Table Of ContentEmbody the Skeleton
A Guide for Conscious Movement
Embody the Skeleton
A Guide for Conscious Movement
Mark C Taylor,
RSMT
Director: Center for
BodyMindMovement
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Forewords
Martha Eddy, EdD
Don Hanlon Johnson, PhD
EDINBURGH
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First published 2019 in the United Kingdom by Handspring Publishing
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v
Acknowledgments
My delight in movement awareness is rooted in my Several individuals have been instrumental in
early training in dance and somatics. I am grateful the growth of BodyMindMovement in recent
to have been a student of Myra Avedon, Maggie years, including Mariana Camarote, Sven
Black, Judith Blackstone, Patricia Wittyk Boyer,
Doehner, Julia Menéndez, Venerable Soorakku-
Merce Cunningham, Kathy Grant, Melissa Hayden,
lame Pemaratana, and Stanley Perelman. I am
Lucas Hoving, and Bessie Schönberg. Martha
inspired by and grateful for my current collabo-
Myers, Dean Emeritus of the American Dance
rators Debra Clydesdale, Rodrigo Palma, Diana
Festival, changed the course my life by guiding me
toward somatic movement disciplines in a way that Sánchez, Margery Segal, and Ivana Sejenovich,
addressed both personal and professional needs. I and the many students in BodyMindMovement
am grateful to my first collaborators—most impor- training programs in Brazil, Ireland, Mexico,
tantly Nancey Rosensweig, Donna Brandenburg Oregon, and Pittsburgh. Elisa Cotroneo and the
Gangloff, and Mary Williford Shade—who taught board of directors of the International Somatic
me and explored with me, and to the many dancers
Movement Education and Therapy Association
who challenged and guided me as a choreographer:
work selflessly to grow the field of somatic move-
notably Gillian Beauchamp, Dennis Birkes, Lori
ment. I am grateful to them, and those who nur-
Brungard, Barbara Canner, John Evans, Jennifer
tured the organization in the past, for holding an
Keller, Peter Kope, André Koslowski, Michele de la
Reza, Gwen Hunter Ritchie, Michael Walsh, and expansive vision for embodied movement and its
Andrew Wollowitz. impact on the world.
Embody the Skeleton originated in 2007 as a I thank my family, Barbara and William, for their
manual for the Center for BodyMindMovement. love and support. Finally, my fascination with the
I thank Wendy Mackin and Jeri Lynn Anderson
body and mind in movement has been deeply influ-
for their help, and Mary Lou Seereiter and Jan
enced by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, the founder of
Cook for their valuable insights during its devel-
Body-Mind Centering®. I once heard her say that
opment. Elisabeth Osgood Campbell, Debo-
“art in its finest moment is healing and healing in
rah Gouge, Ray Eliot Schwartz, and Lou Sturm
its finest moment is an art.” That statement brought
helped immeasurably in transforming the book
to its current form, and I am grateful as well for my world into focus and made sense of my life: I
the support of Tim Vernon, Anna Thompson, offer my profound thanks to her and the Body-Mind
and Taylor Knight. Steve Davies, Marie-Aimée Centering® community for their vision and leader-
de Montalembert, Leslie Apablaza Schmidt, and ship in the field of somatic movement education.
Ramiro Sanhueza generously provided me with
space for thinking and writing. Mark C Taylor, RSMT
vii
Contents
Foreword by Martha Eddy ix
Foreword by Don Hanlon Johnson xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 - Skeletal Embodiment in Context 7
Chapter 2 - The Basics (of Bone) 15
Chapter 3 - Skeletal Embodiment: Movement, Touch and Vibration 25
Chapter 4 - The Lower Extremities 43
Chapter 5 - Integration: Foot to Pelvis 83
Chapter 6 - The Upper Extremities 93
Chapter 7 - Integration: Hand to Ribs 135
Chapter 8 - The Axial Skeleton and Skull 143
Chapter 9 - Somatic Practice and Pedagogy 175
Chapter 10 - Somatic Practice with Individuals 181
References 187
Bibliography 188
Index 191
ix
Foreword
As teacher on the faculty of the School for Body- In Embody the Skeleton Taylor has synthesized an
Mind Centering® (BMC) in the 1980s in Amherst, approach to the teaching of skeletal anatomy that
MA, I often considered revamping, for publication, is totally in alignment (pun intended) with any of
the BMC Teacher Certification project that my these three somatic movement trainings—Dynamic
long-time colleague Sara Vogeler and I developed. It Embodiment, Laban/Bartenieff Studies and Body-
is a pre-computer, hand-typed, detailed and revised Mind Centering®. In addition to this, it will be an
manual on the skeletal system as viewed from the asset to all other educational programs that seek
vantage of BMC. With the creation of this new 21st to teach the anatomy of the skeletal system in an
Century book—Embody The Skeleton—that particu- embodied way, using a somatic approach.
lar project idea has definitely been postponed. The
As you engage with this book know that you are
concept of embodying the skeletal tissue and its
getting much more than what is found in a tra-
many purposes and functions has surely found its
ditional Anatomy & Kinesiology book vis a vis
fruition in this book by Mark Taylor.
skeletal anatomy. You are being guided to feel the
This book provides a much needed deeper analysis bones, move them with proprioceptive sensitivity,
of, relationship with, and integration of, our physical make sense of movement concepts that will support
“container,” particularly our bones. Through clear healthy functioning and to explore, if you choose,
writing, detailed drawings and practical activities creativity and expression. Bones give us form and
you are taken on an elegant and intricate journey. shape the nature of our interactions. How do they
Clear directives are provided on how to use move- do this? Their specific make-up and dimensions
ment, touch, visualization and awareness in experi- define our body shape (or morphological type) and
encing one’s bones and the articulations between determine the directionality of movement, defining
them (the joints). Furthermore you are invited also the ways that we can move. Everyone has variations
to explore the movements and dances that are pos- in their personal skeletal structure—we therefore
sible when truly embodying your skeletal structure. each are blessed, and limited, by these particulari-
ties. We also have personality. We each sequence
The journey moves in a classic somatic direction muscles, bones and other body part usage in our
from self-care to the care of others, guiding you to own specific style. These components—morphology
be gentle with oneself and also how to be caring and personality—define how we can move. We can
and effective with students, whether in groups or in decide how we will move within these parameters.
one-on-one sessions. I am personally grateful to be Decisions attending to the body and physical move-
able to assign this book as a curricular support for ment are most often unconscious. This book joins
the study of Dynamic Embodiment Somatic Move- a lexicon of books that help you make more con-
ment Therapy—my 28-year-old blend of the work of scious your own movement habits and capacities. It
Irmgard Bartenieff and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen.1 will also help you find what directions are limited
