ODEM – BREATH MOVES BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT

A BREATH AND MOVEMENT DANCE EXPERIENCE
At the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum

Choreographed by Gerrie Glover and directed by Gerrie Glover and Yurg Roffler.


Practitioners of the Middendorf Breath Work, Breathexperience, presented the art of being
moved by breath. As a group of “non-professional” dancers of all ages and walks of life, they showed what happened, when breath, rather than the will, became the source for movement.
The “stage” was the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum during Bruce Nauman’s art exhibit.
The dates were April 12 6-7 p.m., April 13 4-5 p.m. and April 14, 4-5 p.m., 2007.





T I T L E S



O D E M

1)  PreludeSculpture Garden
2)  TreesGallery B
3)  FreeGallery 1
4)  360°Gallery 3
5)  BGallery 6
6)  EvolutionGallery B
   



Breathexperience is a somatic healing practice and art of living introduced to the U.S. by Ilse Middendorf and Yurg Roffler and the Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience in San Francisco and Berkeley in the1980’s. Ilse Middendorf, the originator of this work, emerges out of the body-mind-spirit movement of the 1920’s in Germany. Her work is internationally recognized as one of the leading practices in the somatic healing arts.

Breathexperience opens the door for us to connect and understand through breath an intelligence embodied within ourselves which can become our guide in healing and can bring ease and balance into our lives.
Breathexperience is the path that shows and expresses this embodied intelligence through movements – movements initiated by breath. Within this is the truth that we can experience how we live our lives.

This intelligence in breath movement becomes visible in the breathdance piece ODEM.

ODEM is Breath. It means more than just breath. It means breath as the movement in the body created by inhalation – exhalation – pause. Breath movement, or the wind of the human spirit, life itself, embodies the belief that our spirit, our soul, rides upon our breath.
When the body is moved by the breath – Odem - soul and spirit become visible. This is what the 18 breath-dancers between the ages of 36 and 91 showed you - their embodied soul and spirit.
An inspiration to find the truth of expression of Self without the imposing component of presenting athletic and acrobatic performance. The athletic component of the traditional dance performance often just represents persona aspects of our expressive being and not what we are in essence.
Any movement that is initiated and defined by breath is showing the truth. Any-body no matter how old or young can show the beauty of their truth through breath.

ODEM, the art of Breath moving, at the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum.
Directed by Gerrie Glover and Juerg Roffler is available on DVD.

Bios of the breath-dancers, all of whom are also breathexperience practitioners:

Gerrie Glover was on the dance faculties of Brigham Young University, University of Wisconsin and the University of New Mexico for 25 year. She was on the Artist in Residency Program for the National Endowment of the Arts, and artistic director of her own dance company for 28 years.  She has been married to Ben Glower for 52 years, with children and grand-children. She is also a church organist and Creative Behavior practitioner.  When working with Breath and Movement, Gerrie experiences the quality of movement from breath, different from movement that is not from breath. Both are often beautiful. However she says, movement from breath has an intriguing and unique quality.

Juerg Roffler is founder and director of the Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience in San Francisco, now in Berkeley, CA. Juerg has trained and worked with Ilse Middendorf at her Institute in Berlin before he came to the U.S. in the late 1980's. Juerg is passionate about supporting the beauty and truth of an authentic movement initiated by breath.  Gerrie Glover  (choreographer/dancer/breath practitioner) and all the participating Breath Dancers helped to realize his vision of creating a piece of Breath Art.

Marty Barclay is a professional gardener and garden designer for 26 years. She has been involved in Breathexperience since 1992 and is a member of the faculty at Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience.

Margot Biestman, MA, is an educational consultant, artist and author.  She says: “When I allow the breath to move me, I am free to be who I am.” This guides me in living my life with passion! She is a member of the faculty at the Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience.

Rinda Burleigh has a background in philosophy and religion, and an MA in Transpersonal Psychology. Now I breathe!

Gretchen Delaney performed with three S.F. dance companies and taught and performed with musician Jim Valley.  She now teaches Breath, Movement, and Expressive Arts.

Reza Farhang, BS, is a registered Polarity Practitioner and CMT with a private practice in Marin/CA.

Diane Foster  Background in religion, earth, psychology, spirituality, monastic life, and something was still missing – ME.  Now I am!

Ben Glover, MD, is a retired neurosurgeon and former medical faculty at University of Wisconsin and University of New Mexico. He attended the University of Utah on football and track scholarships.

Wyatt Gregory, Ph.D., Psychology in Organizational Consulting also holds an MA in Social Work. He teaches graduate school and is currently serving as adjunct faculty for Washington and Webster University in Saint Louis, MO.

Henrietta Harris is a retired Professor of Acting and Speech, Drama Department U.C. Berkeley and SF State. She has performed internationally. She is enjoying aging with the experience of breath.

Faith Hornbacher, MA, artist and teacher, enjoys the inspiration of movement and breath in all forms.  She is a member of the faculty at Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience.

John Howard, an Australian, is currently completing a Ph.D. in performance studies at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, where he also teaches, specializing in voice.

Barbara Moore is a somatic therapist with practice in San Rafael, San Francisco and Sebastopol.

Carol Roghair is a teacher of doorways to the inner and outer for children, teens and adults for over 40 years.

Margaret Shepard spends her retirement from elementary school teaching, exploring herself, her breath, the world’s art and large bodies of water and breath.

Anne Smith is a retired elementary school teacher. She is the Program Coordinator at the Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience and a member of the faculty.

Gina Ora Yoli spent the last two decades exploring movement and dance professionally as a therapist and as a spiritual practice. Now she does these works with breath.