Editorial

Abstract

The impetus for the theme of this issue is the fact that interest in somatic practices has visibly expanded in Slovenian contemporary art in the last decades. These are holistic approaches to movement that explore movement from the perspective of how it can be understood and felt from within and not how it is performed and seen, which tends to open completely different insights into the connection between mind and body. At the turn of the last century, somatic practices, by offering insights into anatomy and raising awareness of human movement processes, began to make a significant impact on the field of dance education and art in the West. Somatic practices are traditionally found in many non-Western cultures and practised by many indigenous peoples, where they are the cornerstone of non-dualistic spiritual systems. Contemporary somatic practices develop less invasive physical approaches to prevent injury, are useful in post-injury rehabilitation and help to change entrenched harmful movement patterns, while opening possibilities for building holistic dance approaches.