Peggy Hackney's: CORE-DISTAL.

"Coming into my innermost core,

all parts of me find relationship.

I experience support within and

life lines of connection through which

I pulsate and radiate bright with internal energy.

I can go out from my core,

because I know I can return.

I am centered, supported by my core." Hackney. P. Making Connections. (pg 67).

I found that when thinking about core-distal, you need to have in mind that the core is 'central'; everything comes from the center and it can always be brought back with ease if your center is engaged at all times. The body is attached by muscles, tendons bones etc, this shows that when you move, no matter how far apart your limbs can go away from the center, they will always be attached. You can therefore reach beyond means and intention.

Various shapes that can be performed by the body are through 'closing and opening', 'condensing and expanding' and 'concaving and convexing'. This includes all movements possible from the center linking to all the limbs. The center/core is our comfort zone.

We begin to think about, What is me? What isn't me? What feels correct? What feels comfortable to myself? This is where we begin to trust ourselves with movement. If we feel lonely or scared we occasionally curl up into a ball (foetal position) gathering at the center. We then know where our comfortable movement lies and where we are outside our comfort zone.

Peggy Hackney refers to the Body-mind Centering as "Navel Radiation", which means that the middle of the body is the central point of control. This is where all of the bodies limbs are connected and this is where the limbs discover relationships and individuality. Peggy mentions a quote in her book about a statement Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen says;

"In the human, the navel functions as a primitive center of control...This pattern is apparent when you are holding a newborn baby. You have to be continually aware of its head, because the baby will suddenly throw it backwards. If you watch, you will see that the movement is initiated not from the neck but from the navel. As the baby snuggles into you, you can also see that their total body flexion is from the navel."

When I am dancing, thinking of core-distal, I imagine that all of my bones are on an elastic string; they stretch away and pull back into the origional position. When this thought is in my mind I can emphasise this in my dancing and perform it to the full. Dynamics help this as you can alter the different relationships that can occur. There is a certain point of restriction and containment in the limbs as they are attatched but you can lengthen the body as much as possible, 'to the beyond point'.