FROM DANCE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
"At this stage of my busy life as a dancer and dance teacher, having such an opportunity to experience the subtle stimulation of my skeletal roots, and the gentle arousal of my basic physical potential, is both humbling and deeply gratifying. Prisca Winslow's enthusiastic teaching of the Feldenkrais Method is beautifully and thoroughly expressed through various personal demonstrations, verbal instructions, and anecdotal observations. The workshop was also a wonderful way [for us teachers] to exchange ideas and information about our own teaching methods and experiences. I truly enjoyed this very worthwhile, reinvigorating week!" - Christine Spizzo-Serrano, NCSA Faculty, ABT Summer Intensives, Principle Instructor
"a magical experience in movement" - Minnie Wright
"Great workshop! I loved it...I felt it could have continued for weeks without losing momentum. There is so much to explore and learn about dance through the Feldenkrais Method. (Prisca is) a pioneer in making dance accessible to all." - Ayla Vain
"(Prisca's ) workshop was a place of rediscovery of the "you inside of you" through a reawakening of one's natural and authentic impulses. I love the idea of honoring and empowering oneself through self-knowledge...It is exciting to know that a whole new approach to movement has opened up for me and my students, fellow dancers and both dance and non-dance colleagues. I am already using the image of the skeletal frame as the primary impetus for movement with my students." - Kristin Jackson
"All the work enriches my choreographic journey." - Debra Wanner
"For many years as a ballet teacher, I have been wondering about much of what (Prisca) said, taught, and showed us, like "thinking things without words". Now I believe I have the words and Images which will enable me to enlighten my students about functional organization of their bodies - and how to improve their turn-out, flexibility, spontaneity, posture/placement, and efficiency of movement...It really incorporated everything your "brochure" claimed it would, and more!" - Cristine Spizzo-Serrano, NCSA Faculty, ABT Summer Intensives, Principle Instructor
"The workshop was a profound experience, both personally and professionally... I thoroughly enjoyed the other participants, ranging in age from 13 to 87, who were also passionate about learning." - Lodi McClellan, WA
"Informative, discovery filled, thought provoking and inspiring - So many new ideas, approaches, and ways of thinking." - Laura Curtis
"A week of discovering how I am, who I am and how I move...I am delighted to discover new creative ideas to bring to my students." - Heidi Menocal
"Insightful. Information valuable now and later. Most profound ones were the simplest - great to pass on to others!" - Luba Takamoto
"A new awareness of how to take care of myself and how to approach technique and hard work with less effort. I'm in much less pain and I feel the repertory of movement within me expanding." - Lara Lanphier
"Life changing! Healing! Enlightening! Restful! Educational!" - Pam Turley
"A mind awakening of my inner self, and learning how the body can work effectively." - Tindal Jordon
"Prisca has such a charming, calm manner that when added to her vast knowledge, it makes for a potent atmosphere in which a student discovers himself anew. I appreciated every illuminating moment with her." - Myron Howard Nadel, Associate Dean College of Liberal Arts, UTEP
"What a gift the workshop was! It is continuing to unfold for me in a thousand beautiful ways. I can feel and sense the movement back into a fuller expression of my life. The workshop was life changing, an incredible learning experience, truly the best I have ever participated in." - JoAnne Pegler, NM
"The workshop enhanced my own abilities as a performing artist. I found easy and drastic improvement in my own flexibility and inspiration for new movement in my choreography. The workshop was transformative for me as a dancer and teacher -- I left feeling empowered yet hungry for more." - Tammy Rosen, AZ
"A wonderful workshop. It reinforced and gave me a deeper understanding of many techniques I already use (Simonson Technique and Bartenieff Fundamentals), and I'm feeling much more secure in my understanding of body mechanics. I taught my first class since returning and I was thrilled to see that by allowing the students to explore and discover movement on their own they learned spontaneously and every student attacked the final combination in a way I have only hoped for in the past. What an amazing shift! I know I will incorporate these ideas into my teaching for the rest of my life. I intend to return to the workshop in the future to continue my professional development." - Tammy Rosen, AZ
