Main description:

Since the mid-80s, Prapto's moving/dancing has delighted and inspired thousands of people in the West (as well as many more in his native Java) who have witnessed, worked with or been otherwise influenced by his Amerta Movement practice. But what is this non-stylised Amerta Movement practice? And what is it about Prapto's work that so touches the lives of therapists, artists, musicians, dancers, teachers, performers, monastics and laypeople from all walks of life? To answer these questions, this new book collects the experiences of 30 movement practitioners from Indonesia, Europe, North and South America and Australasia. All of them have trained and studied extensively with him and most are recognised by Prapto as movement teachers. Some themes and areas covered: Moving with babies Amerta Movement and Buddhism Using movement to work with autistic children Movement as a way to loosen the habit of critique and criticism Movement and film...and the law...and archaeology...and music Movement mantra Somatic costumes and movement performance Different chapters look at contemplative, vocational, daily life, therapeutic, dance and performative applications of Amerta Movement.
Readership: As well as all those familiar with Prapto's work, the book will also be an inspiration and resource for: dance, movement and performance artists, teachers and trainers therapists of all sorts, especially those working with somatics, embodiment, dance and movement anyone wanting to learn more about the nature and application of Prapto's movement practice anyone interested in the value of an embodied approach to life and work - current thinking about the brain and body point to the crucial importance of nonverbal, embodied perception and communication, and Amerta Movement offers an important path toward growth in this area.

Contents:

Presence - Beate Stuhm writes about movement from inside the experience, from moment to moment. Amerta movement and archaeology - Keith Miller looks at time, place, layers, memory and the Amerta techniques 'living measurement', 'finding position and point of view' and 'Circle, Oval and Square'. Cultural Aspects of the Movement Work - Christina Stelzer, rather than talking about her own work, highlights and explores three aspects of the Javanese culture that she sees as central to Amerta Movement: waiting, hearing the world and respect. Amerta and Tibetan Buddhism - Monika Forster describes 'hitting yourself with your mind', 'mind as an ally', 'bowing towards daily life', 'being seen', 'giving awareness without creating stagnation'... and other practices. The Eye of the Hand - Steve Hopkins explores movement practice on film through the lens of his work with 3m - meditation, movement and movie - groups in movement workshops, and working with Prapto on film. A Dog Practising 'Talking Body' - Jose Mulder van de Graaf explores the concept of a 'language of feelings', that enables us to understand and to express, even to enhance knowledge in another way. Make Less the Hoping - Sandra Reeve shows how Prapto's teaching about the mudras associated with Borobudur temple can be applied in daily life and ritual. Touching Forgotten Realities - Bettina Mainz investigates the forces of critique, freedom and reconciliation in her life as a movement teacher and dancer. The Echo of Life - Daniela Coronelli shows how Amerta Movement has helped her to develop as a Shiatsu and Seiki practitioner and teacher, utilising direct embodied experience of Resonance and Mindfulness. I Always Do Three Things - Shantam Zohar discusses the Amerta practices of flowering, channeling and semadi [meditation]. A Presencing Dial - Margit Galanter says presence is a basis, filter and medium for how we are in a situation, interacting with one another, the environment and our felt senses. Amerta Movement and Somatic Costume - Sally Dean describes how Prapto's literal, imaginal and metaphorical use of the terms 'costume' and clothing' have informed her ongoing research. Crystallization-performance - Lise Lavelle looks at the crystallizations offered in Amerta movement work. Being and Doing in the Wild Garden - Susanne Tumpel explores the themes of Oneness and Separateness, Organism and Organization in her psychotherapy work. 'Mantra Gerak' / Movement Mantra - Agus Bima Prayitna explains the practice of embodying movement and sound in oneself, art, culture, nature, society and the mystical. The Musical Portal - Tim Jones mixes storytelling with an inquiry into conversation, relationship, the nature of sound and song worlds, finishing with a 'text sound composition'. Near the Unknown - Franca Fubini explores Prapto's ideas of Dreamworld and Realityworld and her application of Amerta Movement in Social Dreaming. Family - Una Nicholson builds on Prapto's idea of the family as a dynamic generator, a source of regeneration and a place to practise the art of everyday living and being. The Infant's Language - Katya Bloom describes her interest in the residual effects of our earliest pre-verbal experiences on later development. 'Going out of the situation' and 'Stop, don't follow that, walk!' - Regula Nell presents movement strategies she practises as a movement teacher, Feldenkrais practitioner and psychomotor-therapist. Amerta Movement and Autism - Sean Williams describes how Prapto gave him a new understanding of his clients and helped him see how working with people on the spectrum is an act of collaborative communication. "Find Your Position" - Susan Bauer explores Prapto's theme of 'finding your position', a means of centering within oneself through embodied presence that opens us to the creative energies of life. Body Body - Helen Poynor explores how the dual lineage of Prapto's and Anna Halprin's approaches to movement relate to her own practice. Ever-speaking being - Michael Dick uses the lenses of 'permeability' and 'presence' as an actor trainer - which he calls developing the human instrument for performing arts. Moving in the Law - Simon Slidders investigates interconnections between Amerta movement practice and the restrictions, boundaries, traditions, flexibility, ambiguities and structures of the law. The Breathing Eye - Andrea Morein illustrates how movement practice has laid the ground for her somatic and contemplative art practice and has informed her work as a visual artist. Joy - Anita Ludke, an architect and freelance artist, writes about how she incorporates Amerta Movement into her teaching and daily life practice. Re-membering Butterfly Beach Melinda Buckwalter describes 'stopping', 're-membering', 'witnessing', 'being with', 'blossoming' and other practices from Amerta Movement. I will trace the constellation of my stars with my fingers - Ellin Krinsly looks at her framework of practice and the constellation of intercultural and ritual performances in her life. Awakening Art and Dharma Nature Time - Diane Butler describes her approach in her own workshop series and the public programs of International Foundation for Dharma Nature Time.