Body
T. Riccio
June 15, 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003686422-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Embodied cognition Section typography Field mathematics Indigenous Character mathematics Foundation evidence Epistemology Interpretation philosophy Human body |
| Key points | Argues that the performer's body is the foundation for a cosmocentric practice that restores embodied awareness and reconnects practitioners with their hunter-gatherer inheritance. |
Abstract
The Body section establishes the performer&s;s physical instrument as the foundation for cosmocentric practice. Through over 100 exercises, explorations, and case studies drawn from decades of cross-cultural fieldwork, this section systematically restores sensory presence and embodied awareness. Beginning with basic relaxation and breathwork, it progresses through rhythm, movement vocabulary, ensemble dynamics, and character development. The methodology reconnects practitioners with their hunter-gatherer inheritance—the 99% of human existence when bodies knew themselves as part of nature&s;s web. Field observations from Alaska, Africa, China, and elsewhere demonstrate how indigenous communities maintain this embodied knowing that Western culture has forgotten.