SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STUDENTS

Students on the last day of class 
 I am probably biased, but the students I have met here are amazing. I feel lucky to have worked with them and learn about their experiences as younger Korean women. I have now taught in Seoul twice, specifically two 3-day workshops (with 35-50 students each time) plus two half days of supervision whenI have the opportunity to hear about the work they are doing as dance/movement therapists.  This time I was teaching Authentic Movement which is a meditative partner movement form that has the potential to express and explore the less conscious experiences and feelings of those who are moving. It is a form that I have been practicing for almost 50 years and I love it, so I was happy to have that appreciation reciprocated by the depth of the movement journeys and learnings that occurred in three short days we had together. I also did a half day of supervision with a group of about 7-8 students the day after the final class session.
 
Dancing together at the final dinner 
What are the students like? Given the hierarchical formality in Korean culture (similar to Japanese culture but a little softer in practice), I expected the students to be quiet, reserved, unwilling to express strong feelings, and reluctant to ask questions or take risks. The day before the class, my host actually warned me to not expect students to speak up or even easily ‘improvise’ on their own. She said that generally they tend to do what the rest of the group is doing. Although the students appeared a bit shy at first , the opposite proved to be true.  The first day began with lots of bowing and formal handshakes, but by the third day there were smiles, tears and lots and lots of hugging, all of which was captured in many photos taken with me. 

Together, we danced and explored many themes, from sexuality to death, from tears to wild abandon and beyond. Wow!!!  Students easily went deep into long held grief and then were able to feel group support to return to a place of connection and resilience. One student, who had a diagnosis of epilepsy, told me one of the days, that she had been unable to feel her body sensations, which she suspected was a way of avoiding the uncomfortable feelings of her seizures. However, she said that in the class, she was able to feel her body for the first time!!! Her dancing often had a strong, sensual quality which she enjoyed experiencing. 

Pizza and Beer at the Afer Party 
They also asked profound and complex questions, and subsequent conversations seemed to suggest that they were learning and understanding on a nuanced and informed level. The psychological approaches in Korea (based on my interactions with the students) tend to include more Jungian and spiritual frameworks and I loved not being limited to the concrete, cognitive and empirical lens that is more common in Minnesota. We talked and danced myths, goddesses, the personal and collective unconscious as well as the power of nature and symbol.  Our end dinner was an emotive and expressive improvised dance with all of us moving with each other outside on a patio. I actually wonder if the strong value of relationships creates a strong support container, that allows individuals to deeply explore challenging parts of their own experience without being overwhelmed.  Similarly, I wonder if it helped them be able to take more risks. 

They are smart, curious, brave and beautiful movers. I could go on, but it was wonderful getting to know them and I wish I could work with them more often. 

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