"A gentle way to become aware of your own body structure, thereby enabling you to heal yourself." - Marnie Lefthand
"The most important lesson I learned was that I can increase my range of movement by allowing my whole body to take part in what I may have formerly considered an "isolated" movement. Thank you for a wonderful, safe and eye-opening week!" - Natalie Bowers, CA
"I've learned a lot and could transform it immediately into our ballroom dance technique. I really will be able to apply it 100%. An immense awareness of different parts of my body. A spread out feeling, therefore so much freedom...a new base with lots of security." - Jan Oechler, Austria
"The Intelligent Injury-Free Dance workshop was Amazing! Life changing! Healing! ... some of my limitations are no longer limitations if I work in the Feldenkrais way. Such revelations have made me want to jump up for joy and get teary-eyed as well. This workshop was/is beyond words." ... a few months later: "With Feldenkrais, I have been able to help my students with old injuries, how to prevent them, and show them how to increase their flexibility safely (and that is just the tip of the iceberg!) I found that the Bartinieff I had trained in for so many years was complemented and enhanced by the Feldenkrais I learned this summer! I was so enlightened by the whole experience and my students who had been studying with me for 2 years or so, noticed how excited I would become when I shared something I had learned at the workshop ... I could go on and on." - Pam Turley, TX
"This week (Dance Teachers Intensive) was an eye opening experience. It allowed me to really feel movement and free up my joints (some I never knew I had!) I can't wait to go home and watch the improvement of my students!!!" ... a few months later: "Hey Prisca! I am surprised at how much my choreography has changed! I move all over and create without apprehension now. I felt restricted or just complacent before - not NOW!" - Christy Loper, GA
"(Prisca's) Dance Intensive was so powerful. It changed my whole perspective on how I teach! ... I am shocked how in so few as three classes, my students are using their upper backs in a more inclusive way with the rest of their body." - Kathryn Mark, NM
"The workshop you taught at the Academy during our wellness week introduced students and faculty to remarkable new concepts for maximizing movement potential. The professionalism of your presentations was as impressive as your class management skills and your concern for student learning." - Jean Marie Martz, Chair Dance Dept., Idyllwild Arts Academy, CA
"Prisca's workshop at the Idyllwild Arts Academy was inspirational and thought provoking for our students. Her timing in presenting new concepts to young people is excellent and her warm manner and professionalism was a joy to watch ... After many years of teaching ballet, and trying different ways of maintaining my own endurance and physicality in my teaching efforts, I have benefited personally more from Prisca's care and deliverance of The Feldenkrais Method than any other approaches that I have experienced. I sincerely look forward to her return!" - Anne Krampen, Faculty Dance and Theater Departments, Idyllwild Arts Academy, CA
"Very, very, very enlightening and clarifying ... my thinking was stimulated and I came away with a much better sense of functional anatomy, i.e. how the body is built to move and how certain misunderstandings of how the body works can lead to the training of a dancer that will be injured, frustrated or never fully expressive. Understanding how the bones are so beautifully put together gives me a greater understanding of how my thinking and misconceptions were affecting my movement. THANKS!" - Alice Brydges, CA
"Fabulous!!! I wish more teachers would be exposed to the ideas presented ... I think that injuries would be reduced, dancers would find the freedom to express themselves and the artistry of ballet and other forms of dance would grow. The emphasis of respecting the individual (student) but still giving them what they need to have 'proper ballet technique' is unique and valuable ... having attended four consecutive years I know how valuable the information is. Every year I learn something new!" - Heidi Gucinski Menocal, MD
"What has Feldenkrais added to my life after 50 years of teaching dance? ... quiet, but intense examination of the individual instrument (body, mind, spirit) has come not only better awareness of the "hows" but also of those oft neglected "whys". It's a wake-up call." - Bette Winslow, NM
"The workshop was a freeing experience, not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. It was transformative on all levels ... the system works regardless of the teacher, but we were all lucky to have such a gifted teacher. Thanks for your knowledge, energy and compassion." - Sheila Peters, MA
