Moving with the Elements

Moving with the Elements
Thea Beaulieu
Biosonics, 2015

This is a delightful addition to the Polarity Therapy section of your library, although it is not directly about Polarity. Thea Beaulieu is well known in the APTA community, having presented at many conferences in the past and being a steady supporter of Polarity Therapy over the years.

As the book describes, Thea Beaulieu’s primary training and passion is dance, specifically the free-form style of expressive dance promoted by the legendary American artist Isadora Duncan (1877-1927). Duncan is known as the “Mother of Modern Dance” and she has been celebrated in numerous writings, films and productions. Thea is a veteran performer in San Francisco and New York in addition to her Polarity work as an teacher and author in USA and Europe.

In Moving with the Elements, Thea describes a series of movements that use the style of Duncan and also her knowledge of the five elements to create graceful celebrations of the essence of each element. Beautiful photographs illustrate appropriate gestures, rhythms, musical accompaniment and choreography for the five elements. I imagine that these sequences would be especially enjoyable and educational in the context of a Polarity class.

I recommend this book highly for Polarity enthusiasts at all levels, and especially for teachers who want to include more experiential education in the curriculum. The understanding of the elements grows exponentially when they are experienced physically in a playful, supportive setting.