I started my journey at Antioch last fall (2007) with a full load of classes. One of the things I like about this school is that the D/MT classes are focused over a two day period. This allows for people to continue working while they are in the educational process. One of my first classes was Psychomotor Assessment of Children, with Susan Loman. In this class we began the year long process of learning the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP).
KMP is a way to describe, assess, and interpret non-verbal behavior using standardized methodology. This method, while complex, offers insight to movement preferences from a developmental perspective. It can be applied to children, adults, and/or their interactions.
I loved this class and it was very challenging at times. Learning how to describe the complexities of non-verbal behavior is not something that I do easily. However, with persistence, patience, and some extra help I managed to grasp the overall idea and make some progress towards proficiency.
At Antioch, education happens within the context of personal experience. That experience is the process of learning which would include reading, dancing/moving, drawing, writing, and sharing/talking; as well as how it relates to your past, present, and future. One of my personal experiences of KMP is becoming more fully aware of one of my movement preferences.
I prefer to sway. I sway when I do Tai Chi. I sway when I do African dance. Swaying for me is a way to find balance in myself, and where I am. I sway when I do drumming and when I sing. Swaying from an emotional perspective is nurturing and comforting. Below is an image I created after a movement exploration of my hips swaying.
