Eric Franklin | |
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| Born |
Eric Franklin
February 28, 1957 |
| Citizenship |
 Switzerland
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| Occupation(s) | Dance and Movement, Somatic Education |
| Organization | Franklin Institute in Wetzikon Switzerland |
| Known for | Founding the Franklin Method |
Eric N. Franklin (born February 28, 1957) is a Swiss dancer, movement educator, university lecturer, writer and founder of the Franklin Method, a method that combines creative visualization, embodied anatomy, physical and mental exercises and educational skills. He lives in Wetzikon, Switzerland.
Biography
He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Zurich and his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. After many experiences as a dancer and a choreographer, and Breakdance, a dance book written with William Watkins in 1984, he has founded the Franklin-Method Institute in Uster, Switzerland. He is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. He has taught at the Zurich Neurological Institute, the New York University, the Royal Ballet School, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Ballet School of the Zurich Opera, the University of Vienna, the American Dance Festival. He has coached both world and European athletes that became champions, and Cirque du Soleil artists in the Franklin Method.
The Franklin Method
The Franklin Method (in German, Franklin-Methode) was founded in 1994 and was originally for dancers. It was inspired by Mabel Elsworth Todd's ideokinesis, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen's Body-Mind Centering and Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga. Extended from the dance field to every kind of human movement, this method combines dynamic science-based imagery, touch, anatomical embodiment and educational skills to create lasting positive change in body and mind, using a range of simple tools, like balls, Theraband, and other daily life objects.
The Franklin Method activates body and mind function through the use of imagery, experiential anatomy and reconditioning movement to improve function. The principal goals are how to obtain dynamic body alignment and how to move the body with maximum efficiency . In every moment, the ideal combination of limbs, joints, gravity, moving parts, connective tissue, and muscles must be found and directed by the brain and nervous system by help of appropriate imagery.
Imagery promotes a neurogenic changement of muscular condition which allows immediate results, before any myogenic (muscle tissue) one. Connective tissue and inner organs are also directly stimulated, with touch and visualization, in order to change posture and to obtain an inner and outer balance. The exercises have a considerable impact on lowering structural stress, too.
The method is taught all over the world, including the Universities of Vienna, Cologne, Karlsruhe, The Boston Conservatory and the Juilliard School in New York City. It is recognized by the health providers in Switzerland and courses are regularly offered at Dance,Pilates, Yoga and Physiotherapy conferences.
Publications
Eric Franklin is author of 18 books, mainly in the mind/body field, which have been written in German and English and translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Here are mentioned the publications in English:
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- Publications by and about Eric Franklin in the catalogue Helveticat of the Swiss National Library
Filmography
See also
- German Wikipedia article on Franklin Method
- German Wikipedia article on Eric Franklin
- Ideokinesis
- Psychomotor learning
- Sport psychology - Imagery section
- Mind-body intervention
- Body psychotherapy
- Dance science
- Neuroscience
External links
Bibliography and Press
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