{"id":752,"date":"2021-03-27T10:32:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T11:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/?p=752"},"modified":"2025-06-11T10:10:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T10:10:35","slug":"re-learning-to-deactivate-safe-and-dancers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/27\/re-learning-to-deactivate-safe-and-dancers\/","title":{"rendered":"Re-learning to deactivate: SAFE\u00ae and dancers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The body\u2019s innate wisdom is vast, layered and not something that science fully understands quite yet. Yet, some movement methodologies have gotten close to that comprehensive understanding \u2014 forms such as\u00a0SAFE\u00ae<\/a>\u00a0(or Spine Advanced Functional Empowerment, which includes both SAFE\u00ae BARRE and SAFE\u00ae FLOOR), developed by former Principal Dancer for the Deutshe Oper Berlin Alexandre Munz (and later validated by scientists).<\/p>\n

\n
\"Alex
Alex Munz. Photo by Rufender Kranich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dance calls upon the body\u2019s wisdom \u2014 for strength, safe flexibility, the nuances of artistry and more. Could SAFE\u00ae help dancers better understand their instrument, use it in a safer way and even heal movement patterns that have led to pain and physical limitations? Dance Informa spoke with six dancers \u2014 both present and former \u2014 who have tried the form (either SAFE\u00ae FLOOR, SAFE\u00ae BARRE or both), as well as Munz and\u00a0Sanchit Babbar<\/a>, the first certified SAFE\u00ae Coach in the U.S., to learn more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finding healing<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

SAFE\u00ae FLOOR appealed to Dr. Abbie Doll, a dancer and self-identified lifelong student of movement, when she first learned about it; she thought that it might help her with unresolved hip and back pain. She wanted to take classes with Babbar right away, while he was still offering virtual classes through the pandemic. She\u2019s taken about two classes with him weekly since July 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The form was challenging for her at first. \u201cIt took me several months to \u2018get it\u2019, which felt pretty frustrating for me as a dancer,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cI went through this whole process of wanting to\u00a0perform well<\/a>. Even while benefiting from the practice, it was important for me to be \u2018getting it\u2019, and I was halfway aware that I was missing something.\u201d Yet, over time, she\u2019s been able to find what it\u2019s like to truly move slowly and consciously \u2014 something previously \u201cforeign\u201d to her. \u201cIn the past, I thought I would be doing yin or slow movements, and I had no idea. I was moving slowly but with fire energy underneath,\u201d she shares.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dr.
Dr. Abbie Doll. Photo courtesy of Doll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The result? Doll has found increased mobility in her spine (particularly in her thoracic spine, an area where she previously had trouble finding mobility) and much improved sleep. \u201cSAFE\u00ae was one of the first practices that asked me to really get into my body, and to stay with my body,\u201d she reveals. \u201cTo not try to \u2018fix\u2019 or change what I was doing to create a certain line or aesthetic\u2026to slow down and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisette Ballard, a former dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet, started feeling relief from the sciatic pain on her left side almost immediately after beginning SAFE\u00ae FLOOR sessions. She believes that some of that pain resulted from harmful patterns in her ballet training \u2014 and that SAFE\u00ae, such as through its frequent use of spirals, has wisdom that ballet training can fruitfully call upon. For example, turnout involves the back, Ballard notes (the psoas, a key rotator, attaches to the T12 vertebra, Babbar explains).\u00a0Additionally, from SAFE\u00ae,\u00a0Ballard has also taken away the idea of the body suspending from the spine, rather than purposefully placing everything (which can create rigidity for some dancers).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of all, Ballard has enjoyed the process of \u201cdeactivation\u201d, something Babbar will often encourage in his classes. It\u2019s about releasing rigidity and letting the body\u2019s natural patterning take the lead. Overall, it\u2019s made a big difference for Ballard. \u201cSAFE\u00ae FLOOR is like peeling an onion; you feel better with each layer you peel, but as you go deeper, then you really start healing yourself from the inside-out,\u201d Ballard explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Lisette
Lisette Ballard as Coffee
in Pennsylvania Ballet\u2019s
\u2018The Nutcracker\u2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Victoria\u00a0Psihoyos, of the George Balanchine Trust and New York City Ballet (NYCB), travels a lot for work but catches a\u00a0SAFE\u00ae FLOOR\u00a0session as often as she can \u2014 because she feels herself craving it. \u201cI\u2019m not really sure what\u2019s happening anatomically, but I can feel it in the psoas,\u201d she attests. Moving slowly is not easy for a dancer, especially a Balanchine dancer. \u201cYou get coiled and ready for [movement] to go faster,\u201d Psihoyos notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet,\u00a0SAFE\u00ae\u00a0remains slow and relaxed. \u201cIt\u2019s like a bath for the body, a treat,\u201d Psihoyos says. Unlike dance, wherein one learns rudiments and ultimately choreography \u2014 all toward a specific artistic result \u2014\u00a0SAFE\u00ae\u00a0isn\u2019t building toward any secondary outcome. \u201cIt\u2019s like a metabolism,\u201d Psihoyos adds. Space for silence throughout sessions helps to create this calm atmosphere and steady, serene rhythm. Munz explains how\u00a0\u201cin the silence of the teacher\u2019s demonstration, as well as in the participants\u2019 practice, our mirror neurons work in an optimal way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this space,\u00a0sensory memory<\/a>\u00a0is activated \u2014 wherein memory is built by inner sensation, rather than through messages that something should or shouldn\u2019t be done a certain way, Munz explains.\u00a0As someone acquainted with dance education and holistic movement forms through the years, Psihoyos is also encouraged that Munz has a rigorous and systematic certification process in place for\u00a0SAFE\u00ae\u00a0teachers \u2014 ensuring the sustainability of the form\u2019s integrity, that these sorts of effective methods will remain in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Terri
Terri Stratton. Photo by Zach Stratton.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Terri Stratton, former dancer at NYCB and faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet, has been taking SAFE\u00ae for eight months \u2014 first one class weekly and then two. Like other dancers who\u2019ve started with the form, it took her some time to learn to \u201cdeactivate\u201d. At the same time, she noticed using muscles she\u2019d never used, or at least hasn\u2019t used for some time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet, unlike when using new muscles with other movement forms (skiing for the first time, for example), she hasn\u2019t woken up sore after practicing SAFE\u00ae the day before. Stratton also takes ballet over Zoom, and she\u2019s finding it easier to turn on both sides. In her everyday life, pain associated with osteoporosis has been less of a problem for her. Actions such as bending down to pick up her dog\u2019s water bowl are less painful, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dawn Dippel, on faculty with\u00a0Houston Ballet<\/a>, began taking SAFE\u00ae FLOOR in April 2020, and SAFE\u00ae BARRE soon after. The spirals and release in contemporary dance have always resonated with her, and the same in SAFE\u00ae caught her eye. \u201cI saw the spirals, and knowing how regenerative that is for muscles, I knew it was for me,\u201d she says. Babbar believes that the spirals and release in SAFE\u00ae can help ballet dancers become more comfortable with contemporary dance. In any form, reducing or eliminating muscular tension can help dancers execute fast choreography with greater ease and proficiency, he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dawn
Dawn Dippel.
Photo courtesy of Dippel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Now in her 40s, the form has helped ease some of the pain Dippel experiences from dancer \u201cwear and tear\u201d, she shares. Dippel believes that the deactivation in SAFE\u00ae is key for creating that outcome, because it gives the body the chance to channel and create safer patterns. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a bit slower-paced as a dancer, wanting to really explore movement,\u201d she notes, so the slow pace of SAFE\u00ae exercises also really resonates for her. \u201cIt allows what the brain knows to be true to translate to the body.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dippel has even found herself bringing that deeper awareness into her teaching, particularly with older students who are at a place to receive such teachings. Yet, even eight- to 10-year-olds can begin learning the concepts and physical actions of expansion and spiraling, she notes \u2014 learning that builds the foundation for deeper learning down the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a dancer of any age, \u201cthe body finds release through spirals, and you find your body can go to places you didn\u2019t expect!\u201d Dippel says. Babbar believes that with the spiraling connections that SAFE\u00ae creates in the body, it\u2019s possible to execute any movement that a choreographer might ask for. Part of that might also be greater confidence through opening up the heart area, he notes. \u201cOnce dancers are coming from a place of heart, they can do anything in their body,\u201d Babbar affirms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Going forward, having re-learned what the body knows<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Victoria
Victoria Psihoyos.
Photo by R\u00fcnno Lahesoo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

