About the Author

Arawana's pioneering work as a choreographer, performer and educator is deeply sourced in collaborative improvisation. She currently heads the creation of Social Presencing Theater (SPT) for the Presencing Institute. Working with Otto Scharmer and colleagues at the Presencing Institute, she brings her background in the arts, meditation and social justice to creating "social presencing" that makes visible both current reality and emerging future possibilities. Her dance career ranges from directing an interracial street dance company formed by the Boston Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs in the aftermath of the 1968 murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, to being one of the foremost performers of Japanese Court Dance, bugaku, in the US. She has been Co-Director of the Dance Program at Naropa University, Boulder, CO; and founder-director of two contemporary dance companies in Cambridge. MA. She continues to perform in a multi-disciplinary performance ensemble, originating out of Naropa University and the ALIA Institute, where she currently teaches in leadership programs. Arawana is an acharya (senior teacher) in Shambhala - a global network of meditation centers dedicated to applying mindfulness to "creating enlightened society." She teaches both meditation and art based on bringing out the basic goodness of individuals, of relationships and of society. Ricardo is a social systems designer and action researcher working in diverse global contexts, including Brazil, Australia, India, Mexico and the United States. In his work at the Presencing Institute, he leads the SPT research initiative, developing action research protocols and tools, to investigate social field shifts and systemic change. He's also currently a part of the SPT Advanced Program faculty, and coordinates the launch of the Social Arts Studio Residency program in Mexico. Ricardo holds a MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design, New York, and is currently a PhD candidate at Monash Art, Design and Architecture, Melbourne. For more, www.ricardo-dutra.com

Reviews

"Arawana Hayashi is a master. She has invented a form whereby people learn to use their bodies to explore, individually and collectively, what the intellect can never fully grasp-the complex social structures we humans create and become stuck in. She has created a wonderful vehicle to guide the journey."-Peter Senge, MIT & Center for Systems Awareness"Arawana's clear and lighthearted storytelling invites us into new ways of being together-she explores how we can collaborate beyond words, become more present and aware of the world around us, and sense into the emerging future."-Eileen Fisher, founder, EILEEN FISHER, Inc."This book takes you on a remarkable journey into uncovering the link between embodiment, awareness, and social systems. As Arawana describes her process using Social Presencing Theater, we experience how our own movements can be problematic, or hold the key to creativity and coherence of the whole."-Wendy Palmer, Leadership Embodiment"Making a True Move is an eloquent and inspiring affirmation of the power of art as spiritual practice and agent for social change. This profound and multi-layered book offers a balm for our turbulent world."-Meredith Monk, composer, performer, interdisciplinary artist"Making a True Move is a fierce and gentle contribution at a moment when we desperately need to reconnect with our own bodies and to make sense of the collective body, the human community. This book is both a treasure and a prayer."-Dr. Angel Acosta, Director of Fellowship, Garrison Institute"Throughout Arawana's graceful teachings are the qualities of inspiring, visioning, and guiding people through the movement of life-movement of learning, movement of change, movement of manifesting."- Larry Yang, author of Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community"It is not easy to write about a lived, embodied experience; but Arawana's deep connection with spiritual roots and her long-standing dance practice enable her to share in a very expressive way the essentials of Social Presencing Theater."-Tho Havin, Director of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan"This outstanding and beautiful book presents Arawana's experiences and wisdom in an inspiring and uplifting way."-Steen Hildebrand, Professor, Aarhus University