Dark Room Ballet: No Diagram Anatomy Workshop

The Dark Room Presents No Diagram Anatomy
A series of three highly detailed, no-diagram anatomy workshops open to all (with priority given to blind and visually impaired students), no prior experience required.

Workshop Dates:

• May 18, 2024 – The Maxillofacial Complex (Face and Jaw Class)
• May 25, 2024 – The Auditory System (How We Hear)
• June 1, 2023 –The Genu-Femoral Complex (Knee and Thigh Class)

To register, please email info@darkroomballet.com with your name and which workshop in this series you would like to register for.

These workshops are designed for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired people and do not use diagrams.

No prior knowledge of human anatomy, dance, or self-audio description are required to participate, but all students will come away with deep anatomical knowledge, reduced movement anxiety, and tools to start learning how to talk about movement in a visceral way. Let’s get right down to the real nitty gritty!

For each workshop, all students will receive the complete script of the two days beforehand, and the script can be reviewed either before or after the workshop.

Saturday, May 18, 2024: The Maxillofacial Complex (Face and Jaw Class)

This workshop is a complete analysis of the underlying structures, biomechanics, and muscular actions in the human face and jaw. In this workshop, we will use movement, touch, facial expressions, and conversations to not only cultivate scientific knowledge related to the maxillofacial complex, but also initiate a higher degree of body awareness and neurological learning pertaining to how and why our faces move the way that they do. Evolutionary history and the marvels of human variation will also be addressed in this workshop.

Material covered in this workshop will include:

• The underlying structures of the maxillofacial complex
• The biomechanical processes of the face and jaw
• The muscles associated with facial expressions
• The muscles associated with mastication

Saturday, May 25, 2024: The Auditory System (How We Hear)

This highly detailed workshop is a complete analysis of the physical structures involved with hearing, as well as an overview of how the sensory neurons involved with hearing work and what sound actually is. In this workshop, we will use movement, touch, listening activities, and conversations to not only cultivate scientific knowledge related to the auditory system, but also initiate a higher degree of body awareness and neurological learning pertaining to how to listen in a truly active, informative way. Evolutionary history and the marvels of human variation will also be addressed in this workshop.

Material covered in this workshop will include:

• The physical structures of the auditory complex (bones, muscles, connective tissue)
• How sensory neurons provide us information about sound
• An understanding of what sound actually is
• Strategies to develop metacognition around our listening skills

Saturday, June 1, 2024: The Genu-Femoral Complex (Knee and Thigh Class)

This highly detailed workshop is a complete analysis of the bones, muscles, connective tissues, biomechanics, and nerves of the knee and thigh. In this workshop, we will use movement, touch, and conversations to not only cultivate scientific knowledge related to the genu-femoral complex, but also initiate a higher degree of body awareness and neurological learning surrounding this extremely strong but extremely fragile region of the human body. This workshop will address injury prevention and injury recovery! Evolutionary history and the marvels of human variation will also be addressed in this workshop.

Material covered in this workshop will include:

• The bones of the genu-femoral complex
• The muscles and biomechanical functions of the genu-femoral complex
• The connective tissues of the genu-femoral complex
• The nerve and nerve complexes of the genu-femoral complex
• Ways of reducing injury risk and addressing injuries compassionately