Movement for Climbers Class at North Boulder Park with Alexandra Lockhart

This all-level movement class focuses on building strength, coordination and flexibility through various cardio, floor-work and movement exercises. While honing in on joint mobility and core activation, we’ll explore how we can use momentum, centrifugal force and gravity to our advantage, while finding explosive action when necessary, as well as softness in active rest. Throughout class, we’ll practice exercising our ability to move in a calculated yet instinctual way, how to use energy efficiently, and how to trust the intellect of the body. This class will open up an opportunity to experiment with movement, its correlation to climbing, and how they benefit one another.

Class Objectives:

• Practice awareness of the self in relation to the physical space and surroundings
• Activate full flexion and extension of joints
• Practice pulling vs pushing the body through space
• Find opposition and spirals in the body
• Determine how much force to use, or not use, through certain movement sequences
• How to utilize anchor points (hands/feet) on a surface
• Practice generating power from the floor and core

Outcomes:

• Improved hand/eye coordination, foot/hand coordination -
• Strong utilization of the core and center as the powerhouse for movement -
• Awareness of pushing vs pulling through space -
• How and when to practice active rest -
• Full body awareness

Guidelines/Attire:

• Loose fitting clothing
• Water

Teacher Bio:

Alexandra, originally from Colorado, earned her BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, during which she also trained at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, Australia. She has worked professionally as a dancer and choreographer on a variety of stage, film, and immersive productions throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, and has taught professionally for 15 years. Alexandra was a company member of DIAVOLO Architecture-in-Motion in Los Angeles, and is an immersive performer with Cinereal Productions. She was an invited participant of the Arctic Circle Art and Science Residency, a sailing expedition in Svalbard, Norway studying climate change in the Arctic, and was awarded an artist-in-residence position with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, CO. She has been a guest lecturer and teacher at the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Dance Department, and Michigan State University. Alexandra is the founder of Move To Protect, an environmental dance organization that creates dance films and performances in order to bring awareness to areas in need of protection and preservation. Currently, she is working as an Art and Science Consultant for the Southwest Research Institute for the NASA PUNCH space mission. https://aelockhart.com/. Instagram: @Aelock12

Host or Publisher prAna Boulder