{"title":"The Arts","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-energetic-performer","title":"The Energetic Performer","description":"A new approach to actor training by a senior teacher, this illustrated manual shows how to use the body to produce rich, varied and truthful performances. The approach, rooted in the Michael Chekhov Technique, integrates ancient Qigong knowledge with somatic psychology and western actor training methods to identify the links between physical shape, emotion and feeling in performance. Supporting and illustrating the text, extensive practical exercises developed through actor training classes provide techniques to tune and adapt the body in preparation for creative work.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis book will enhance your understanding of the actor's craft, offering the opportunity to grow and advance your pre-existing skills. Warm ups and sequences of exercises will enable you to implement and fully understand this innovative approach. All of the work can be applied to live and screen performances.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":36656472195238,"sku":"9781848190979","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781848190979-original.jpg?v=1770365280"},{"product_id":"butoh-dance-training","title":"Butoh Dance Training","description":"Drawing on avant garde and classical Japanese dance traditions, the Alishina Method offers a systematized approach to Butoh dance training for the first time in its history. With practical instruction and fully illustrated exercises, this book teaches readers:\u003cbr\u003e· basic body training and expression exercises\u003cbr\u003e· exercises to cultivate Qi (energy) and to aid improvisation\u003cbr\u003e· about katas (forms) and how to develop your own\u003cbr\u003e· the importance of voice, sound and music in Butoh\u003cbr\u003e· to collaborate and be in harmony with others\u003cbr\u003e· techniques to manipulate time and space\u003cbr\u003e· how to develop the imagination and refine the senses to enrich performance.\u003cbr\u003eThis authentic approach to Japanese dance will be compelling reading for anyone interested in contemporary dance, performance arts, Japanese culture or personal development techniques.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":36656516399270,"sku":"9781848192768","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781848192768-original.jpg?v=1770365493"},{"product_id":"galvanizing-performance","title":"Galvanizing Performance","description":"The Alexander Technique is a specific form of mind\/body practice that focusses on improving efficiency through learning and understanding movement and behavior.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eGalvanizing Performances \u003c\/i\u003eapplies the teachings of this practice to the performing arts. Through theatre, music, and dance, the contributors, all artists themselves, demonstrate how deliberate movement can improve an individual's art and benefit their general health and wellbeing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing specific case examples and in-depth analysis over a range of performance arts, this book supports instruction of effective movement and the Alexander Technique within different artistic disciplines for students and teachers alike.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":36656572203174,"sku":"9781785927201","price":36.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781785927201-original.jpg?v=1770365705"},{"product_id":"creativity-and-taoism","title":"Creativity and Taoism","description":"In Creativity and Taoism, Chang Chung-yuan makes the elusive principle of Tao available to the western mind with objectivity, warmth, and depth of insight. It is an important contribution to the task of making the Taoist wisdom accessible to the western intellect' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Ira Progoff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'No one can read Chang's book without experiencing a broadening of his mental horizons' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- John C. H. Wu, Philosophy East and West\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'His interpretation of the Taoist roots of Ch'an has been presented with taste and learning that help to clear up many questions that must have occurred to anyone familiar with his subject. \"The Spirit of the Valley\" dwells in this quiet and gentle man who, as so rarely happens, actually embodies some of the philosophic traits of which he writes' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Gerald Sykes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'If the end of reading is the enhancement of life, the enlargement of experience and understanding, then this book becomes an important step in that direction. Dr. Chang writes in a style both lucid and felicitous. He displays with becoming modesty a mastery of the field, its development and its ideas... There is hardly a page which does not give pleasure' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Robert R. Kirsh, Los Angeles Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Professor Chang's study, a brilliant exposition and analysis, is concerned with the relevance and applicability of the Taoist view in Chinese artistic and intellectual creativity. Few other works facilitate so sensitive an understanding of creative impulse and expression in Chinese culture' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Hyman Kublin, Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSimultaneously accessible and scholarly, this classic book considers the underlying philosophy and the aesthetics of Chinese art and poetry, the expression of the Taoist approach to existence. Chapters cover everything from the potential of creativity to the way tranquillity is reflected in Chinese poems and painting. Chung-yuan Chang's deceptively simple and always lucid narrative explores the relationship between the Tao and the creative arts, introducing classic paintings and poems to bring Taoism to life.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":36656592224422,"sku":"9781848190504","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781848190504-original.jpg?v=1771057941"},{"product_id":"tai-ji-dancing-for-kids","title":"Tai Ji Dancing for Kids","description":"With simple and evocative words, calligraphy, and home photos of the words in action, grandfather and granddaughter team Chungliang and Sylvia bring the spirit of Tai Ji to life.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWritten and conceived by Master Chungliang Al Huang, in collaboration with his granddaughter, Sylvie, it brings to life the five elements underpinning Chinese thought - Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal - and how they can be simply and instinctively expressed through the body.