Anna Halprin (born Hannah Dorothy Schuman) was an American choreographer and dancer. She helped redefine dance in postwar America and pioneered postmodern dance as an experimental art form. She referred to herself as a breaker of the rules of modern dance.
In the 1950s she established the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop to give artists a place to practice their art. Exploring the capabilities of her own body, she created a systematic way of moving using kinesthetic awareness.With her husband, landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, she developed the RSVP cycles, a creative methodology that includes the idea of scores. Her creations included Myths in the 1960s, which gave a score to the audience, making them performers as well, and the highly participatory Planetary Dance.
Influenced by her own battle with cancer and her healing journey, Halprin became known for her work with terminally ill patients as well as creative movement in nature.
Martha Beck, PhD ~ The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self
