by Irene Dowd

Irene Dowd is the leading exponent of Mabel Todd's work. Dr. Feldenkrais highly recommended all of Dr. Todd's writings. Anyone interested in Feldenkrais Method, dance, or moving through life with ease should read this book. Not only does Irene Dowd write about functional anatomy in this text, but she teaches how to re-educate one’s body. For Feldenkrais Practitioners', this book is certain to influence your thinking about Functional Integration.

"If I am touching someone else I will be able to feel their textures, the forces moving within them, instead of just the pressure of my own tight-held fingers indenting their skin. Something is exchanged through our nerve endings and we are both moved by each other." —Irene Dowd, "Taking Root To Fly"

DO WE GET INTO TROUBLE BY HAVING A "RIGHT" IDEA OF HOW TO MOVE?

"Right" varies according to the movement goal. We are artists first, and our goal is to serve our art. "Right" is constantly changing. Mabel Todd used to say, "The mind is an instrument of thought, not a museum."

 

We are constantly learning. Every dancer, every choreographer, every teacher--all of them have a rich inner knowledge that comes from their experience. They're all scientists, really, because they're testing ideas and bringing them into physical reality. If I don't have anatomy, then I'll have some other information that I will use just as effectively. Rather than asking if I am doing it "right" or "wrong," I can nurture an appetite for all of it. All the muscles are equally popular with me! I love all the muscles, I love all the joints, I love all the spatial dimensions, I love all the possible relationships. I must if I want to serve dance in its fullest potential.

 

From the Article, Irene Dowd: teacher's wisdom in Dance Magazine, 2005