Back in the early 1980’s, I met Scott Clark when he auditioned for a position as a modern dance teacher at UC Santa Cruz. I was doing the Amherst training during the summer and completing my Bachelor’s degree during the school year.
The beginning of Scott’s class immediately caught my attention. I remember thinking, “Whoa, what’s this?” Not only were the movements familiar from my Awareness Through Movement experience, but he was teaching in an unmistakably “Feldenkraisian” fashion.
It was clear that we were not doing anything resembling a standard warm-up. We were slowly exploring movements with small variations, building to a more complex coordination, and then that became the basis of the choreography we later danced. I was thrilled, stunned, enchanted. The Feldenkrais approach and attitude had arrived in the dance studio, and I was there to witness—and benefit—from it!
After class I walked up to Scott to ask if he’d heard of Moshe Feldenkrais. Indeed he had. He told me with delight that after he’d discovered Feldenkrais’ book, Awareness Through Movement, he began doing the lessons, exploring the approach to learning movement, and experimenting with it—both in the studio and in the classroom. When I told him I was in training to become a Feldenkrais teacher, well that conversation was just the beginning.
Back then I studied modern dance technique and Laban Movement Analysis with Scott. He attended my ATM classes, got FI lessons, and studied Neuro Linguistic Programming with me. We even taught together at the Cabrillo College Summer Dance Workshop. Since then, we have continued to learn from each other and to teach together in Feldenkrais teacher trainings.
More than twenty years ago, Scott moved to London where he built a thriving Feldenkrais practice and where he actively participates in the development of the method and the profession.
In a recent article, Cure Your Joint Pain With A Nice Lie Down, reporter Simon Edge tells of how Scott Clark introduced him to the method and what happens afterwards. It’s a straight-forward, engaging description of a first encounter with Feldenkrais in the hands of a highly-skilled teacher. You are able to find the complete article here:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/261089/Cure-your-joint-pain-with-a-nice-lie-down
Also, be sure not to miss Scott’s beautifully taught, one-of-a-kind series of short ATM lessons: Strong Legs and Sitting Series.
Both series are available as CD’s and as downloads from iTunes. Learn more here: http://www.feldenkraislondon.com/cd.html
If you would like to learn more about Scott Clark’s Feldenkrais practice, please visit his website at: http://www.feldenkraislondon.com/index.html
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