Christina Klissiouni studied modern dance techniques in Greece and continued her studies in New York, where she became involved in improvisation and vocal expression. She learned body awareness through release techniques, such as the Alexander technique and Mind-Body Centering amongst others. She has been particularly involved with the technique of Contact Improvisation which is based on touch and contact between the two movers, who, as they explore the kinesthetic experience and the bodily dialogue between them, dance exchanging stimuli following the constantly changing point of contact. Using the laws of Physics, they play with weight and lifting force, the centripetal and centrifugal forces, inertia and momentum. In parallel with dance Christina specialized in body psychotherapy-psychoanalysis (Wilhelm Reich and the Gestalt method) and trained in Shiatsu, specialties which she practices professionally on an individual basis. On her return to Greece with the conviction that when the body is approached with respect and a desire for exploration many intense emotions are liberated and one discovers very important facets of the self, she embodied all of her knowledge and influence from meditation and eastern philosophies into one lesson and called it Awareness through Movement & Improvisation. From 1990 onwards she has systematically conducted seminars and sessions in Greece and overseas in locations such as London, Rome, Berlin, Oslo, St. Petersburg and New York and collaborates with internationally recognized professionals in the same field. Her work aims at the cultivation of self knowledge and expression as therapy which includes the connection of mind, body and spirit.

Each person’s body is a mirror of itself, which reflects how it functions and how it thinks. Awareness through movement and improvisation work at all levels (bodily, spiritually and mentally) and they connect the whole person through the body. Their aim is (1) self knowledge (relaxation techniques and awakening, releasing accumulated tension from repeated movements i.e. bodily use in which one puts more effort into movement without realizing, awakening of breathing, improvement in the connection of the bodily axies and ways for the mover to attain greater support and thus make contact with his/her inner power and with the observer within) and (2) expression through movement and voice using as a medium improvisation techniques. A conscious and enlivened body that is aware of its limitations as the individual is continuously in contact with his/her feelings and his /her needs are expressed with freedom, creativity and respect. Thus the student may both engage in bodily exercise and appreciate how the body functions, train his/her self correctly and improve his / her quality of life and relationships with others.

The group of students is concerned with self knowledge rather than with therapy. Although, on certain levels it does function therapeutically as the student changes and improves his/her attitude not only towards his/her body but also in reference with the way he or she lives. The student discovers new possibilities and awakens his/her inner force.

Part 1: Warm-up In the first part of the lesson, release techniques are employed which aim at becoming aware of one’s body, such as:

The Alexander technique This is a movement retraining technique which is dialectical in nature as teacher and student experience the process of a ‘simple’ movement such as walking, standing upright, or the moment-by-moment movement of sitting down and standing up from a chair. The teacher uses non-manipulative touch to suggest new directions to the body of the recipient. At the same time, verbal suggestion awakens the senses of the student empowering his / her observer within. Underlining how he/she uses his/her body movement or stance at any given moment, the recipient explores the space in the mind and body to reflect his / her habit, he /she feels that which makes him/her understand new ways to bring about change. Relaxing at his/her centre, the student can experience new ways of initiating movement and feels the flow of his/her energy support his structure effortlessly from within. He/She steadily builds more trust in him/herself, change accompanies his/her choices in a more functional way. His/Her feet are in better contact with the ground, the individual’s body acquires ease in its ability to raise itself up, the person is more open to the unknown. As the spine and joints are decompressed from excess tension and stiffness the student moves and breathes more freely in space. There is greater economy of movement which feels effortless. The technique is usually taught on a one-to-one basis. It is not used exclusively in the lesson but the principles from the philosophy on which it is based are used continually.

Contact Improvisation This came into being around 1970 in America and is now used in the biggest dance groups internationally. It is a combination of contemporary dance and martial arts. It contains many elements from Judo, Aikido and Tai Chi related to physics and body mechanics, how to use energy and flow in the dance. This particular art is of concern to amateurs and professional dancers who wish to exercise and develop their bodies and their movement. One can start off with very simple exercises and reach the point where very complex, even acrobatic movements are possible. It is basically for a pair but can be extended to include the group.

In this dance there are two movers who follow the point of contact which continually changes and connects them as they dance in a game involving the flow of movement and weight which are shared between the two. The greater the degree of ease the mover acquires in skills such as sliding, spiral motions, pulling upwards, sliding whilst negotiating centrifugal and centripetal forces, gravity or up thrust, balance and resistance, inertia and momentum, the more secure and alive the individual feels when dancing.

This dialogue is based on feeling, reflexes and imagination. As the bodies connect through contact which continually gives new prompts and stimuli with one mover giving his/her weight to the other, the dancers enjoy falling and flying through the air as they are supported by their partner as they dance. The mover gains experience through the space and assurance, he/she learns to trust in giving and taking support in harmony and comes into contact with perhaps first-time experiences such as feeling like a fish in water or what is like to soar like a bird in flight and moves supplely and easily on all levels in space. It is a dialogue that takes place through movement through which not only is the sense of touch cultivated but all the other senses, the mind becomes one with the entire body which is ready to act and react with greater flexibility and curiosity to the stimuli that it receives and gives in connection with its self and the external environment.

