Category Archives: horses, dogs & more

Aug14

River/Body is here

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On Saturday, during one of our last rehearsals for River/Body, Cole, a young student from the Marvelwood School asked us two wonderful questions.  Cole is part of a team of young videographers working with their teacher, Ben Willis to create a documentary about the making of the dance.

First, he wanted to know if we had ever considered bringing something unexpected – an object, a surprising prop – into our performance.  He observed that the scarves we manipulate are wave and water-like, but wanted to know about something “outside the box”.” Dillon, one of the dancers, loved the idea and said, “Like what?  A refrigerator?”  We all tried to think what those unexpected things might be and how that would change the performance. Actually, I think Cole just gave us an inspiration for the next iteration of River/Body.

Secondly, he wanted to know if we had ever done any kind of ‘nature-art situation” before. So we shared with him our exprience of dancing with horses.  To me, dancing the river is similar in many ways to the equine dances.  We are entering and communicating with a different physicality.  Riding the currents of that different body.  Enngaging with the body-mind of that other being.  And yes, we see and feel the river is a being.

On Sunday we had to make a firm decision about whether to perform in a river that had become so high and fast running that we could not safely dance with her.  I have known horses like that.  It is important to know the limits.  It is disappointing not to dance in the Shepaug, but we were also happy to return to the beautiful Housatonic and know that all of our performances would be held kindly by her watery body.

UPDATE: all performances will take place at North Kent Road, Kent, CT

August 18 & 19 and August 25 & 26 will be performed at the river access at North Kent Road, Kent, CT.  We are limiting attendance to protect the site and work within the concerns of the town, so you will neeed to reserve your FREE ticket HERE.

Please join us.  We have made something beautiful, something surprising, something moving.

Thank you to Housatonic Heritage, Housatonic Valley Association, Berkshire Taconic Foundation and our loving individual donors

See you at the river!

 

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Mar15

horses helping horses

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Here is some new information from our website about how I am working with horses, riders, and equine-centered organizations.

Horses Helping Horses is a program that uses performance and educational programming to raise awareness about compassionate, mindful equine practices rooted in the shared language of movement and touch. Paula Josa-Jones/Performance Works works with equine-centered organizations of all kinds to develop compassionate outreach programming that expresses the heart of the horse. Working with equine partners as both teachers and performers, we offer a wide range of programming options, including:

If you are interested in any of these possibilities, please Contact Paula.  

You can also make a DONATION to support this work — Your contribution helps us to make this work available to more equine-centered organizations.  Thank you!

 

 

 

Mar13

embodied equine experiencing

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Version 2my daughter Bimala with two sweet mules

Yesterday I made some big changes to my website.  I felt that it was important to differentiate my ways of working with horses and humans. Embodied Equine Experiencing is the new name for the equine-assisted work that I am doiing with clients who are recovering from trauma of any kind, or who wish to become more settled, easeful and confident in their lives, by becoming more conscious of what their bodies are communicating. This work is an important dimension of my book, Our Horses, Ourselves: Discovering the Common Body.

Connecting in an embodied way with horses opens us to discovering our authentic selves and learning new ways of settling and balancing body and mind. Horses can help us become more comfortable in our own skin, more trustworthy to ourselves and others. With their help, we can find a more reliable sense of physical and emotional balance, resilience and ease. I integrate my skills as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner and Somatic Movement Therapist into this work.

Embodied Horsemanship, on the other hand, is oriented toward horse owners, horse enthusiasts and riders. Rather than focusing on “fixing” the horse, I look at where the rider may be holding habitual patterns of imbalance or tension, offering specific exercises to help release resistance and find greater ease and flow. Often these restrictions arise from the simple size difference between horse and human, and the fact that our default is often force, rather than a more subtle and soft approach to our horsemanship. When we have a deeper awareness of how our body (and mind) are responding, and how those responses are affecting the horse, we can more easily unravel whatever may be inhibiting both communication and performance in the horse and the rider. This work can be an important adjunct or support to your regular training.

If ou are interested in exploring either Embodied Equine Experiencing or Embodied Horsemanship, please contact me.

Feb28

Capprichio, part 2

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1M0B9095bwdancer Ingrid Schatz with Capprichio ridden by Brandi Rivera

Thanks to all of you who expressed your kindness and concern for Capprichio.

He had his echocardiogram recheck on Monday.  Dr. Javsicas said that based on the initial review, and what she could hear, it seems that there had been no measureable decline in his heart health.  She will compare the first ultrasound, but felt that he was doing well.

Yesterday I rode him for the first time in over a week.  I could feel his ripples of excitement and enthusiasm as he lifted himself up into a little piaffe.  His canter was powerful, delicious, extravagant.  He wanted to go go go.

So we will keep dancing, Capprichio and I, but both of us must listen even more compassionately to our bodies, and remember that the heart of what connects us is deep and sweet  – far more to do with being than doing.