A Kinesthetic Legacy: The Life and Works of Barbara Clark - Revised Edition

A Kinesthetic The Life and Works of Barbara Clark is a guide to the personal and professional journey of a pioneer of somatic movement education. Miss Clark’s career represents a vital connection between the philosophy and methods developed by her teacher Mabel Elsworth Todd at the beginning of the twentieth century and the revolutionary contributions of her students to dance education in the postmodern era. PART DO THOU THY WORK recounts Clark’s biography beginning with the events in her early life that led to her study with Todd in the 1920s. The chapters proceed through the story of her adaptation of Todd’s work for infants and young children, into the description of her career as a teacher of “mind-body integration” for performing artists. It concludes with her influence on the rethinking of dance pedagogy that began in the 1970s. PART WRITINGS ON MIND-BODY INTEGRATION presents the teachers’ guides and body alignment manuals that Clark created to preserve and advance Mabel Todd’s ideas. The writings present her ideas about fostering ideal postural patterns in early childhood, the series of instructional manuals she designed for adults, and a recently discovered two-year curriculum she developed for André Bernard, which served as the foundation for his teaching. The Revised Edition also presents a new content-based Index relating Clark’s lessons to Todd’s educational theory and color reproductions of the anatomical plates that served as a source for the development of her imagery. Pamela Matt shared her interpretation of Clark’s approach with dancers throughout her 25-year teaching career at Arizona State University. Currently, she directs the online Thinking Body Institute, which aims to preserve historical materials, promote global exchange, and advance educational excellence in the field.