All of these elite artists hope to continue practicing SAFE\u00ae. Many attested to craving it, and getting emotional from the physical and spiritual connections it offers in certain sessions. They all expressed sincere gratitude for Babbar\u2019s teaching, such as in his unique blend of philosophy, spiritually and anatomy. As described, they also all seem to believe that SAFE\u00ae has helped them to tap into a new wisdom in their body.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Munz, however, is clear that this is rediscovery, rather than discovery. \u201cThey did not \u2018learn\u2019 to deprogram [Western movement patterns]; the spiral movement pattern of the SAFE\u00ae exercises did the job for them. It reactivated their physical intelligence,\u201d he affirms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Munz also underscores how resilient dancers are, being able to perform with grace and integration even while in a state of \u201cpostural imbalance\u201d. But it doesn\u2019t need to be that way. Holistic movement forms such as SAFE\u00ae can lead dancers to work in ways that work in organic alignment with the body\u2019s innate wisdom, rather than in tension with it \u2014 the latter of which can lead to pain,\u00a0injury<\/a>\u00a0and physical limitations down the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sanchit
Sanchit Babbar.
Photo by Maison Munz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Munz is also clear that finding ease and integration in the body can lead to the same in the mind and the spirit, because in truth the body stores emotion. With their body, mind and spirit empowered in these ways, what could dancers achieve? What impacts could they make on their communities and wider world? One thing we do know \u2014 dancers are a force to be reckoned with, and with further potential not to be underestimated.<\/p>\n

For more information on the SAFE\u00ae methods, click here<\/a>. To learn more about Sanchit Babbar and book sessions, visit sanchitbabbar.com<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

By Kathryn Boland of\u00a0Dance Informa.<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Re-learning to deactivate: SAFE\u00ae and dancers<\/a> appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The body\u2019s innate wisdom is vast, layered and not something that science fully understands quite yet. Yet, some movement methodologies have gotten close to that comprehensive understanding \u2014 forms such as\u00a0SAFE\u00ae\u00a0(or Spine Advanced Functional Empowerment, which includes both SAFE\u00ae BARRE and SAFE\u00ae FLOOR), developed by former Principal Dancer for the Deutshe Oper Berlin Alexandre Munz […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":795,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions\/795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supplychainstrategynow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}