Public Feldenkrais Workshop with Ethan Cowan '07 on Saturday March 16
Mar. 12, 2013
The Oberlin Alumni Association and the Dance Department present An Introduction to Feldenkrais with Ethan Cowan '07 on Saturday, March 16th, from 10:00AM to 12:30PM in Warner Main Space.
Cowan will teach a group class, in which he will guide students to enact movements that aim to clarify each person's own self image and give new tools for self-inquiry and self-knowledge.
The class is free and open to all Oberlin students. No sign up is needed. Please arrive before the start time.
Ethan Cowan Talks About Feldenkreis:
I took a Somatic Studies course during my senior year at Oberlin. I was tired and sore from working on my honors thesis, and I wanted to find an activity that would bring my mental work into balance with my embodied sense of myself. During the course, the teacher Deb Vogel, presented many different ways of approaching embodiment, one of which was the Feldenkrais Method. After I graduated, I decided to pursue an in depth study of the Feldenkrais Method and have been doing so for the past three years. I am excited to bring the fruits of my labor back to share with the students at Oberlin.
In a group class, I will guide students to enact movements that will clarify each person's own self image and give each person new tools for self-inquiry and self-knowledge. The lessons elicit many sensations, including calmness, potency, and increased flexibility. In Oberlin I will offer a number of these lessons in dance classes, mindfulness classes, and in a public workshop. No technical prerequisites are necessary, as any one with a nervous system stands to benefit. Those with technique, including dancers, musicians, actors, and athletes will find that their activities are enhanced and refreshed.
There are thousands of different lessons, and each one approaches the self image from a slightly different angle. The variety of the lessons provides many ways to find satisfying connection with the material. In the 1.5 hour classes, I will teach two contrasting and complimentary lessons split by a short discussion and break. In the public workshop I will teach 2 or 3 lessons, and I'll talk about who Feldenkrais was and facilitate a discussion amongst the participants about what the method seems to do. My experience with the Feldenkrais Method has, among other things, helped me see the value of my Oberlin Education. Awareness Through Movement provides a context for sensing and feeling the process of learning how to learn.
