Janet Adler
Janet Adler (1941–2023) was an American teacher and pioneer in the fields of dance therapy, somatic practices, and Authentic Movement.
Early in her career, her prize-winning film, Looking For Me (1968), was influential in introducing movement into therapy for autistic children. This work evolved over her 50-year career, as she conceived and refined the "Discipline of Authentic Movement", an embodied awareness practice with roots in dance, healing, and mystical tradition.
Through decades, Adler sustained an on-going teaching practice, giving many lectures, seminars, and keynote addresses. At the age of 78, she was honored for her lifetime of work at the Somatics Festival 2019, a five-day gathering in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her many years of international teaching have created a wide and growing global community of practitioners.
In 2022, Berlin filmmaker Jens Wazel travelled to British Columbia to interview Adler about her historic contributions and influence on the field of conscious dance, resulting in the film, LIGHT | Five Days With Janet Adler.
Janet Adler's archives are housed at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library.