Early in my LMA Certification Program, I was stretching before class when Irmgard Bartenieff approached me. “You must understand,” she said rather fiercely, “that the greatest muscular tension does not equal the greatest movement!”
The crystal-clear logic of the statement forever altered the way I view exercise. As a young dancer, I somehow came to believe that pain was part of good practice. Slowly, under Bartenieff’s tutelage, I began to understand that good practice does not necessitate tense gripping and sore muscles.… Read More