Experiential Anatomy - Schwartz

Photo by Jason Akira Somma

This class integrates theory with a highly practical component. We will integrate methods of anatomical investigation with movement, breath, imagination, and touch to help amplify a personal relationship with our instruments. The main focus will be on the skeletal and articular system with a complementary emphasis on the sensorial and expressive qualities of the organ and fluid systems.

Ray Eliot Schwartz received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and MFA from University of Texas-Austin. He is the Co-director Performática: Foro Internacional de Danza Contemporanea y Artes de Movimiento. Ray co-founded four contemporary dance projects in the southern U.S.: Sheep Army, The Zen Monkey Project, Steve’s House Dance Collective and THEM. He has been a guest artist for diverse student populations in communities, colleges and universities in the U.S., Indonesia, and México. Ray has served on the faculty of the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, MELT, the ZMP Summer Dance Intensive, the Colorado College Summer Dance Festival and SFADI, among others. His somatic studies include certifications in Body-Mind Centering and the Feldenkrais Method.  Additional studies include Zero-Balancing, Gross Anatomy, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, and Traditional Thai Massage. Ray is a research associate at the Center for Mind Body Movement and has been a guest lecturer at the Institute of Kinesthetic Education. He currently serves as Coordinator of the Dance Program of the University of the Americas-Puebla in México.