ABSTRACT “The Missing Gesture” is a preview of a chapter from the upcoming book, Reimagining the Body by Rolf Movement® instructor Aline Newton.
Newton is a long-time student of Hubert Godard and presents teachings from his style of movement education. The discussion starts with a case study of an arm injury. The nuance of the expressive gesture is discussed and compared with instrumental movements.
Editor’s note: As mentioned in the abstract, this article is an excerpt from Aline Newton’s upcoming book Reimagining the Body. It features translated quotes in italics by Hubert Godard from workshop lectures thatNewton attended. They are printed with
permission. Hubert Godard is a Certified Rolfer, a dancer, and a researcher who lives and practices in France; as a manual
practitioner, movement practitioner, and theoretician, he has been a primary influence on the development of Rolf Movement since 1990. He is well known for his tonic function model; he has an inspiring and insightful way of teaching movement and manual therapy. Some modifications to this book excerpt have been made to fit the style of this journal.