Preface: This is by no means a scientific article, of which I hope to write one day.  Bridging the connection between Rolfing and dancing needs much more time and space- in my body, brain and on the page, to do it justice.  These are mere broad brush strokes, as my current physiology teacher likes to say, trying to give light and introduction to some very complex topics.  Please read with this in mind = ) 

The first questions that always arise regarding Rolfing® are: “What is fascia anyways?” and “Isn’t in painful??”  To answer in a simple way, our fasciae is a seamless, weblike structure of connective tissues that hold our body together (pictured above).  These connective tissues surround, support and penetrate our muscles, organs, bones and nerves.  If you’ve ever seen a raw, skinless chicken breast- what’s encasing the flesh is a type of fascia.  It’s everywhere!  And it’s uber important in our alignment, function, and how we walk through the world.  Regarding pain- it’s not as painful as everyone thinks.  And frankly, as a dancer when I’ve had bodywork and it’s NOT painful I wonder what’s going on… We put our bodies through so much stress and strain that sometimes it might be a bit uncomfortable unwinding all those deeply bound areas.  But Rolfing can actually be quite gentle, and once the connective tissues give way to the manual manipulation we can achieve a whole new relationship with gravity and dance through the world with greater ease.

Rolfing became my go-to bodywork method when I was living and dancing in Boulder, Colorado, the headquarters of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.  I’ve always had a lot of injuries as a dancer. At the age of 17, I moved to New York City to dance but had a perplexing ankle injury that led me to stop pursuing a professional dance career (I started dancing again after some time studying Physiology).  I’ve seen an uncountable number of physical therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, reflexologists, energy workers, etc. and while they all have something amazing to offer, I am extremely pulled towards the complexity and intricacy that is Rolfing.  I find it very effective with injury rehabilitation and prevention, and now that I am a student at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, a whole new world is opening it’s doors to me.

“Connective tissues, particularly the fasciae, are in a never-ending state of reorganization.  The continuous metabolic interchange made possible through the intimate relation of fascia with water metabolism allows structural reorganization.” (rolfing: The Integration Of Human Structures, Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.)

Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D. (1896-1979), devoted her life to science and the discovery of the body.  This question of hers gives rise to what she was really searching for in her studies: “What conditions must be fulfilled in order for the human body-structure to be organized and integrated in gravity so that the whole person can function in the most optimal and economical way?”.  As you can discern from this question, pinning down a true definition of what Rolfing is somewhat difficult.  Its modalities are shifting, peoples bodies are changing (hello computers and cell phones!), and while the therapeutic technique still delivers a foundation with a ten-hour series of deep manual intervention in the myofascia of the body, many other things may manifest when you receive Rolfing work.  Changing habitual patterns and integrating them into daily experience takes time and diligence from both client and practitioner.

A normal ‘non-dancer’ person may think that dancers are of utmost health- we train everyday, have great muscle tone and flexibility, are capable of extraordinary movements.  In reality, most dancers have a kind of trauma trail; all sorts of injuries they’ve experienced, recovered from, and possibly still need to be aware of to prevent re-injury.  Each trauma gets stored in our bodies, sometimes REALLY deep into the core.  One thing that can arise during Rolfing sessions is emotional association with these traumas.  Many different feelings can come up, and it’s the duty of a Rolf practitioner to create a safe place for the client to process whatever it is that presents itself in a session.  Rolfers are in no way therapists… but they understand the possibility of a psychological component to bodywork.  Mind, body and soul are connected… and through Rolfing one can make steps toward harmonizing their entire being.  

So why can Rolfing be so beneficial for dancers?  Take a look at the picture… it represents a cross-section of the lower leg.  You see the thin white layers surrounding each individual muscle as well as just under the skin?  These are the superficial and deep layers of connective tissue.  When these are tight and bundled they can cause adhesions, to other tissue, to bone, or to themselves.  Unraveling these adhesions can give a new length to the body, more space in the joints and a new ease in movement and breathing (not to mention, dancing!).  Generally dancers are wanting a solution.  When we get injured and we want to get better as soon as possible and back to dancing.  Even if it feels like a larger investment and requires more patience and vigilance than you are prepared for, taking the time to care for our body in a bit of a non-conventional way, like the Rolfing 10 series, can be extremely beneficial.

Rolfing also integrates Rolf Movement ® into sessions which adds a somatic sensory-motor approach to movement education.  The practitioner analyses mobility and postural patterns to help the client integrate the manual manipulation into something long lasting, supported by newer, healthier patterns of movement in everyday life for sustaining therapeutic benefit.

I asked Jane Harrington to share some of her experience regarding Rolfing and dancing.  Jane holds an MA in Dance, was part of the first Rolf Movement training program and is now an esteemed faculty member at the Rolf Institute.

”In my late 20s, I took intensive six week long dance workshops two summers with Bertram Ross, who was a lead dancer for Martha Graham.  The first summer I had been recently Rolfed and found myself somewhat clumsy with out the flow I value.  My body had the new possibilities  but I couldn’t quite access it in motion.  This body confusion required me to move into a more basic level so I could take the time I needed to re-pattern my dance to what my body was allowing. The next year I returned to study with Ross again and had ease and clarity to my movement. Having worked for many years with dancers and elite athletics I now know it takes time to integrate the work into their co-ordination and their understanding of their body in space.  This means I never work with a dancer during a time of performances. Our nervous system and perception of self must evolve to use the new space, length in the body.

My main focus over the last 35 years has been exploring how the structure and a person’s function work together to give us the most pleasure possible while moving thru life. It is my belief that just opening the structure is of little value unless the movement and the experience of living in the new space is also given attention.”

I can totally understand Jane’s experience.  Currently being in the training program to become a Rolfer, as well as nearing completion in receiving my first 10 series, I feel that I need to be really conscious of what I’m doing with my body.  Having the time to integrate the work without maintaining old patterns is extremely important.  If you have the time (and sometimes time really needs to be made…) to address some core issues in your body that you’ve always wanted to deal with, I can only recommend trying out Rolfing.  One of the beautiful things about this technique is that of course each experience is unique.  Where you are in body and mind, the relationship with your practitioner, and the openness you have towards change will all affect what will happen in your sessions.  Dancer or not, Rolfing can help you move towards grace… and who doesn’t want to walk through the world more gracefully?

 

http://rolf.org

Thanks to Jane, Jillian and the Rolf Institute.