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Making Tai Ji fun and simple, with the possibility of learning through repetition, the book offers a wonderful foundation for developing intuitive understanding and is a great way of keeping kids active, and improving their wellbeing and mindfulness.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":36656806297766,"sku":"9781848193727","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781848193727-original.jpg?v=1766476390"},{"product_id":"the-tzolkin-trilogy","title":"The Tzolkin Trilogy","description":"The didgeridoo, or yidaki, is one of the most ancient musical instruments on Earth. The Tzolkin Trilogy showcases the primal sound of the didgeridoo as it has never before been heard, in three original compositions, based on the Mayan calendar. This unique sound has been shaped and developed into a form that can act as a tool for healing and spiritual awakening. Using the Traditional Chinese Medicine principle that degeneration in the physical body is caused by imbalance and functional disharmony within the energy system, the sound vibrations work to connect with the human body's natural energy vibrations, in order to rebalance and restore their functional harmony and imbue the listener with a renewed sense of lightness and freedom. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese soothing and pure sounds should be experienced by anyone interested in music as a therapeutic tool, and are especially effective for those suffering from emotional or mental stress, sleep problems and disorders of the nervous system, digestive organs or the heart.","brand":"Singing Dragon","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":36656860790950,"sku":"9781848191082","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781848191082-original.jpg?v=1755365238"},{"product_id":"everything-moves","title":"Everything Moves","description":"'What a multi-sensory pleasure in learning! I will be a better teacher and better clinician using what I am learning from this book.' Carol M Davis DPT, EdD, MS, FAPTA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe emerging science of biotensegrity provides a fresh context for re-thinking our understanding of human movement, but its complexities can be formidable. Bodywork and movement professionals looking for an accessible and relevant guide to the concept and application of biotensegrity need look no further than Everything Moves: How biotensegrity informs human movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn order to work with our own bodies and the bodies of our students, clients and teams most effectively, we need to understand the nature of our human structure. Everything Moves offers the enquiring bodyworker or movement professional, who wants to take their understanding of how to apply biotensegrity in their work to the next level, a practical and relatable guide to the biotensegral nature of our bodies, in which all of the parts are one, yet all are constantly changing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout Everything Moves, concepts and ideas are presented with activities and exercises to make them tangible, accessible and applicable. The material presented is suitable for coaches and movement teachers new to biotensegrity, as well as those with more advanced levels of understanding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhether your focus is performance, sports, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, yoga, Pilates, martial arts, or dance, any arena in which bodies move can be informed by Everything Moves!","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":43568500015270,"sku":"9781909141964","price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781909141964-original.jpg?v=1771142157"},{"product_id":"the-alexander-technique","title":"The Alexander Technique","description":"\"\u003cb\u003eExcellent\u003c\/b\u003e...  An in-depth look at all of the factors that go into moving well, this book challenges quite a few of our long-held ideas on coordination, posture and natural movement. \u003cb\u003eWith the Alexander Technique as a backdrop, we get brought up to speed on recent thinking in the various fields of functional anatomy, biomechanics, neuroscience and polyvagal theory,\u003c\/b\u003e and explore the effect of a quiet embodied awareness on our general functioning.\" Reader review                    \u003cb\u003e⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eDepth of perception\u003c\/b\u003e...  Ms. Easten approaches the subject with more current scientific knowledge than one encounters in most books on the Alexander Technique\" Reader review                    \u003cb\u003e⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  Our entire human structure is built for movement, for all aspects of life. This book offers a new theoretical framework for understanding integrated movement, based on the latest scientific models and practical explorations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePresenting a new interpretation of how Alexander developed his work, Easten covers twelve fundamentals of movement and shows how optimal movement is organised around sensory and spatial awareness, and our focus and goals. The book describes how to reawaken innate balanced movement possibilities. Up-to-date scientific research is woven into Alexander's concepts to give a whole picture of how the human body feels, perceives, and self-organises. Clarifying the functional anatomy that underpins the Alexander technique, this book explains how to utilize the power of the autonomic nervous system and spatial awareness to allow us to change old harmful movement habits and enable new body learning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWritten accessibly and supported by illustrations and video demonstrations of techniques, this book is ideal for Alexander technique teachers and trainees, movement educators and somatic therapists, posture and ergonomics specialists and those with chronic pain. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":43568520102054,"sku":"9781912085859","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781912085859-original.jpg?v=1771142187"},{"product_id":"the-fluid-nature-of-being","title":"The Fluid Nature of Being","description":"The Fluid Nature of Being is a collection of writings by practitioners of Integrative Bodywork \u0026amp; Movement Therapy (IBMT), an approach to somatic movement education and therapy. The cultivation of consciously embodied movement is at the heart of somatic movement practice. Through embodiment practices, soma - the subjectively experienced sense of embodied self - becomes a vital, living reality and a foundation through which healthy relationship to others, to Nature, and to life as a whole can be nourished.