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Dates: January 15-18, 2026

Location: Arts on Site

12 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

3rd floor, Front Studio

Thursday, January 15 – 2-6pm

Friday, January 16 – 2-6pm

Saturday, January 17th – 10am-2pm

Sunday, January 18th – 10am – 2pm

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Embodied Thinking Think Tank 

A group of embodied researchers – dancers, therapists, equine trainers, medical researchers, musicians and scientists - will convene in a NYC studio for a 4-day intensive exploration into shared somatic experiences.

Our research foundation will be the assumption that we are all cpable of equisite Physical Listening

The group will engage in creative brainstorming, networking and creating strategies for bringing this research into other arenas beyond the field of dance. 

 

Research Premise

Humans who love to move, perhaps have chosen movement as central to their profession, 

naturally have, or have developed developed dynamic constellations of embodied intelligence that are integral to how they

make decisions, strategize, organize, lead groups and communicate.

What are those skills?

I want to know more about those skills

How might those skills might be applicable, useful in other fields

 

Equus Projects' interspecies work with dancers and horses calls for heightened multi-sensory listening,

To practice that heightened listening as well as fine-tuning our improvisation tools, we developed a studio practice i

we have come to call Physical Listening. 

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Our Think Tank will begin with a Physical Listening warmup, adaptable for all curious movers. 

Sessions will progress into a progression of embodied explorations,

with each day focused on a specific inquiry:

SPACE

WEIGHT SENSING

TIME, DURATION, RHYTHM, PULSE

TOUCH

ETC.

 

Why host a Think Tank?

Explore the range of our embodied intelligence

Develop language to describe the soft skills of Physical Listening'

Brainstorm possibilities for applying embodied knowledge

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Research Topics

What are the primary elements of embodied intelligence?

How can we verbally define those skills, expand that list?

How are these skills useful in arenas beyond athletics, dance ?

What are our transferable skills and how can we translate those into non-dance modalities?

Brainstorming the creative potential of our embodied intelligence?

Bring Physical Listening into medical practice

Social Emotional Learning in the schools?

Conflict Resolution

Other Possibilities

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Possible Outcomes

A curriculum for Physical Listening Training

Each participant writes a brief essay or article about what the work inspired them to think about, do, enact

Submission of essays to professional journals,

Research and conclusion essays assembled into a small book

A list of other physical listening collaborators

Ideas for how we can put these ideas into action

 

Example: Carl Flink at University of Minnesota has been collaborating with Joe Odde, a UM Biologist for ten years.

                       Flink and Odde have devised a practice they call BODY STORMING, bringing dancers and scientists together to                           physically brainstorm scientific concepts, theories and processes.

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 2026 Participants

Joan Bradford - Dancer, Interspecies Researcher, Extensive training in Laban Movement Analysis​

Robin Collen - Dance Emeritus, Faculty SUNY Potsdam, Former Dance Chair, Laban Movement Analyst​

Joey Columbus - Dancer, Choreographer, Soloist with the Limon Company, Guest with Company XIV

Sarah France – Ice Dancer, Instructor & Director of Outreach for Ice Theatre of NY, Performer with Equus Projects ​

Jenny Greenough - Acupuncturist, Equestrian and Equine Trainer​

Matt Henley - Associate Professor of Dance Education, Columbia Teachers College

Jessica Michal – Rutger Mason Gross Faculty, Equus Projects dancer

Jordan Patt - Dancer, Equus Projects Company

Nick Smith - Athlete, Contact Improviser, Marshall Artist, Educator

Hannah Swardon - Associate Professor, Dance Department Florida State, Tallahassee, Womens' Studies

Madelyn Wansong - Dancer, Gymnast, Equus Projects company

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 2025 Participants

Joan Bradford - Dancer, Interspecies Researcher, Extensive training in Laban Movement Analysis​

Margaret Brackey - Dancer, Choreographer, Equus Projects Company, Anna Sokolow Company

Robin Collen - Dance Emeritus, Faculty SUNY Potsdam, Former Dance Chair, Laban Movement Analyst​

Shana Corrada – Dancer, Educator, Arts Advocate,Tampa Dance Rising Founder, Equestrian ​

Sarah France – Ice Dancer, Instructor & Director of Outreach for Ice Theatre of NY, Performer with Equus Projects ​

Jenny Greenough - Acupuncturist, Equestrian and Equine Trainer​

Matt Henley - Associate Professor of Dance Education, Columbia Teachers College

Jessica Michal – Rutger Mason Gross Faculty, Equus Projects dancer

Roberta Samet - Therapist, former dancer, PT performer with Equus Projects

 

A modest stipend will be paid to each Think Tank Participant.

JoAnna Mendl Shaw

A performer, an educator, a choreographer and an arts advocate.

Teaching: Juilliard, Ailey, NYU/Tisch, Cornish; And in academia – Mount Holyoke, Princeton, Montclair State, Rutgers

Physical Listening: NYC weekly LABs, Stanford School of Medicine and in the Dance/Theater Departments 2024-25. 

Choreography: Traditional stage works; over 50 works with the Equus Projects throughout the USA and in Europe.

Ice Theatre of NY, Swiss Gymnastics Federation,  .

Student of natural horsemanship. Laban Movement Analyst (CMA).

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