the class causes students to take ownership of what they do as dancers, even if what they do lies outside of or between arbitrary yet recognized genre boundaries in postsecon...