While developing ideas for the book on movement observation and analysis that became Beyond Words, I knew that I did not want the text to be narrowly focused for a movement audience of dancers and athletes. I wanted Beyond Words to be a book for anyone whose professional activities involved face-to-face interactions with people, a text that could help professionals of all sorts understand the nonverbal dimensions of human interactions.
If the book were to succeed, I needed a collaborator, someone who was sensitive to movement and, at the same time, able to contribute other professional skills and perspectives. I managed to persuade Professor Kaoru Yamamoto, an educational psychologist and experienced writer and editor, to take on this project. He has been my friend, my partner, and a friend of movement study ever since.
In addition to his labors as co-author of Beyond Words, Dr. Yamamoto is a founder of Motus Humanus and has served on the Board for over two decades. He has been generous in contributing time, energy, and professional expertise. He uncomplainingly handles administrative chores, teaches in advanced seminars, advises on research grants, and shares his considerable writing and editing experience on publication projects.
Dr. Yamamoto has not become a movement analyst himself, and, if anything, maintains a critical perspective on the state of the field. Sometimes this is challenging. It is much more comfortable to hang out with like-minded folks, especially if you belong to a cognitive minority. But as the following blogs demonstrate, our best friends not only provide generous support – they also challenge us to dig deeper and go farther.