APSU’s Rennerfeldt to talk mindful movement on Close Up Radio
If you’ve been a dancer, choreographer and professor your whole life, then you probably have a thorough understanding of the body. You grasp how the body moves, what it’s capable of, and what kind of fluidity good health and a clear mind can inspire. Conversely, you understand that something might be going on or blocking a person when their bodies don’t cooperate, move too gracefully anymore, or assume certain positions.
Margaret Rennerfeldt, a dancer with specialized training as a Somatic Movement Educator, has spent her career developing these insights into how one’s body moves, flows and expresses emotion, and the capacity more mindful movements have to help people and heal them.
Close Up Radio Will feature Rennerfeldt, Austin Peay State University professor of dance, in an Interview with Jim Masters at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 10. To listen to the show, visit . If you have questions for Rennerfeldt, please call 347-996-3389
Rennerfeldt has a Master of Fine Arts in dance and performance and is a member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, as well as Somatic Experiencing International. Several years ago, while continuing to teach reading and dance, she launched a new venture – Mindful Movement. This venture is dedicated to authentic and creative movement, innovative and technical approaches, and the ability to spur emotional growth and heal trauma via the physical body.
“My work is different from any psychologist or talk therapist in that it’s not about the story, or about talking, it’s about discovering what is left in the body that was not completed during a traumatic event,” she said.
Rennerfeldt said when a person moves their body in distinct ways, stuff comes up. People don’t always understand what is happening and what they are feeling, and that’s where her role as a teacher, somatic educator and somatic experiencing practitioner comes in. In a typical one-on-one session, she invites the sensations to arise, encourages people to be curious about them, and observes movements as well as subtle changes in the nervous system.
Sometimes people will identify a certain trauma, pain or unresolved aggression – things that Rennerfeldt prefers not to measure or categorize. Instead, she simply validates what is happening with the client in that moment, and they work at moving through the sensations in a titrated way, to allow for healing and the creation of a healthier mind/body connection.
Rennerfeldt has not performed in recent years but says she will always be a dancer and use her body as long as she can. She believes her passion for dance and knowledge of how the body works are invaluable in helping others to explore movement and achieve optimal wellness.
To learn more about her and her practices, visit .
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