Course Identification

SENSCIENCE: Improvising with body sensations and science
20238011

Lecturers and Teaching Assistants

Prof. Atan Gross, Mr. Noam Carmeli, Mr. Michael Shachrur
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Course Schedule and Location

2023
First Semester
Thursday, 11:30 - 13:30
06/11/2022
10/02/2023

Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points

Obligatory instruction courses or enrichment courses: Lecture; Elective; Regular; 0.00 points

Comments

The recreation center (where the pool is) in the yoga room (near the basketball court) - ask at the entrance
6/11/22 - 10/2/23
Thursdays 11.30-13.30

Prerequisites

N/A

Restrictions

25

Language of Instruction

English

Attendance and participation

Obligatory

Grade Type

Pass / Fail

Grade Breakdown (in %)

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Evaluation Type

No final exam or assignment

Scheduled date 1

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-
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Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)

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Syllabus

This is a new course that has been initiated by Prof. Atan Gross from the Department of Biological Regulation. Prof. Gross is a Cell Biologist and his main interest is the Biology of Mitochondria and its role in health and disease.

In 2013, Prof. Gross has initiated a course by the name of TNUDA (TNUaa + maDA) together with the Bat Sheva former dancer and choreographer Shahar Binyamini, to explore the connections between movement and science (TNUDA has run for four years).

The new SENSCIENCE (SENSation + SCIENCE) course will take place during the 1st semester in 2021 and will be taught by Noam Carmeli and Michael Shachrur (see their CVs in the attached file). Prof. Gross will also participate in the course and from time to time will talk about his research. 

Course Introduction

SENSCIENCE is kind of an open research laboratory that will try to take the meaning of empirical back to its original sense of perceiving directly with our bodily senses. Furthermore, it will shift our gaze from observing objectively the world outside to exploring our subjective embodied experience, which is always ourselves and the world experienced in the moment. The studio will be our communal lab and we in our bodies will be our private labs as well as the explorer and the phenomena explored. The method of exploration will be movement (dance) improvisation - exploring through sensation and action of the body mind. The lab will unfold improvisationally in relation with the students’ curiosity and desires. Our aim is to experience wholeness, self-integration, vitality and the ability to connect different levels of experience and information. We believe this will promote scientific creativity and connect science to an underlying wisdom.

Course Description

We want this laboratory to evolve as an organic process and so we are not setting the dates and teachers. Noam and Michael have been teaching together for 10 years, and they will participate in each other's classes, teach together sometimes and decide as a team, in dialogue with the group, how to move on from class to class.   

With Michael we will explore discovering and differentiating mind in the body by free movement and presence initiated at specific body structures. He will focus more on Solo movement.

1. Initiation of movement from different felt places of the body - head, neck, elbow, knee, foot, hip, belly, nose, back, etc…Moving the body part and moving the whole body from that part.

2. Initiation of movement from different tissues and systems of the body - bone, muscle, internal organs, connective tissue, fluids...What is the mind of the bones? The mind of organs?

3. Embodying the cellular level - What does it mean to consciously be in our cells?  What does it feel like when we try? How do we try? What questions arise from this experience and how can they be explored experientially and scientifically?

4. The Solo - Moving alone and calling it a dance. A practice of embodiment and individuation.

5. Seeing and Being seen - Moving in the presence of others. Witnessing - How do I see?

6. Mindfulness Meditation & Improvisation - Improvisation as a practice of mindfulness in action and as a practice of non-duality.

With Noam we will explore:

1. Physical attention to myself and to another through touch.

2. Group Composition in the Space

3. Flow 

4. Be-Longing - Being a part of and being apart from.

5. Synchronizing and harmonizing movement with others

6. Timing

Noam Carmeli (1971)

Manager, teacher, dancer, producer (Architect until 2010)

M. Dance from The Academy of Music and Dance, Jerusalem.

Noam has been interested and active for many years in the connection between art physical practice and personal and social awareness. As a teacher he specializes in Contact Improvisation (c.i) and group movement improvisation. Teaches regularly in Israel and around the world at professional dance schools as well as teaching the wide public.

General manager of the “Amotat Hacontact Improvisatsia Beyisrael” 

Co-manager of “Studio Tena”, and one of the founders of “Octet” improv. dance group.

Was manager of “Dancer in the Community” in the ministry of culture.

His thesis and dance composition for his Masters was about group improvisation as performance form and its connection to the feeling of belonging in daily and communal life.                       

Michael Shachrur (1965)

Michael’s main interest in life and as teacher, therapist and performing artist is embodiment as a conscious human creature. He cultivates the development and expression of this embodiment through specific explorations of the body-mind. Teacher and therapist in the somatic arts – practices that involve awareness, movement and touch addressing the body-mind connection. Michael is a certified practitioner of Body-Mind Centering® - BMC (The School for Body-Mind Centering 2002).                                                                                                  

Creator and teacher of the movement practice FoldUnfold Qigong and Movement.            

Teaches BMC, FoldUnfold, contact improvisation and dance improvisation as well as experiential and theoretical anatomy & physiology (for different alternative medicine trainings).             

Sees clients as a BMC and Zen Shiatsu practitioner (London College of Shiatsu 1996).     

Michael performs occasionally as a movement improvisation artist – dancer.

Academic education:                                                                                                                    

B.A Contemplative Psychology, Naropa University Boulder Colorado (2005)                      

M.Mus (Dance composition track) - The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (2012)

Michael has a rich experience in the following body/mind arts: Reflexology (certified practitioner), yoga (certified teacher), Tai Chi, Qigong, Seishin Kitaido (certified leader), authentic movement and sitting meditation.

 

 

 

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:

Generating new ideas for preforming science

Reading List

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Website

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