The Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective is excited to offer a new, short-term mentorship program for people in such fields as dance/theater/music performance, visual arts, therapy, education, and social justice who are interested in cultivating creativity through experiential, embodied practice. Using a discovery model of learning, Lani will facilitate a variety of somatic (body-based) practices that will then serve as a springboard for simple movement composition experiments in solos, duets and small groups. Other artistic disciplines, including visual art, writing, spoken word, etc. will also be integrated into the curriculum. Each of the four workshops will have a distinct theme and can be taken as stand alone workshops.  However, a deeper understanding of how to work somatically and the benefits of this approach will build upon itself with each session, so participation in the entire program is encouraged.  By the end of the program, the participants will have created several short movement-based "vignettes" around each unique weekly theme, and a select number of these vignettes will then be presented in a final, informal showing for the public.  

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The informal showing is an important aspect of this educational program and is an alternative to more traditional approaches to dance performance.  Through a lecture-demonstration format designed to be a dynamic, shared experience, viewers will learn about some of the ideas, structures and processes that the movers explored throughout the workshops. Rather than being passive spectators, viewers will be invited into the act of seeing in new ways and may even be given opportunities to participate. Ultimately, the showing is an opportunity for participants to deepen their experience with the material and to ignite new curiosities, insights and understanding for movers and viewers alike.