Image Description: Audre receiving proprioceptive therapy on a massage table, taken at an angle from above Audre’s head and shoulders. Audre lies down with her masked face toward the ceiling. Laura’s arms extend toward her in the frame, making gentle contact with Audre’s upper rib cage underneath her collarbones and the depth of her shoulder girdle. They are both thin white femmes wearing neutral colors. Soft pink light surrounds them. Photo by Mae Eskanazi.

Somatics/Preparations with Hyp-ACCESS

Thursday, March 25 at 11am-12pm EDT
*Join Hyp-ACCESS in conversation with Angie Pittman, Angie Hauser, and Jasmine Hearn on Wednesday, March 24 at 6pm EDT

ABOUT THE CLASS:
Awareness-Based Neuromuscular Re-patterning (ABNR) is a new Hypermobile-accessible somatic practice designed by & for people with widespread hypermobility (greater than normal range of motion in 4 or more joints), chronic illness/pain, & disability. ABNR combines sensorimotor theory with values of Disability Justice to safely address connective tissue related sensory imbalances & create a space to practice self-dialogue in relation to access needs. ABNR is applicable across disciplines as a framework for minimizing risk of subluxation/dislocation & other injury. Coordination is addressed through sensory integration & sensitivity rather than repetitive prescribed movement aimed at ‘strengthening’ to ‘heal’. Class includes sensory integration activities, discussion of connective tissue anatomy/function, & strategies for proprioceptive re-education. Accessibility = centering disabled knowledge & community - making things more accessible for everyone.

​ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
A partnership between Hypermobile Crip creators, Laura Tuthall (she, they) & Audre Wirtanen (she, her), Hyp-ACCESS is a Disability Justice project reimagining models of care across body-related fields in response to the unique need in each for Hypermobile access. Widespread hypermobility indicates a diverse set of multi-systemic conditions that affect ~20% of the population - the most neglected in modern medical history. This reality is likely due to medicine’s eugenic origins, the demographics most affected, & aesthetic fetishization in dance. Hypermobile movers with varying Disabled and non-disabled identities are everywhere in dance & somatics, but without tailored accessibility & care resources. Audre & Laura run access programs in the arts, medical advocacy, & somatics, are accessibility consultants for dance organizations & policy groups, & run IRB-approved research to test methods efficacy & further research ethics.
www.hyp-access.com
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