Spiral Bodies Technique Workshop Series with Amy Guilmette

Spiral Body Techniques (SBT), developed by choreographer and movement educator Molly Shanahan, PhD, offers an alternative to traditional Western dance training, which often prioritizes rigid form, perfection, and pain. Dancers are typically taught to “hold their center,” pull “in and up,” and imitate idealized shapes—ignoring their body’s uniqueness and accepting pain as normal. This approach can be abusive, reinforcing narrow body ideals and teaching dancers that suffering equals success.

SBT rejects these norms. It views all bodies as dynamic, adaptive systems and encourages movement based on complexity, imagery, and individual expression. It redefines virtuosity—not as machine-like precision, but as fluid, responsive, and organic, like the movement of an octopus or jellyfish. Rather than a site of shame or distortion, dance becomes a space for liberation, healing, and embodied exploration.

You may also like the following events from The Dance and Movement Workshop:

• This Sunday, 14th September, 12:30 pm, Back To Dance: Flexibility in Macomb
• Next Sunday, 21st September, 12:30 pm, Back To Dance: Maintaining Strength in Choreography in Macomb
• This month, 28th September, 12:30 pm, Back to Dance: Applying Flexibility to Choreography in Macomb

Also check out other Workshops in Macomb.