Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers is where anatomy meets artistry. Each chapter provides explorations in embodied anatomy in an engaging manner with the use of images, storytelling, and experiential exercises. It is an accessible introduction to the relationship between daily movement habits, dance training and anatomy. The information is founded on over 30,000 hours of experience teaching and training dancers to generate efficient exertion and appropriate recuperation. Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers employs somatic practices along with explorations in experiential anatomy to awaken the body-mind connection and improve movement function. The book applies the Functional Awareness® approach to improve dance technique and provide skills to enable the dancer to move with balance and grace in the classroom, on stage, and in daily life.

CONTENTSHomageAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Relationship of Habit to Dance Training2. Skeletal Center of Gravity to Promote Easeful Balance: Moving out of Habit and into a Balanced Standing Posture3. Anatomical and Kinesthetic Imagery: Impact of Thinking on Doing4. Deep Muscles of Postural Support5. Motions of the Trunk and Elegant Use of Spiral6. The Pelvis as Conduit from Head to Feet7. Ways of Walking: How Gait Affects Dance Training8. Breath as the Deep Core Support for Dancing9. Core Support10. Expressivity of Arms11. Recuperation and Restoring BalanceGlossary of Terms in Human AnatomyBibliographyFurther ReadingsIndex