Elsa Limbach

choreographer, dancer 

Body+Mind-Brain Workshop Reflection 

This was one of my favorite classes this semester. I felt like we were in a fast, serious, but good pace throughout the fall months, settling into our seats on Tuesdays and Thursdays and opening our minds to art and the brain, studying artists and scientists. But this day we slowed down, let loose and moved our bodies. It still fascinates me how this changed my entire mood, demeanor and outlook for the rest of the day. I think as art students sometimes our bodies can feel stagnant, and we are so fixated on things with our eyes. I enjoyed hearing Elsa explain the meaning of everyday movements, whether we are shaking someone’s hand, starting our vehicles in the morning, brushing our hair, and so many others. Our movements, big or small, are so expressive of us as individual people and can help others understand who we are and what we do. We then got into groups and made routines with everyday movements of our choice, and incorporated them into a performance that we then showed to the rest of the class. It was so interesting to see what the other groups came up with in just a few minutes, and seeing all of the movements that I hadn’t quite thought about until they performed them.  Although over zoom, Elsa did an amazing job engaging the class and getting us moving even if we were shy at first. Her energetic personality and specific choreography (the brain dance) that she shared and had us follow made a difference in my anxiety and stress levels. As artists we may know movement well, maybe in sculpture, painting or getting the perfect shot in photography. But there is such a connection to Elsa Limbach’s emphasis on human movement, or ordinary movement, how it gives us a sense of existing and how this can help us as artists be more aware of movement in its entirety.