Bridging Life & Art
My name is Hilde Elbers (NL,1979) and I’m a theatre maker, teacher and coach. Based on an extensive background in dance I got more and more intrigued by how people move through their own lives. I lead a diverse professional practice in different fields of the social community, connected to the purpose of empowering people in their lives. In my Theatre making, Teaching and coaching practice I embrace principles of the Life/Art Process Method (Anna & Daria Halprin, US) and Somatic experiencing (Peter A Levine)
The life art process is a movement-based and expressive arts approach that integrates movement/dance, visual arts, performance techniques and therapeutic practices. This approach supports personal, interpersonal and social transformation, teaching new models for health, psychology, art and communication”. An essential believe within this approach contains the power of change by movement and expressive arts practice”. Somatic experiencing is a science-based approach to physical and psychological symptoms of stress, shock and trauma. It works with the body’s natural self-regulating systems.
The human organism constantly searches for balance and safety. Body and pschye evolve, interact and behave in relation to the diverse circumstances they are exposed to. The body remembers and expresses itself in each moment of the day. Body and mind constantly interact dynamically to our intrinsic understanding of the world around us. This bodily and mental wisdom is an endless resource for creation, gaining self-awareness and personal growth to improve the quality of our lives.
Theatre maker
The embodied philosophy above is represented by my core practice of making performances in the professional theatre scene of the Netherlands. Making dance brings this theory, practice and experience all together.
People are in a constant interaction between themselves and their surroundings. I‘m curious about our mechanisms of continuous reconsideration, making choices in full consciousness and complete unawareness in material and intangible existence. In other words, All what comes in between makes it worth to translate in into art. And by making art I challenge the audience to trust on their own senses and personal compass, by the intent to make honest conceptual and authentic choreographies.
That is why my choreographies are characterized by an intense physicality, without losing human representation. Breathing is essential: The act of breathing connects the outside environment with the intangible inner world: Short breaths when we have to run from reality out of fear or taking deep breaths when we are ready to let go. I use the rhythm of breathing as a way to give form and expression to the inner world in embodied performance.
To embrace the occurrence of human processes on stage I work by the nature of rituals. These rituals often make visible the furiously conflicting inner states with a physical language, which creates opportunities to go into transformation. For me these transformations made by people are an essential expression of the art of life. And the art of life is what I want to represent in my artistic productions.
Teacher
As a teacher I am working in a broad cultural domain for over 12 years now. I teach professional training courses and career management workshops as well as self-development trajectories. Regardless the course or topic of my classes the focus is always on coaching and guiding dedicated artistic practitioners and professionals to take ownership in their own learning. In these learning processes I facilitate a welcoming place for discovery with peace and by vibrant energy.
By clarity in assignment, a calm environment but by vibrant energy, I intent to facilitate a welcoming place for discovery so the (optimal) learning experience can take place. I offer course trajectories as well as somatic and creative workshops in mindful embodied practices. Both are adjusted to needs of specific groups or adapted in existing curricula. Depending on the designed teaching course I make use of different disciplines like dance exercises, mindful movement, drawing, poetic writing, integrated voice exercises, communicative ways of reflecting and improvisation methods. The design proposals for teaching trajectories are flexibly organized.
Therapist
The body never lies. Every thought you have that is connected to a feeling causes a muscle movement, sensations and changes in your body. You can say that the history of life events is collected within the body.
As a coach I aim to contribute to your personal development, so you can be(come) free from physical, mental end emotional patterns that are distracting for you. The main goal is to let you discover more sustainable ways to organize your life. Sustainable refers to finding a stable ground to self-empowerment in the fast and exposable world we live in.
My coaching approach is based on 2 methods of working: Body-oriented coaching and Creative therapy. In the therapy sessions I invite you to identify, reduce or elevate your mental and emotional patterns by accessing the body: carefully tracking its sensations and connecting them to verbal reflection. As a client you define the starting point and lead me into a therapeutic frame that fits your needs.
Founded on a range of existing methods from Jungian psychotherapy, psycho-synthesis, Gestalt therapy to creative strategies, depending on your needs. The sessions know a multidisciplinary built-up with integrated forms of moving, drawing, writing and drawing assignments to make your inner world visible in full range approaching all our senses. Based on the trajectory course of the client I adjust the coaching with different perspectives and techniques in body awareness, somatic practice, creative embodiment and mindful healing.
May I remember who I am
As the earth moves beneath my feet.
and new mountains emerge from the depths of the sea,
all that was hidden must now be revealed
with nothing left to cling to
and no one to blame,
I am at last alone with myself.
immersed in the ocean within
while it all rises up to meet me
and so i learn to breath
into the turbulent waters of my emotions
to find the inner anchor that holds still
as the winds for change and uncertainty
Blow through my mind my bones and my world.
nowhere left to run
Right here, right now.
open ready
it is time to return to wholeness
To remember who I am.
