SOMA #6: Exercise Breakdown with Ashley Johnson & Kana Nemoto
Dates: Tuesday June 30th & Thursday July 2nd
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Cost: $20 per class
Join us for this focused 1-hour evening class where we’ll break down select exercises from the Itcush Method. Each session will highlight a few key movements, with rotating instruction from Ashley and Kana.
We will explore the purpose, structure, and technique behind each exercise to support deeper understanding and embodied practice. This class is open to all, and especially recommended for those attending the 5-day intensive.
Instructor Biographies
Kana Nemoto: Kana is a certified teacher of the Mitzvah Technique (MT) and Itcush Method (IM). She holds a B.Sc. in Health Science from Japan and moved to Canada in 2009 to immerse herself in MT and IM training. She later supplemented her training with a related M.Sc. study in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan to deepen her understanding of movement of the body. Kana integrates scientific principles of movement with a gentle, embodied presence that invites curiosity, ease, and connection. Her work also includes exercise coaching and specific hands-on techniques to release muscle tension, open constricted joints, and deepen awareness of how we use our bodies.
Since her certification in 2014, Kana has offered private sessions, group classes, and workshops in Japan, Canada, and Taiwan. In addition to her bodywork, Kana is a dance artist with a background in classical ballet and contemporary dance. She recently joined the Japanese youth and community dance group, Queen City Musubi, and leads Yosakoi dance practices in Regina.
Ashley Johnson: Ashley is a somatic movement educator (RSME), hands-on bodyworker and dance artist based on Treaty 4 territory (Regina, SK). She is certified in the Mitzvah Technique/Itcush Method with Amelia Itcush and Toshie Okabe.
She is a graduate of the Grant MacEwan dance program and holds a BA in dance from the University of Calgary. Her work is also informed by years of study in Los Angeles with Emilie Conrad in Continuum Movement, high performance training with Kinesiologist Shauna Romano in Calgary and mentorship with martial artist Ronnie Yee.
Since 2011 Ashley’s has been involved in community based art and somatic practice in early education centers, schools, libraries, galleries and clinics. She helps people develop more integrated, easeful movement patterns by reframing posture, mobility, and rehabilitation through a somatic lens. She regularly teaches at New Dance Horizons Dance Core.
For more information, visit: www.constantlyseekingsoftness.ca
