Seónagh Kummer, Ph.D., RSMT
As a mentor, facilitator & speaker, Seónagh inspires through the arts of dance and somatic movement.
I enjoy speaking about my passions for dance, somatics and community resilience. Somatic movement and dance are not only wellness and artistic practices, but these are also frameworks for creative adaptability and understanding how to live in right relationship with self, community, ancestors and the earth. By grounding resilience in the body and exploring concepts of belonging and care in relation to the ecosystems where we live, we create spaces for empathy and flourishing in relationship.
Actions we take, both within our own bodies to be in presence and in our communities to support positive change and non-violent economies, creates an effect and impacts global changes we need to see. Somatic dance offers a discipline and practice to help us navigate dramatic changes in our world and where we can thrive together amidst instability and distress. Dancing or moving together breaks isolation, creating spaces where people feel seen, connected and valued. We can learn an embodied presence that helps us regulate stress, strengthen our capacity to stay grounded and regulate the nervous system.
I offer a curriculum and training in therapeutic movement systems, which is at the intersection between embodied ecology, dance somatics, and indigenous reconciliation. I work with partners and friends who are attracted to participate in a healing movement, or who want to form alliances and take actions that help repair relationships and protect the beautiful ecosystems where we live. Ceremony and mindful movement activities create spaces for empathy and responsibility, and help communities remember how to stand together. In this work, people heighten their understanding of how to live grounded in beauty and resilience while honouring the profound wisdom and resilience of local Indigenous communities who resisted assimilation over generations.
“Dance can be utilized as a healing practice that creates meaningful awareness of our patterns. Somatic processes re-educate the neuromuscular system, help train leaders to be more adaptable and embodied. These guided movement practices are complemented by other work I do with clients involving writing, visualization and mindfulness.” —Seónagh Kummer, Ph.D., RSMT
Seónagh offers talks and leads workshops in the areas of:
• Embodied Leadership
• Mindfulness, Wellness and Embodiment
• Dance, Social Justice and Non-violent activism
• Dance—Creativity, Choreography, Creative Process
Selected Speaking Engagements
