The Dance of Leadership: Cutting-Edge Management Training Uses Movement and Principles of Aikido

An unlikely combination of dance studio and Type-A executives is the setting for The Dance of Leadership, a management-training workshop led by Lori Darley in Dallas, Texas. Her five-year-old company, The Transitions Coach, uses a variety of techniques that link physical and verbal awareness to communication styles, team relationships and leader effectiveness.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 6, 2006 -- Beginning on Saturday, October 21, “The Dance of Leadership” program will run for four consecutive Saturdays, 3-6p, at MoveStudio, 17062 Preston Rd., Ste. 108, Dallas. In an intimate class setting, Lori Darley, Certified Somatic Coach and program creator, will facilitate this innovative program. Tuition for the four-week program is $200, with “bring-a-buddy,” corporate and group discounts available.

This unlikely combination of dance studio and Type-A executives is the setting for The Dance of Leadership, a management-training workshop led by Lori Darley. Her five-year-old company, The Transitions Coach, uses a variety of techniques that link physical and verbal awareness to communication styles, team relationships and leader effectiveness.

Leading-edge management publication, Fast Company Magazine chronicled a successful workshop led by the world-renowned Pilobolus Dance Company. Their seasoned choreographers led Wharton School MBA candidates in a series of physical exercises designed to demonstrate the metaphors between movement and management styles. (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/84/dispatch.html)

Management training programs have long incorporated a physical approach to team building -- with outdoor exercises, ropes courses and the like. But Darley, co-founder and former director of Dallas’ acclaimed modern dance company Dancers Unlimited, says, “Our process goes beyond what most programs are offering today. The Dance of Leadership combines physical and mental exercises that gently move management teams toward new and innovative ways of thinking and communicating. Our process helps executives remove blocks to peak performance in themselves and their teams, which in turn creates a more sustainable work dynamic. Great leaders know that real change happens when they become willing to step out of their own comfort zones.”

Three decades as a teacher, coach, choreographer and arts manager makes Darley a natural fit for this work, but she is quick to reassure cautious executives who may fear roomfuls of tights and tutus.

"The Dance of Leadership approach is not about ‘dancing,’ but movement is an important part of our process," she says. "After all, movement gets us into action and focused action gets us results. Statistics show that 85% of communication is nonverbal, so you're saying something pretty much all the time -- but HOW are you saying it? In this series, I use movement as a vehicle to take participants from conceptual notions of leadership into tangible practice. These shifts will inevitably increase management productivity, expand employee participation and commitment, improve communication and ultimately, surpass business and personal goals."

For more information, interested parties may contact Lori Darley directly at 214-674-0000 or MoveStudio at 972-732-0206 or www.thetransitionscoach.com to register.

# # #