Interview with Kristina Fluty, GL-CMA and Assistant Lecturer at DePaul University
EEIC: What made you want to become a GL-CMA?
Fluty: I was entering the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling graduate program at Columbia College Chicago, and I wanted ALL of the tools that were being offered to ensure I became the best therapist possible. I was also curious about expanding my own dancing and choreographing skills, having been a pro for ten years prior to entering the program.
EEIC: How do you utilize the skills you acquired through GL-CMA training in your work?
Fluty: Currently, I am a full-time assistant professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University. I teach movement to actors in the BFA and MFA programs, and I use all of the Bartenieff Fundamentals and Effort/Shape theories in my teaching. I got the job because I am a GL-CMA!
I also occasionally take on private clients for movement coaching, creative process coaching, and decision-making guidance (I also am a Registered Movement Pattern Analyst) through Kinespark Consulting, my own small company.
Another endeavor I have recently begun has been Intimacy Consulting for theatre productions. I use a blend of LMA, Contact Improv, and my own interpersonal skills to make sure that intimate material is safely developed/choreographed, rehearsed, and performed.
EEIC: How do you utilize your GL-CMA training in your everyday life?
Fluty: My Laban/Bartenieff knowledge aids me in my own movement health, guides me through interpersonal interactions, and generally keeps me from losing my sanity in this very body-unfriendly world we live in. 🙂
EEIC: What words of advice do you have for those considering GL-CMA training?
Fluty: GL-CMA training will expand your movement repertoire and give you tools to guide others in their growth. Not matter what context you are working in or plan to work it, you will grow as an artist and person.
EEIC: What memory sticks out from your GL-CMA training with EEIC founders?
Fluty: I would have to wrack my brain a little more for specifics, but I can say that Stacey and Lisa are two of the kindest and most knowledgeable instructors of the Laban/Bartenieff framework.