Somatic Movement Seminar (Virtual)

Join us for this special webinar:

"Somatic Movement and the Power of Dance"

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Sponsored by Utica's Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare and the American College of Healthcare Executives (Central New York Chapter)

About This Webinar:

This 90-minute interactive webinar will introduce the spectrum of somatic movement therapies and education in both historical and current day contexts, with an emphasis on dance. Somatic education in general is one of interoception, or from the inside of a living body. This foundation is one of learning to listen to the body via its own sensations and ultimately using this knowledge to understand one's full self through both internal and external cues. This awareness allows for "mindful movement" programs that branch off in a number of directions.

One branch is the dance world. Within this branch, there are many forms of dance such as ballet, modern dance, Duncan dance, Jazz, ecstatic dance, 5-rhythms, authentic dance, Tango, dance fitness programs, etc. The beauty of dancing is the expressive potential when moving our bodies to the rhythms of music combined with the benefits of aerobic movement. Research shows that conscious movement has the ability to alter our neuro-pathways, creating opportunities for improved mental and emotional health.

Learning Objectives

Participants will "dance" from this seminar with:

the ability to define the basics of somatic movement;
the capacity to describe in general terms how the brain is impacted by dance; and
a plan to apply conscious movement to one's daily life, to "dance" through life.

Barbara M. Wesson, Ph.D.

Dr. Wesson's path has been one full of twists and turns. Early in her career, she was involved in the rehabilitation world in psychiatric hospitals and adults with acquired brain injuries. The corporate for-profit world was difficult for her, so she embarked on an entrepreneurial path beginning with weight management, which brought her into her passion of somatic movement. Dr. Wesson has been dancing for nearly 25 years with the public, differently-abled adults, youth in schools and detention centers, cancer patients and survivors, people with Parkinson's disease, and people who have been diagnosed with mental illness. On a daily basis, she sees the power of movement to bring peace, to increase joy, and to help individuals move through the world with more ease. The research backs this up. Amidst all this movement, she completed her Ph.D. in 2017, focusing on natural health practices (including movement) to improve cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. She believes in the power of complementary, integrative, and traditional health practices as tools for both prevention and renewal of health. Dr. Wesson looks forward to sharing the history and use of somatic movement practices with you.