About the Studio & Practice
I am a somatic researcher, dance professional, and visual artist exploring the biomechanical dialogue between classical dance and classical equitation. My ongoing research, The Golden Thread, investigates how interspecies pandiculation and conscious movement can gently release deeply held postural tension in horses.
Following presentations with the International Dance Council CID, including the Nature and Dance Teleconference and the 64th World Congress on Dance Research in Athens, my work centres on rhythmic entrainment, sensorimotor synchronisation, and classical rhythm frameworks in the saddle and on the ground.
Every brushstroke, animation, and written observation across this platform is rooted in the study of movement, balance, and quiet communication. Beneath every project lies a singular commitment: supporting the lifelong care, dignity, and somatic comfort of my mare, Montana.
AFFILIATION
Member of the International Dance Council CID (since 2003)
FOCUS AREAS
Somatic Movement, Equine Biomechanics, Classical Equitation
LOCATION
Erina, New South Wales, Australia
INQUIRIES
chestnut(at)bigpond.net.au
Parallel Studies in Care & Restoration
This documentation captures a quiet connection between Jennie Moon’s restoration studio in France and my own practice in Australia. In recording the dismantling, structural reinforcement, and careful reassembly of my childhood teddy bear, the process reflects the heart of The Golden Thread: an honest commitment to craftsmanship, the patient release of strain, and returning a structure to balance and ease.