Conscious Dance Practices/Authentic Movement/ja

Authentic Movementは、身体化された意識、内なる傾聴、そして関係性における目撃に焦点を当てた瞑想的な動きの実践です。内なる衝動から生じる自発的な動きが特徴で、動かす者と目撃者の役割を含む明確に定義された枠組みの中で実践されます。

Authentic Movementは、セラピー、教育、芸術、そして瞑想といった文脈において、世界中で実践されています。パフォーマンスや美的成果よりも、意識、存在感、そして意味の創造を重視し、ダンス形式というよりも規律として表現されることが多いです。

起源

Authentic Movement は、20世紀半ばに、ダンサーでありユング派の分析家であったメアリー・スタークス・ホワイトハウスの作品を通して誕生しました。ホワイトハウスは、モダンダンス、深層心理学、そしてアクティブ・イマジネーションから影響を受け、無意識の素材、動き、そして意識的な気づきを結びつける実践を展開しました。

彼女の研究は、倫理的な基盤、明確な言語、長期的なトレーニング経路を備えた正式な分野として Authentic Movement を明確に表現した ジャネット アドラー などの後代の実践者によってさらに発展、継承されました。

Core principles

Authentic Movement is grounded in several core principles:

• Inner impulse — movement arises from sensation, image, emotion, or impulse perceived internally.
• Presence — sustained attention to lived experience in the moment.
• Witnessing — a non-judgemental, receptive presence that observes movement without interpretation.
• Differentiation — cultivating awareness of boundaries between self and other, mover and witness.
• Integration — reflecting on experience through language and meaning after movement.

The practice prioritises direct experience and reflection over instruction or technique.

Practice

A typical Authentic Movement session involves:

• one or more movers who close their eyes and follow internal impulses into movement,
• one or more witnesses who maintain a grounded, attentive presence,
• a period of verbal reflection following the movement phase.

Movers do not plan or choreograph movement. Instead, they attend to bodily sensations, emotions, memories, and imagery as they arise. Witnesses observe with restraint, cultivating awareness of their own responses while refraining from interpretation or intervention.

Sessions may be practiced one-to-one, in small groups, or within long-term practice groups.

The role of the witness

The role of the witness is central to Authentic Movement. Witnessing involves:

• tracking the mover without judgement,
• maintaining awareness of one’s own sensations and projections,
• supporting safety, containment, and clarity of the practice space.

Over time, practitioners may develop the capacity to witness both others and themselves simultaneously, sometimes described as the inner witness.

Language and reflection

Following movement, participants often engage in spoken reflection. Language is used carefully and intentionally, typically emphasising:

• first-person statements,
• descriptions of direct experience,
• differentiation between observation, feeling, and interpretation.

This reflective phase supports integration of embodied experience into conscious awareness.

Training and transmission

Authentic Movement is transmitted through long-term study rather than standardised certification. Training pathways may include:

• sustained personal practice,
• supervised practice groups,
• mentorship and apprenticeship,
• study of ethics, boundaries, and psychological awareness.

Some organisations and teachers describe Authentic Movement explicitly as a discipline, emphasising responsibility, containment, and ethical clarity.

Applications

Authentic Movement is used in a range of contexts, including:

• psychotherapy and counselling,
• dance and movement education,
• somatic and expressive arts practice,
• contemplative and spiritual inquiry,
• creative and performance research.

Relationship to conscious dance

Authentic Movement is closely related to the conscious dance field through its emphasis on awareness, embodiment, and non-judgement. It differs from many conscious dance practices in its minimal use of music, absence of group dance structures, and strong focus on witnessing and reflection.

It has significantly influenced later movement meditation practices, somatic psychology, and embodied contemplative disciplines.

External links

• Discipline of Authentic Movement: https://disciplineofauthenticmovement.com/