"I wish I could afford to send all my teachers! This is a fantastic way to discover motion in my back (spine) and hips - without any kind of excruciating stretching or pain of any sort - or time consuming exercises." - Jane Lambert, MD
"An abundance of information presented intelligently. A thoughtful and gentle process of self-discovery." - Darla Johnson, TX
"The workshop gave me the opportunity to go deep inside myself and allow my bones and joints to move with a sense of ease that I don't recall ever feeling. (Upon returning to teaching) in only 3 days I see a huge difference in my students placement, they are noticing that their backs are just naturally getting longer without all the extra work. One little girl had a total transformation of posture" ... two days later: "I had kids doing double tours this evening who couldn't stand on their legs the last time I saw them, which was at the end of the school year before summer. Miracles abound!" - Diane Knowles, CA
"I am so excited about all I learned in your course. It is amazing to me how much better my students look. They are moving differently, and are so much happier. Everything is falling into place, it just makes so much sense." - Mary Lynn Lewark, CO
"I came home relaxed and full of ideas ... thank you for a superb workshop!" - Anne-Lore Zimmerman, Germany
"Interesting, curious, insightful, reinforcing, encouraging. I understand skeletal movement better now than I did before, which will definitely have a positive affect for my students. I was totally awed and fascinated with the effects of the Functional Integration session. I am still mentally digesting information." ... a few months later: "I am seeing positive effects in my students' classroom performance from incorporating ideas and techniques that I learned from your workshop. Their balance is improving (voila - I think mine is too), and their new understandings of the use of the spine and ribs makes them look more connected ... also more graceful and fluid." - Judy Pelusi, TX
"I couldn't wait to incorporate all the new ideas and concepts I had learned." - Debbe Busby, TX
"Prisca's Intelligent Injury-Free Dance workshop was Transformational, Enlightening, Inspiring, Profound ... I cannot recommend it highly enough." - Barbara Forbes, NYC
"Extraordinary. (Prisca) covered a lot of material very thoroughly ... offered a full experience of The Feldenkrais Method as well as including all the essential elements of ballet training. I have a lot of ideas and facts that I will be able to bring immediately into teaching, and better still, I have a sense of where I can follow my own path too!" - Barbara Forbes, NYC
"Learning movement, dance, balance etc from this perspective is an adventure for everyone in the room. It sets up a situation for empathy and problem solving together ... Prisca practices what she teaches by reminding us how to think/feel our way through movements, not from a position of a bully pushing ones self, but by the sweet seduction of delicious movement." - Jonelle Mills, NM
"An amazing way to discover how your body works and how you can use that knowledge in movement. It was so awesome for me to finally let my hamstrings release!" - Devon Schermick, CA
"The workshop was a wonderful experience, I learned so much. The way I think about how my body moves is probably forever changed. Thank you so much!!!" - Pilar Maez, Student teacher, NY
"Your workshop still reverberates within me when I least expect it." - Chris DeLazzero, NY
FROM TEENAGERS TOP ↑
"Thank you, I can feel my arms in my back now." - Lisa
"Thank you so much! Playing the cello is so much easier now!" - Chelsea
"Thank you for this experience. It was truly enlightening I really appreciate your wisdom and encouragement and your clear compassion for all of us and what we love to do!" - Lily
"This work feels very important. I think I will benefit from it for a long time to come." - Anila
"I'm so happy you came to Idyllwild. The first time made an immeasurable difference on my dancing, and I'm sure I'm benefiting from this time as well." - Xena
"Thank you for teaching me less is more. You have taught me so much these past 3 years. I look forward to next year." - Lizzi
"Thank you for bringing a new knowledge of the body." - Leonie "Thank you so much for helping me find the right middle path in all my movements, this week was great!" - Laura
"Now I understand how cows sleep standing up." - Eowyn Greeno, Dance student, NM
The following is a series of quotes from a 16 year old dancer who attended a 3 day workshop in Denver, February, '03 and received 2 Functional Integration lessons on subsequent days. She had been injured for 1½ years and made a wonderful turnaround. She has continued her study of ballet with a Feldenkrais practitioner as well ...
