The practice of Authentic Movement originates in the discoveries of Mary Starks Whitehouse in the 1950's in what she at first called "movement in depth" and also "being moved" instead of moving”.  Later she named movement "authentic" when it was arising spontaneously, inevitably and belonging uniquely and genuinely to the person moving. The discipline, which eventually came to be known as Authentic Movement, arose from influences and insights from her studies in modern expressive dance with Mary Wigman in Germany as well as in depth psychology at the Jung Institute in Zurich. In turn her influence spread in North America in the world of modern dance and the then new healing art of Dance Therapy.

 

Today Whitehouse's prominent students and, in turn, their students, continue to evolve, develop and refine the discipline extending it into new territories such as mysticism, spiritual practice, psycho-analysis, social action, the creative arts -– just to name a few.