Never Stop: The Artistry of Self-Care and Creativity Summit - Free Day Nov 2
Never Stop: The Artistry of Self-Care and Creativity for Lifelong Embodied Performance
Virtual and FREE. - 24-hour Encore on Nov 2nd
I’ve been cramming in as many Summit presentations as I could to share with you what this series is about.
Kudos to organizer Cynthia Allen for promoting diversity in her selection of hosts and speakers. The voices represented offer a wide expression of the Feldenkrais Method - which we are all behind.
Moderators Nancy Wozny, editor in chief of Arts and Culture Texas, and Michael Landau whose 30-year career as a pianist and accompanist, bring personal experience with Feldenkrais and the arts to their interviews; the conversations with their colleagues, teachers and friends/influencers are deep.
For formally trained and classical dancers and musicians, and to some extent actors, the presenting teachers, performers, creators feel the pressure (even trauma) associated with your rigorous training.If you are or know a formally trained performer who was taught the ‘right way’ - click through right away and even consider purchasing the entire Summit, with bonuses. Every speaker will touch you.
For those of us who are not high level performers, or whose musical, dance, and theater backgrounds are more informal, I recommend a few highlights (representing my preferences and time resources):
Keynote Donna Blank - who I want to look like at 80, articulate, thoughtful and deeply knowledgable about Feldenkrais Method and its application to dance. Movement really.
Dancer and choreographer Ami Shulman’s presentation on movement and attention is broadly applicable to ‘us lay folks” (some beautiful dance clips)
Actor and Director Chrish Kresge is just fun to watch
Speech Pathologist Marina Gilman helps all - not just opera singers - how
to maintain a healthy voice
Dancer and Choreographer Gabrielle Lamb, whose experience on the Feldenkrais mat inspired a dance series (see some of the footage)
Alan Fraser may teach primarily with high performing musicians, but I found his presentation the best overall description of applying the Method to expression.
The Entire Social Justice Day, Day 6, is extraordinary and worthwhile for all of us trying to live our values, use our voices, and find compassion in society.
Tuesday, November 2 is Free Access Day, and you can dive into as many talks as you can fit into 24 hours. If you don’t have the time now, you can - within the first hour of registering - get the entire series for the discounted price of $99. It’s a considerable value as the package includes all the summit recordings, get transcripts, audios, videos. Then there are the not-to-be-missed bonus courses with Dr. Martha Eddy, Sharon Costianes, Ami Shulman and Lisa Burrell plus 3 other on-demand workshops.
And did I mention 5 days of performer-oriented ATMs by Feldenkrais masters expert in the expressive arts?
Again, big up to Cynthia Allen for envisioning this series, her dedication to diversity and her indefatigable work in spreading the word about the Feldenkrais Method. If you can show support by purchasing the upgrade, we will be sure of future events as powerful and expansive as “Never Stop.” Also, there’s some fun conference swag; the notebook caught my attention.