Being Seen, Being Moved

Olsen's article on Authentic Movement presented many interesting ideas; some of which I agreed with, and others which I did not. For her, Authentic Movement is all about discovering a natural flow of movement which lies deep within us all. By being within ourselves, without judgment, we can find inspiration for dance; we develop unique "movement languages". This leads Olsen to conclude that Authentic Movement can being a healing influence as it creates a dialogue with the unconscious. Freud hypothesized that our unconscious impulses presented themselves in our dreams, so it doesn't seem to be too much of a stretch to assume that dance can reflect our unconscious as well.
At times however, Olsen struck me as being a little carried away with herself. For instance, her statement that Authentic Movement performers were getting sick because either their systems were being overloaded by not establishing emotional and physical boundaries with the audience or because they were not establishing dialogues after their performances. Certainly the mind and body share a close connection (i.e. placebo effect) but such conclusions strike me as quite ridiculous. It is much more likely that the physical strain of performance or exposure to germs are to blame for sickness than any spiritual explanations.
I did, however, agree with Olsen's conclusions that Authentic Movement could be useful in creating a sense of self. Without the express judgment of others, an artist can cultivate their own life experiences to share with the audience.
Martin
Dance 163