[1] Born in the United States, she developed an approach to expressive human movement called 'Anatomical Release Technique' in the US and UK,[2][3] which has influenced the practice of dance movement therapy, as seen in the clinical work of Bonnie Meekums,[4] postmodern dance, as exemplified by the choreography of Kevin Finnan,[5] and the application of guided meditation and guided imagery, as seen in the psychotherapeutic work of Paul Newham.
[6] Fulkerson's primary contribution to dance, dance therapy, and guided meditation derives from the way she taught dancers and non-dancers how to use their own mental imagery to motivate expressive movement,[7] which she developed upon the principles and practices previously established by Mabel Todd, Barbara Clark, Lulu Sweigard,[8] and Joan Skinner,[9][10][11][12] evolving her main teachings at Dartington College of Arts between 1973 and 1985.
[13] These teachers developed an approach to rehabilitative physical education, choreography, and improvised dance that had in common the facilitation of healthy and expressive movement through volitional use of imagination, which involved visualizing the structure and motion of the body, and allowing this kinaesthetic imagery to inform the way they moved.
Firstly, she extended the type of imagery used by her students and dancers in both choreographed and improvised dance beyond the anatomical and kinesthetic.
This enabled her students and dancers to physicalize and embody a range of images, including entities, animals, and characters.