Dear Benita Cantieni,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your truly moving work.

I first came across Cantienica in a book when I was 17. In the eight years that have passed since then, your images, insights, and fundamental assumptions about the body’s intelligence have guided me through my senior year of high school, my period of uncertainty afterward, and ultimately through my studies in contemporary dance.

Since money was always tight, I absorbed everything I could from books, interviews, and the internet; I took a few detours along the way and sometimes it took me longer to recognize my own mistakes. But my fascination with the depth and intelligence of your ideas never wavered.

My body, in particular, wanted me to keep exploring it. During my dance studies, that was sometimes difficult; although the dance world is characterized by hard work and a demand for precise differentiation in movement, there is often little room for the subtle, deep impulses from which the movement of all body parts springs.”

After I graduated last year, I unexpectedly—it really took me by surprise at the time—became pregnant. At first, my dream of a career in dance was over. But since I was able to keep dancing throughout my entire pregnancy, my son was born this May, following a home birth that had to be terminated and replaced with a C-section.

It’s a long story—one you’ve probably heard many times. But the reason for this letter lies in the period from shortly after my birth until now. After my body—which had been so responsive in recent years—suddenly became weak and injured, feeling alarmingly different, the Cantienica impulses (that’s how I summarize for myself the internal movements, the exercises, and the principles) were a healing and encouraging tool for me. Through them, the gentleness of movement that my body needs to heal was able to take root within me.

I’ve slowly started dancing again, and it feels like I’m diving into a whole new universe. My body seeks out—and sometimes finds on its own—the Cantienica impulses within the dance’s large, complex movements, which often require a great deal of muscular strength.

It may sound sentimental, but I am filled with a deep, joyful gratitude that you are sharing your discoveries with the world and that I stumbled upon them. After finishing my studies and finding myself in the situation of being a pregnant dancer, I was unsure where my path might and would lead. But with this new approach and the discoveries of the past few weeks—through the combination of your insights, the accompanying sense of lightness, and contemporary dance—I’ve been able to find the confidence that an exciting adventure within and with my body is just beginning.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I admire your courage, your consistency, and the vitality with which you share your knowledge with the world. To be honest, I also feel a childlike sense of wonder and admiration for you. I wish you continued joy—or rather, boundless joy—in your work and a wonderful summer.

With warm regards from northern Germany to Switzerland, and with renewed gratitude,

Eloise