My Story
Seónagh Kummer, Ph.D.
Somatic movement specialist, choreographer, dance educator and performer, I use a lens of movement research to guide my choreography, teaching and coaching practices. I love to offer workshops in professional and educational settings, open to all levels of dancers. Improvisational practices are an important aspect of my coaching, and as a coach I emphasize how to carry transformative somatic experiences into daily life. My artistic works will often start with a research question or a social justice concern that I explore in dialogue with a community. Likewise, I engage in collaborative processes with dancers and other artists as I prepare movement for the stage, and have developed numerous meaningful choreography projects in this way. As an award recipient or guest artist, I have presented at venues throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Originally from Vancouver, I love to travel the globe, and early on I was drawn to dance somatics and ceremony to overcome my suffering. During my 20’s, I lived in Africa where I first attended a Bayangi dance ceremony, and I saw something extraordinary could be communicated there. After returning to North America I worked in the Northwest assisting indigenous elders, and I saw firsthand how somatic processes re-educate the neuromuscular system. I was personally transformed by the effects of working with sound, breath, movement, and visualization in ceremony. As I watched other individuals growing beyond the effects of trauma, I further explored crossovers between dance/ceremony while training and performing in Vancouver during my 20s. Later when teaching and working with artists on the East Coast in my 30’s I further solidified my commitment to this profound work. Ultimately, I returned to integrating arts of choreography and healing, earning a Ph.D. in Dance at Temple University as a Fisher Center Fellow. I also have an MA in dance/theatre education from the University of British Columbia as a Graduate Fellow.
I worked for over 14 years as a tenured dance professor in New York, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. I loved teaching my students and watching them blossom, but with the pandemic I saw a rising need for somatic dance education among a wider population that was experiencing anxiety and stress. I began directing my attention full time toward somatic coaching, to developing choreography and workshops through Dharma in Motion, and to creating a radical movement of positive spaces for community and human connection.
Mission Statement
Seónagh’s mission is to empower people to rise to their most compassionate selves through the liberation of dance, and to use dance and its effects as a means to cultivate global community dialogue. As co-founder of Dharma In Motion, an organization that empowers women and their communities using dance to raise funds, and as Creative Advisor for the International Gandhian Institute for Nonviolence and Peace – everything Seónagh delivers the message of service as a way of life, and comes in focused making things better and easier in the world.
“Seonagh is an accomplished professional and friend whom I had the pleasure of knowing since the Summer of 2020 in several capacities. Seonagh has many qualities: intellectual brilliance, passion, care, empathy, creativity, and openness. There is one aspect, however, that rises above the rest, which is her sense of social responsibility and awareness about the community where she creates, works and lives. “
“Seónagh is a dedicated somatics coach who helped me personally to find faith in my artistic voice, and provided a safe space for me to grow. Her depth and breadth are driven by wisdom and reason. She inspires me to do good for my community. She constantly seeks new ways to be fruitful, make changes, and always expresses a message of love.”
“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful… This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking”
“Seónagh Kummer was an emotional tour de force, eloquently rendered movement”
“Working with Seónagh has been a transformative experience. As a result of our work together, I’ve been able to more effectively tap into my body’s power, and remain connected to my body’s needs as well as its strength. Seónagh has an incredible ability to sense exactly how to help — her approach is a rare combination of both genuinely nurturing, and truly educational. I can’t recommend her highly enough!”
“I was having a really difficult time during a traumatic event in my life that activated my Complex PTSD. Seónagh offered me a short Somatic Coaching session over the phone. She gave me a simple practice to do on my own using the natal position. Within 24 hours I felt a significant shift in my experience. I was able to respond instead of react to the people involved in the devastating situation.”
em·bod·ied
embodied
Feeling at home in your body. … an ability to be in your body in the present moment, to know and to feel its sensations (emotional and physical).
Knowing how to respond with wisdom…to know a safe and healthy expression of your needs, desires, fears, anger, joys, hopes, and wants.
Life is for living. It’s time to get you out of your own way, and move.
Seónagh leads lots of different dance workshops, retreats and educational events. Check the workshop page for online events, and check back for live workshops when we can be together safely again.