This technique is suitable for men and women alike. It is aimed at amateurs who are interested in creative exercise moving through space, which provides all round enjoyment. The philosophy behind this dance underpins the equivalence of the genders and respect for difference. The technique is used by professional dancers, by amateurs skilled in movement and even people with special needs. Thus this exercise may me used for therapeutic aims too. Men who love the combination of exercise and expression may engage in it.

Body-Mind Centering This has a particular therapeutic nature and functions through the investigation of all body systems with visualization, imagery, hands-on work in partners and experiential movement, through the deep understanding of anatomy and physiology. It was started off in America in parallel with Contact Improvisation by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen who analyzed each system of the body with the aim of making the theoretical knowledge of anatomy and physiology experiential and turning it into feeling and action. The connection between theoretical and experiential knowledge aids greatly in movement.

Initially the movements are directed by the instructor. Usually a theme is given through imagery and each mover explores him/herself through his/her own movements. These exercises help free the movements of the students, help them reach a state of awareness and presence, brings them in touch with that which they feel, improves breathing, helps them to become aware of how they use their joints, ‘opens’ and softens the body so that they can perform movements with less effort and greater flow. Great emphasis is put on the experiences gained though awakening Developmental Movement which endows the individual with forgotten knowledge which exists within him /her and connected with the life of a single-celled organism up to the first movements of an embryo, of a child or an animal passing through all the stages of evolution up to the maturation of the individual.

Part 2 The second part concerns freer movement but always in adherence with the brief given at the start of the lesson. The elements for the creation of kinesthetic dialogue are given to pairs or groups and following the experience a discussion of what was experienced takes place so that it comes to a more conscious level and crystallizes better within.

What characterizes these lessons is how no one lesson is never repeated i.e. in the same order of exercises of investigation of ideas. There is a wealth of ways in which teacher and student may approach each theme. Each contributor learns undertake the investigation of his / her movement with the support and feedback offered by the teacher.

The themes used vary: observation of breathing, freeing of joints, use of visual contact, contacting with movement through the internal organs and kinesthetic qualities, freeing up of the neck or pelvis, the freeing up of the spinal column or the feeling of it in detail, stretching of the muscles, balance between contraction and expansion, swinging and falling, jumping up etc. We use visualization and basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology which are given during the exercise in order to bring theory and experience closer together and for knowledge to become experimentation, feeling and action. Thus we investigate the ways of feeling movement with greater ease, support and naturalness reducing excess tension arising from the unconscious dysfunctional use of the body and posture. One important issue is how the centre of the body is connected (centre of mass) – through the vertical gravitational axis – with the periphery (the limbs). In other words how can movement start from the centre, and radiate to the limbs and from there to the surrounding space or how can it start peripherally and end up in the centre, with a given connection of the centre with the periphery.

Example 1: Thought patterns are reflected in body posture. When an individual walks bent over it means that the pull of gravity is greater than the upward lifting force. In this particular case there is the possibility that problems may be created in the neck and compression in the spinal column and as a result compression of the internal organs. If this posture is frozen it is disfunctionalities may be created within the body (the thorax or heart may have an inclination, the pelvic or thoracic organs may be under pressure etc). The particular posture reflects – at a psychological level – the state of an individual, who may be depressed, who finds it difficult to open up, breath, walk upright reach out better in his/her relationship with life. Walking, posture and the transfer of weight are worked on a lot throughout the lesson. The main aim is to make the student aware of what is happening to him/her, to get in touch with him/her self and body and then to undergo change.

Example 2: If an individual has the tendency to continuously look down, movement lessons will help him/her to understand the habit and also perhaps understand what lies behind the habit, that his/her posture influences his/her whole body and his/her communication with other people. He/She learns to what extent the facial posture influences the bodily posture, the gait, the way one touches when we come into contact with someone else, the way in which we communicate. Through the lesson there is a way to experiment and to see the changes that take place in the body, the general behaviour and psychological state if the student looks at his/her self with greater interest and acceptance and less criticism. When the gaze is permanently fixed on one spot, the body, movement, feelings and communication all ‘freeze’. The student is encouraged through visualization techniques, touch and games to gradually start to look in other directions, his/her movements soften and he/she understands that there are more choices open to him/her. At a psychological level, this make help the breathing, push the individual to have the courage to do things that he/she would not have done under other conditions and to feel emotions which up until this point had been buried.

Give it a try if: you wish simply to exercise, or if you have a bodily problem you wish to improve, or if you suffer from stress and you want to free your movements, improve your breathing, to combine exercise and self knowledge (alternative form of exercise), you are interested in dance and expression (even at a professional level).

In order for one to take part it is not necessary to have any previous experience, knowledge or contact, while everyone can work at a level that suits them (age, physical condition etc).

Self awareness through movement & improvisation is something that is taught in a creative way, this is learned and at some point the student is able to do many things alone in his/her everyday life. There are cases of students who have progressed and trained abroad in therapeutic techniques whilst others have used their knowledge for their own work and research.