Center For Presence

Initially a method of freeing herself to move without judgment, to dance from pure excitement and to embrace the creativity of her own body, Rachel now offers the transformative powers of expandance to her students.  Her methods range widely from class to class - yoga-inspired warm-ups, dance exercises, meditation, drawing, visualization, clowning games, tools for choreography and performance skills, vocalizing, massage, partner work, playing with music, group discussion and analysis - but always to the same purpose: for each student to dance the dance that his/her body already wants to dance, choreographing from the inside out.

what you can learn

• Get into your body - right here, right now, in the present moment!
• Get in touch with your body's desires and creative impulses.
• Move from your spirit - unlock your body's own vocabulary for self-expression; your body's own special "voice."
• Gain a deeper awareness of what is locked inside the body - old judgments, old fears - and how to move through them, into new  territory. 
• Explore different modes of connection - within yourself, with the space around you, and with others in the space
• Learn to trust your body's intelligence - to prevent injuries, make stronger choices and live more healthily
• Get in touch with different aspects of yourself - you have many dances in you. What can you learn from each one?
• Discover the power in the vulnerability that comes with moving, connecting with other dancers, and performing
• Lose control - when you refuse to hold anything back, no one can hold YOU back

"There are so many things to recommend about Rachel's course it's hard to know where to begin. First of all, she helped me remember that I have a body as well as a mind. Like a lot of people I suppose, I find myself locked inside my head far too much for my own comfort. expandance teaches you how to feel and experience your body in a way that's both profound but totally joyful and light. 

I loved the way that expandance incorporates play and gives you permission to let your inner freak out. Since doing the course my days feel that bit more spacious and my body feels my own again. Rachel is a wonderful teacher: encouraging, empathic and great at intuiting where your head's at. 

Before expandance, I couldn't ever imagine myself running around a stage like a little kid in front of others. But one of the real joys of the program is that it teaches you that it's not only okay to give yourself permission to open up in this way, it's also really, really good for you.

You don't have to be a dancer to do this. All it takes is a willingness to test your boundaries and to put your faith in others, but most of all in yourself. The rewards are enormous." 

- Paul Willis, Costa Rica 2014 workshop participant

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