Open Adult Pre-/Professional Contemporary
Saturdays 10-11:30 AM
Saturday, July 11: Somatic Release (Hips Workshop) with NICHELE WOODS
Image by Marissa Mooney
JULY 11th CLASS — The Hips!: Today’s class is intended to help dancers of an intermediate level or higher build their attunement to the hip socket and surrounding structures. The first half of class may feel more workshop-y than dance class-y as we spend time looking at visual aids, following our curiosities, taking time to subtly sense into the hip through embodied anatomy and guided somatisations. In the second-half of class, we’ll move into dance improvisations and phrasework to further experience this area of the body. One exercise will include partner work and touch, involving bearing the weight of a partner’s leg so they can experience the socket with little muscular effort. Permission is always granted to movers to take care of their body-minds as needed.
General Class Description: Nichele’s classes explore functionality and articulation of anatomy for greater expressivity, and the play of/between release and clarity. Her approach is release-based, particularly informed by her postmodern/modern lineage, with personal study in various somatic modalities. Class begins with a guided somatic experience, improvisation, and guided movements to warm the body and tune into an internal, sensorial experience. After this, class often gets pretty structured, with phrasework of varying lengths to a curated playlist, building toward dynamic material that will take you off-center, upside-down, and encourage both specificity and interpretation.
NICHELE WOODS (she/her, MFA) is a dance artist based in Salt Lake City where she directs The Woods Dance Project. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Utah Valley University, where she has served in various faculty positions since 2021. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nichele worked as an artist and administrator throughout the Bay before relocating to SLC in 2016 for her graduate work at the University of Utah. While in the Bay, she had the honor of working with choreographers Christine Cali, Kristen Daley, Joe Goode, Nancy Lyons, Virginia Matthews, and Mo Miner, among others.
Nichele is a student of Body-Mind Centering® through Sonder Movement Project and Moving Within in the Somatic Movement Educator program. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in Arts Administration through Southern Utah University. See Nichele’s full bio here.
When: 10:00-11:30 AM
Where: Performing Dance Center: 3310 S 2700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Please check in with Nichele for class today! She will be both teaching and hosting!
Cost: Venmo, check, and cash are accepted
Drop-Ins: $15
5 class cards: $60
Special Sliding Scale Rate: For those in financial need, a sliding scale is available of $9-14. No questions asked.
Work Study: Work Study is offered for one to two people each season. Work Study is intended for those in financial need who intend to take classes regularly. Please contact Nichele if you are interested!
Logistics: Preregistration is not required. Please arrive early to complete payment and sign liability waivers. Class will start and end right on time! New-to-class dancers, please allow at least 10 minutes to complete paperwork and settle in.
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For more information about class, please head over to the Class Page.