Functional Awareness

Dancers train for long hours to condition the body to perform stunning acts of artistry through movement expression. Daily tasks outside of dance training can unwittingly compromise the diligent efforts during classwork and rehearsals. The book goes beyond descriptions of the musculoskeletal system to improve performance. The reflective practice of Functional Awareness® teaches strategies to change daily habits in living and demonstrates how these small simple shifts can have a profound effect on ease in action. This new second edition introduces the reader to the reflective practice of Functional Awareness®. It uses foundational information of anatomy and motor learning to guide the reader toward a deeper understanding of their personal body structure. The movement explorations and anatomical visualizations to improve dance skills and provide lifelong tools for body wellness. Each chapter provides essentials in functional anatomy with over 60 beautiful illustrations to buoy the reader through the content. An application to improve specific dance movements using mental training through anatomical visualizations along with tactile body mapping. Finally, each chapter contains a mindful practice to integrate the practices into daily life in order to release unnecessary tension, improve posture, and better support the body outside of dance class and rehearsals.