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book describes the practice, thinking, research and creative work of twenty-one IBMT practitioners. Each has also trained in other disciplines and their writing weaves together their broader learning, passion and professional practice within the IBMT approach to somatic work. In this volume we offer a collection of expressions with a rich diversity of themes and styles, bringing these voices from the next generation of somatic movement practitioners, writers and leaders to a wider audience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book covers topics such as IBMT in therapy, education, early years learning, dance and theatre; the integration with psychotherapy, psychoanalytic thinking, and somatic trauma therapy; and the connection between individual healing and the healing of the Earth and Nature during this time of planetary crisis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are many aspects of IBMT practice described in this book that are shared with somatic practices in general, though there are also aspects which are specific to this approach. IBMT uniquely integrates in-depth studies in Somatic Psychology and the Discipline of Authentic Movement into a foundation of Body-Mind Centering® training. At the core of the practice is the quest to deepen connection with self, and from there, connection with others and the world around us.","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":43568526491814,"sku":"9781913426491","price":37.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781913426491-original.jpg?v=1768636893"},{"product_id":"the-memory-palace-of-bones","title":"The Memory Palace of Bones","description":"The Memory Palace of Bones: Exploring Embodiment Through the Skeletal System is an unprecedented exploration of the anatomy of the bones of the body, and a unique set of reflections on the role each individual bone plays in our lives, looking at both its physical and energetic contributions.\u003cbr\u003eWritten and presented in an imaginative and highly readable style, the book describes each individual bone and, where appropriate, the surrounding joints. It combines the anatomical expertise of the authors with their appreciation for the beauty of the body, presenting a unique perspective that values extensive clinical expertise as well as imagination as a source of wisdom and depth.\u003cbr\u003eSeeing and discussing bones as a wisdom source is a topic that until now has never been systematically covered. The Memory Palace of Bones will be read and treasured by practitioners and students of massage therapy, bodywork, movement professionals, Zero Balancers, chiropractors, osteopaths, Rolfers, body-centered psychotherapists, students and teachers of yoga, performing artists and other health professionals as well as by laymen wanting a greater understanding of and connection to their bodies.","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":43568526721190,"sku":"9781913426590","price":32.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/products\/9781913426590-original.jpg?v=1770882377"},{"product_id":"breathing-mudras-and-meridians","title":"Breathing, Mudras and Meridians","description":"The word \"embodied\" is one of those terms, such as \"grounded\" or \"centered\" that can be discussed forever without being experienced.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDefining embodiment, though, can be quite tricky, because much of what is taught in western societies about the body devalues the felt experience. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe categories of formal learning, particularly anatomy and physiology, are taught with the fundamental source being cadavers (dead bodies), and conceptualizations that do not include our own vitality, or life force.  Without the felt experience, embodiment is just another concept that can be discussed ad nauseum. The felt experience (or \"phenomenology\" in academic-speak) is the path away from these endless discussions and conceptual befuddlement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book provides a basic training on how to become aware of our physiological functioning and our sense of vitality. A part of this training comes from becoming hyper-aware of how we breathe. This awareness makes it possible to feel our own organs and how they function and interrelate. To help us refine our awarenesses of our own organs we are entirely fortunate to learn and practice methods, developed over thousands of years by Indian and Chinese cultures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With these fundamentals this book leads us through a series of connected experiences using mudras to feel our organs, the flows of our life force (Qi) and the flow of that life force through our meridians. From that we learn to feel our own chakras and sushumna (central channel), and our ability to perceive our connections with our environment and ecosystem. This then provides the basis for a body sense of our spiritual existence and development. 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This book, authored by a seasoned dance teacher and leading authority in Traditional Chinese Medicine, unlocks the keys to maintaining wellbeing through Chinese medicine for dance and movement professionals.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAt its core, lies the exploration of Qi energy, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements, all demystified and applied in practical terms. This book also delves into the intricate world of meridians, offering unique ways to work with them through movement. The author draws inspiration from the rich philosophy of Tao, making this an excellent resource for dancers and other movement professionals.","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":48763610431805,"sku":"9781805012696","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/files\/9781805012696-original_c229c720-a8a1-4d10-bd79-7be35cbcee2d.jpg?v=1770882452"},{"product_id":"reimagining-the-body","title":"Reimagining the Body","description":"\u003ci\u003eReimagining the Body\u003c\/i\u003e offers an innovative exploration of embodiment and somatics, allowing us to understand our bodies in a grounded and holistic way. 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These practical 'embodiments' which include reflective questions, movement explorations and breathing exercises are designed to awaken communication with our bones and allow readers to find a way back to their bodies.\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003eWhether you are looking to enrich your professional practice or enhance a personal connection to the skeletal system, Jeff Rockwell's anatomical expertise, vivid storytelling and effective exercises provide everything you might need to embark on this journey of discovery.","brand":"Handspring Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":55315641074040,"sku":"9781805018087","price":27.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/2161\/1942\/files\/9781805018087-original.jpg?v=1771318993"}],"url":"https:\/\/uk.singingdragon.com\/collections\/the-arts-1.oembed","provider":"Singing Dragon - UK","version":"1.0","type":"link"}