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Draft:Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen

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Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen (December 31, 1941 - present) is an American movement artist, researcher, educator, and therapist who developed the Body-Mind Centering approach to movement and founded The School for Body-Mind Centering in 1973.

Early Life

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Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen was born in Miami, Florida on December 31, 1941. Her parents worked for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[1], where her mother did acrobatic acts in the circus such as Roman riding and flying trapeze and her father was a ticket-seller and publicity agent[2].

Growing up around the circus throughout her childhood had a big impact on Bonnie, and the extraordinary acts performed by the people and animals in the circus influenced how she perceives movement and the potential to accomplish physical feats beyond general expectations.

Bonnie began studying dance when she was 3 years old. Bonnie has said that her first language was movement[3]. Her mother was a professional dancer[4] and said that Bonnie danced before she walked[5].

During her senior year in high school, Bonnie taught dance to children with Cerebral Palsy as part of a high school volunteer project[6]. She also began studying comparative anatomy in an advanced science research class where she dissected a cat to learn all the bones and muscles, and compared them to bones and muscles of humans[7].

Career

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Bonnie attended The Ohio State University (OSU) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy[8] in 1963. From 1963-1965, Bonnie worked as an occupational therapist (OT) at Dodd Hall, the OSU rehabilitation center, while also studying in the university's dance major program. She was also sent to study advanced rehabilitation approaches for three months at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center[1], one of the largest comprehensive medical rehabilitation centers in the United States.

In 1965, Bonnie began studying dance in New York with Erick Hawkins, an American modern-dance choreographer and dancer who favored muscular release and free-flowing patterns of movement in a pursuit of effortless movement[9]. She also worked as an occupational therapist at Bird S. Coler Hospital[10] and taught dance at Hunter College[11].

Bonnie worked with severely disabled adults and children as an OT and spent 2 years in Japan helping the Tokyo Government develop a new school for Occupational and Physical Therapists, Fuchu Rehabilitation[12].

She continued her studies with many teachers including: dance therapy with Marion Chase (one of the founders of Dance Therapy)[13], neuromuscular reeducation with André Bernard, yoga with Yogi Ramaiah, and Neuro-Developmental Therapy with Berta Bobath and Dr. Karel Bobath in England. Bonnie was certified as a Laban Movement Analyst by Irmgard Bartenieff and as a Kestenberg Movement Profile Analyst by Dr, Judith Kestenberg[14].

In 1973, Bonnie founded The School for Body-Mind Centering, dedicated to teaching the holistic exploration and teaching of movement based upon anatomical, physiological, development, and psychophysical principles[15].

Awards

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Lifetime Achievement Award from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in 2018[10].

Pioneer Award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP) in 2023[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Official Website". www.bonniebainbridgecohen.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen Extended Bio
  2. ^ Johnson, Don Hanlon (1994). Body, Spirit and Democracy. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 208. ISBN 1-155643-166-X.
  3. ^ Johnson, Don Hanlon (1994). Body, Spirit and Democracy. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 209. ISBN 1-155643-166-X.
  4. ^ Johnson, Don Hanlon (1994). Body, Spirit and Democracy. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 208. ISBN 1-155643-166-X.
  5. ^ Bainbridge Cohen, Bonnie (2018). Basic Neurocellular Patterns: Exploring Developmental Movement. El Sobrante, California: Burchfield Rose Publishers, preface p. vii. ISBN 9780990833932.
  6. ^ Bainbridge Cohen, Bonnie (2012). Sensing, Feeling, and Action (third ed.). Northampton, Massachusetts: Contact Editions, p. 220. ISBN 978-0937645031.
  7. ^ Bainbridge Cohen, Bonnie (2018). Basic Neurocellular Patterns: Exploring Developmental Movement. El Sobrante, California: Burchfield Rose Publishers, preface p. vii. ISBN 9780990833932.
  8. ^ Johnson, Don Hanlon (1994). Body, Spirit and Democracy. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 209. ISBN 1-155643-166-X.
  9. ^ Ajamian, Marissa (May 2018). Stripping Away Archaic Ideologies: Reversing the Disappearance of the Hawkins Technique (Thesis). Department of Dance Undergraduate Research Theses, 2018 (presented at the 23rd Annual Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum). The Ohio State University. hdl:1811/84605.
  10. ^ a b "Official Website". www.bonniebainbridgecohen.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen Curriculum Vitae
  11. ^ Bainbridge Cohen, Bonnie (2018). Basic Neurocellular Patterns: Exploring Developmental Movement. El Sobrante, California: Burchfield Rose Publishers, preface p. vii. ISBN 9780990833932.
  12. ^ Johnson, Don Hanlon (1994). Body, Spirit and Democracy. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 210. ISBN 1-155643-166-X.
  13. ^ "American Dance Therapy Association Website". www.adta.org. Retrieved 16 October 2024. American Dance Therapy Association
  14. ^ "Official Website". www.bonniebainbridgecohen.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen About Page
  15. ^ Allsopp, R. and deLahunta, S. (1996). The Connected body?: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Body and Performance. Amsterdam: Amsterdam School of the Arts, p. 94. ISBN 90-71681-03-3.
  16. ^ "United States Association for Body Psychotherapy Website". www.usabp.org/. Retrieved 16 October 2024. United States Association for Body Psychotherapy
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