March 11, 2003
"Good News! Ever since the workshop I have not had any pain in ballet class, and I can take the entire class without stopping! It's a miracle! Ever since you helped me to understand more about movement and my body in general, my dancing has become much more free, fun, and painless. It is very exciting to know that I can go into class without expecting pain within the first 10 minutes! Your workshop has taken a major load off of my shoulders, and I cannot thank you enough. I am the happiest that I have ever been in a long time!" - Malinda LaVelle
June 6, 2003
"Well, things continue to keep going very well. I am still dancing without much pain ... I am doing pilates, and Feldenkrais tapes, strengthening classes, and weightlifting! Everything is going very well, and thanks again for turning my dancing career around!" - Malinda LaVelle
August 26, 2003
"I am in my third week of school, and I start my regular dance schedule next week. Everything has been going wonderful. I continue to have less pain in my knees, and this next year I am going to work more on strength and technique with Irina. I am still doing weight training, pilates, and Feldenkrais when I can. Hopefully I will see you at the next Feldenkrais workshop, which I'm planning on attending! Thanks so much!" - Malinda LaVelle
March 17, 2004
"Anyways, I'm still dancing at Irina's, and I'm having a lot of fun with no pain. I got accepted into American Ballet Theater's summer program and Lines Ballet summer program in San Fransisco. I've decided to go to Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, because the syllabus there incorporates Feldenkrais, and has alot of the same principles as Irina. I'm so excited!" - Malinda LaVelle
FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC TOP ↑
"Every time I leave here (after Functional Integration), I have a feeling of hope." - Robert Templeton
"Prisca's insights into ones body, and ones use of ones body have immediate and broader significance -- awareness of how one moves translates quickly into awareness of how one lives. Just as very small changes in ones movements have dramatic impact on ones well being, so do small changes in ones way of thinking and acting have much larger impacts on the quality of ones life and the ability to contribute to effective change. Prisca and the Feldenkrais Method remove the struggle -- so your energy is yours to apply constructively." - Caroline Rennie
"After Functional Integration I always come out with greater certainty about my next steps, and a greater belief in pursuing my strengths (what works) rather than combating my weaknesses. Thanks!" - Caroline Rennie
"The beauty of Feldenkrais is it is simple learning. It's the feel good way to feel even better!" - Barri Sanders
"I love this work. It's deep, subtle and whole. I am so thankful for my lessons with Prisca. I am astounded by what I have learned - dumbstruck and happy." - Natalie Goldberg, author
"Prisca and Feldenkrais have helped keep me active the past 10 years ... after doing Awareness Through Movement I find I can Focus in my various areas without the stress or effort I used to make to Concentrate! Hurrah!" - Ann Sudlow
"Feldenkrais starts your whole life moving in new directions, with new choices on every level of your life. You must experience it. I have become more aware of my physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Feldenkrais has had a tremendous impact on my life. It has taught me to really listen to myself. I now know I need not stay stuck in pain. It has helped me see that I have choices, that my patterns of movement, my patterns of emotional "sludge" can change." - Janie Cutliff
"It's so pleasant having a body, before it was a pain, now it feels effortless. I could feel everything after my first lesson. I feel like a woman. I have toes, feet, a body awake instead of numb." - Vanessa Gleason
"Thank you for an excellent Feldenkrais seminar. I am sure my skiing (and general living) will improve as a result. You are an excellent teacher - your ability to keep a monologue going for two days and keep it interesting is superb. I loved it. You bet I'd do it again!" - Jim Isham
"Prisca's Feldenkrais work has led me to discover previously unaccessed possibilities in movement and has heightened my physical awareness dramatically." - Teri Koss
"Prisca's lessons have greatly sharpened my skill at seeing and correcting stance and movement patterns in my students. My own skiing has become lighter, less strained and more fluid since I now trust movement and kinesthetic sensations, instead of relying on verbal images of fixed positions for my learning and playing style." - Deb Kanter
"The subtleties of The Feldenkrais Method are rich and can gently deepen the awareness of Yoga. Feldenkrais has refined my teaching as well." - Jennifer Ammann, Yoga teacher
"I feel like I can stand up straight without any stress." - Gwendolyn Upchurch
"It makes you realize how complicated you do things when they are so simple." - Sarah-Maya Côté-Jirik
"I tried everything. I attribute my ability to lead an active, athletic lifestyle to the Feldenkrais lessons I have had." - Suzie Schwartz, ski instructor/musician
"This work is more profound than I can even express ..." - Jennifer Morrison
"Things really moved in me - I felt so relaxed and focused - inwardly calm and generally wonderful." - Michele Huff, lawyer (workshop participant)
"It's the healing process which seems to work with my body's own intelligence." - Diana Whitney, Ph.D
"The cumulative effect of years of participation in Feldenkrais has given me huge relief from stress and tension. Who needs a fancy spa when you can get this feeling right here? (Awareness Through Movement class)" - Mary Burns
"Often, after ATM classes and FI's, I feel like a well-oiled machine ready to hike, dig, lift and crouch in my garden, bend over to feed my goats, dogs and pig, clean the house, etc. -activities that at various times had been excruciating and nearly impossible ... I am convinced that Feldenkrais has kept me out of a wheelchair. Instead last fall I made it up 3 nearly 13,000 ft., very steep peaks!" - Silvia Rennie
