Ideokinesis:  A Creative Approach to Human Movement and Body Alignment

 

by André Bernard with Wolfgang Steinmüller and Ursula Stricker

André Bernard (1924-2003) began teaching “creative body alignment” to New York acting students in the late 1950s. He assumed an adjunct faculty position with Tisch School of the Arts in 1965. Bernard’s teaching career at NYU provided a platform for influencing dance students from all over the world. Their enthusiasm for his “physio-philosophical” approach spawned summer workshop opportunities on the west coast and later in Europe.  Bernard built understanding of the ideokinetic method by borrowing from the actor’s discipline.  He encouraged both beginning and advanced students to approach the imagery with the mindset of a “first run-through,” as any occasion for thinking  of an image could be an opportunity for new kinesthetic insights,  “as long as you, don’t do the image — let the image do you.”  This book presents Bernard’s introduction to ideokinesis, a lengthy interview originally published in 1997 by Contact Quarterly,  and two meticulously detailed transcripts from his workshops. The text is richly illustrated with drawings and photographs from his classes.


About the Authors

As a professional actor, André Bernard appeared in numerous New York City theater and dance performances. He also held an array of on-air positions with the National Public Radio Station – WNYC. He became a student of Barbara Clark in the late 1940s and together they devised pedagogy for teaching her interpretation of Mabel Todd’s approach in group settings. Through his teaching at New York University and private studio and academic summer workshops in California, Germany, and Switzerland, he became a major influence on the evolution of post-modern dance.  As dedicated students in Bernard’s workshops in Europe, Dr. Wolfgang Steinmüller and Ursula Stricker assisted with the development and publication of the text.

Product Details
ISBN (Softcover): 978-1-626549-44-9
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Publication Date: 2006
Product Description: Softcover, 6 x 9
Language: English
Number of Pages: 224
Illustrations: 46 B/W photographs, 6 line drawings
Price: Softcover – $19.95

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