"It is amazing to witness the increasing intimacy with which, through Feldenkrais, one comes to know one's ankles, knees, hips, waist, backbones, ribs, etc. (And, of course, the BREASTBONE!). And the better one learns to differentiate between them, the better one will be able to move them in non-injurious ways ... Feldenkrais has given my creaky joints a new lease on life." - Silvia Rennie
"Feldenkrais has changed me physically (the way I move) and also mentally (the way I perceive movement). I see it in action every day - from watching my dog move to seeing my baby take his first steps. You have to experience Awareness through Movement to truly know what it means - in body and in mind." - Nel Iliohan
FROM FELDENKRAIS PRACTITIONERS TOP ↑
"There is nothing like a workshop that puts theory into practice. I feel the journey through awareness that leads me into a length and freedom that is truly me." - Lara Lanphier
"Prisca attended to everyone's needs without being condescending or judgmental. Her passion for teaching inspires her students to become their own teachers and bring a similar passion into their work." - Lara Lanphier
"Prisca is one of the most inspiring dynamic practitioners. She was first my student, now my colleague. I am proud to be a witness to her evergrowing competence, her unequivocal and passionate commitment in presenting the Feldenkrais Method. Her practice and understanding of our method seem to me of the highest quality, maintaining the wide scope of our thinking and acting in relating to people, yet applying the specifics of our competence with and within movement. Not many practitioners manage this delicate sometimes elusive balance." - Yvan Joly, Montreal, Canada
"Prisca has considered in depth the application of the Feldenkrais Method for dancers. I appreciate her clarity in presenting challenging ATM's, and in bringing to light the difficulties that dancers face. In her workshop I found new inspiration for working with performing artists." - Bethany Cobb, CO
"Very, very, very enlightening and clarifying ... my thinking was stimulated and I came away with a much better sense of functional anatomy, i.e. how the body is built to move and how certain misunderstandings of how the body works can lead to the training of a dancer that will be injured, frustrated or never fully expressive. Understanding how the bones are so beautifully put together gives me a greater understanding of how my thinking and misconceptions were affecting my movement. Being able to visualize how the spine can twist, turn, flex, and spiral helps me organize my thinking and therefore my movements more clearly. THANKS!" - Alice Brydges, CA
"Fabulous!!! I wish more teachers would be exposed to the ideas presented ... I think that injuries would be reduced, dancers would find the freedom to express themselves and the artistry of ballet and other forms of dance would grow. The emphasis of respecting the individual (student) but still giving them what they need to have 'proper ballet technique' is unique and valuable ... having attended four consecutive years I know how valuable the information is. Every year I learn something new!" - Heidi Gucinski Menocal, MD
"I came home relaxed and full of ideas ... thank you for a superb workshop! I learned completely new things ... I learned about the importance of the chest and the ribcage for movements of pelvis and legs, which I consider very important for my form of dancing and my teaching. The whole experience was like and intense working body and mind on holiday." - Anne-Lore Zimmerman, Germany
"Prisca's Intelligent Injury-Free Dance workshop was Transformational, Enlightening, Inspiring, Profound ... I cannot recommend it highly enough ... The marvel of your workshop is not only that you answer so many questions, but also that you give us the strength and faith to hold the unanswerable ones lightly; and let them take us onward in our own explorations. Thank you, thank you, thank you." - Barbara Forbes, NYC
"Prisca teaches workshops that are essential to anyone who wants to gain a clear understanding of how to help dancers with what they need to be able to do, and will even clarify what the inner dancer in all of us is capable of doing!" - Barbara Forbes, NYC
"Your caring and commitment come through clearly, and the careful construction of your presentations let's the audience know you respect them and value their time. You have a kind and strong presence but don't have to dominate the room to be heard, people want to listen to you." - Kevin Creedon, NY
"The workshop was very helpful and I will strongly recommend it. Through direct experience I felt how dancers can train and dance in a less injurious way." - Karen Summers, NM
"Prisca has been extremely successful in developing her practice in Taos and has created the reputation of the Feldenkrais Method in Northern NM. Her success is clearly the result of the quality of her work and the depth of the presentation of workshops and classes over the years." - Carl Ginsburg, NM/Germany
"One of Prisca's major strengths is her ability to communicate with students and colleagues; she is engaging, articulate, respectful and caring. Her lessons are clear and well-paced. And, she demonstrates an active desire to learn as well as to teach." - Cynthia Allison, TX
"Prisca's observation skills are keen; her touch intentional; and her willingness to learn with her students refreshing. She works with a masterful balance of compassion and detachment." - Diana Whitney, NM
Prisca Winslow
PO Box 2714
Taos, New Mexico 87571
phone 575.779.7169
email info@moveintobalance.com
The terms Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, and the Feldenkrais® logo are registered service marks of the FELDENKRAIS GUILD® of North America. Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher(SM) and Guild Cerified Feldenkrais Practitioner(SM) are certification marks of the FELDENKRAIS GUILD® of North America. ∞