‘Moving in Stillness’ through 5 rhythms; a form of mindful moving meditation!
- No partner or previous experience of dance needed
- No steps to learn and nothing to get right or wrong and no judgement from the teacher.
- Do you want to exercise but can’t follow a class or have 2 left feet?
- Are you recovering from illness or injury and want to go at your own pace?
- Would you like to be more at peace with yourself?
- Do you want to be able to navigate the chaos of life more easily?
- You like to dance, have fun and dance at your level!
- All are welcome young, old, fit or unfit.
Could this be for you?…join us to find out…
“Movement is my medicine, my meditation, my metaphor and my method, a living language we can rely upon to tell us the truth about who we are, who we are with, and where we are going. There is no dogma in the dance”. – G.Roth.”
The theme
On the 3rd Feb 19: After the chaos of Christmas and the planning of new year resolutions, we will be exploring ‘moving in stillness’. Thus allowing us to recharge our batteries before the spring when we will have our next event on the 7th April 2019 and the theme, ‘Dancing into the Light’.
The five rhythms
The day will be mostly based on the 5 rhythms dance form, developed by Gabrielle Roth.
STILLNESS in the context of this class is not without movement….it can be a pause to catch your breath, stopping to rest, to take in a view, to wonder at something as you glance outside.
How often do we pause in our busy lives? A pause allows the body and mind to rest for moments; to allow for inspiration, for excitement. So often we frown at our own pauses….what makes us feel bad about taking a little time to breathe?
We will still be in the quiet of winter at the time of the class. The full movement of Spring will not have arrived. It is a time of nourishment, gathering strength to grow, maybe planning changes in our daily life, waiting for the moment to burst into something new.
We will have time to plan, to imagine what could be…. and to let go of anything that we would like to leave behind. This class maybe a way to gather your new ideas and let go of some old ones as we move through a wave (the 5Rhythms’ 5 parts – flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness), and give ourselves time to pause and to be nourished by this.
Mindful modalities
The 5Rhythms’ movement work is a clear and beautiful way to begin the practice of conscious dance.
It is fun, interesting and students can become accustomed to the idea of dancing from your feet. They can discover how they are able to let go of the need to do anything, other than listen to their body and dance from that instinctive point.
In this world of ours, we tend to be taught from very early age about the right and the wrong….once students truly and deeply take on board letting their body express what it needs to, it is joyful and
liberating. When they know instinctively that the body knows what is right for it, in any moment, the practice becomes deeper and the movements reflect the reality of the person moving.
It would be wrong not to say at this point that once a student dances their true reality, then change and transformation will begin.
Open Floor takes conscious dance a step further
A rapid description is pretty impossible but one can say that this practice starts off with being inclusive of the whole person. I have a physical body, I have a thinking mind. I am an emotional creature, which are all part of me. We are also a people who seek another dimension in my life, some would call it spiritual, others a yearning for “something more”. All this the teacher brings every time she goes to a class or a workshop.
The whole of us is always with us, whether we are conscious of it or not.
Another way of putting this ‘inclusivness’ is that every human has a hunger – a physical hunger, a hunger to connect with another, hunger for belonging and this hunger for something else. We work with these hungers and invite and encourage all or any of them to walk in the door. The name OPEN FLOOR is also about “all are welcome whoever you are and whoever you feel yourself to be” when you walk on to the floor.
If you want to do that, then dare to be brave and join us
The music
The music is different each time and is a mix of: electronica, jazz, classical, pop, rock and roll, alternative, some fast some slow.
Booking: places are limited, book now, in the form below to avoid disappointment.
Venue: Liddington Village hall, Swindon, SN4 0HB with plenty of free parking. http://liddington.org/wp/hall2/
Date: 3rd Feb 19 Moving in stillness – the following one will be 7th April
Time: 2pm to 5pm
Investment:
- £20
- Book 2 places get £2 off.
- On the day £22 cash per person
Booking: places are limited to 16 so book now as to avoid disappointment. Fill this form with names of attendee(s) to reserve your place.
You will then receive payment details. For more details call Julie on 01793 495551
Teacher Gay Murphy says:

I am a 75 year old grandmother who first found 5Rhythms® twenty five years ago. It was as if my three year old self was reborn and with her ability to move and dance from within without restraint or self consciousness. I immediately fell in love with this practice. Long years of being physically tied up in knots, awkward and shy fell away as I gradually let go of the inhibitions and literally ‘loosened up’ in all manner of ways.
I was taught by a group of people gathered together by Gabrielle Roth, the founder and the strength behind the 5 Rhythms as we know them today.
After 16 years of teaching the 5Rs I became a student again and joined a movement practice called Open Floor International. Most of the founders of this practice were taught by Gabrielle Roth to whom we owe a profound gratitude.
I am passionate about teaching conscious dance practice; to encourage others to find the ground under their feet and let their wings fly!
When I stand in a hall, I aim to look for simplicity as in;
- Not too much teaching,
- Respect for each student who shows up and allows themselves be moved,
- Courage for myself to let go and adapt my planned teaching at any time to what is going on in the room;
- The confidence to listen to my instincts and to act on them.
- Encouragement and inspiration to the people who have turned out on a cold night!
Surrounding and supporting my teaching is my enthusiasm for these practices and how it touches my heart every time I teach and witness what happens on the dance floor.
On the day:
- Wear loose comfortable clothes; layers to remove as you warm up and put back on as you cool down.
- Dance in comfortable shoes or bare foot as socks are too slippery on the wood floor.
- Bring some water.
For more about 5 Rhythms:
Read:
- What it did for me and why I stared running sessions in Swindon in the evening advertiser article; dance your way to freedom and on my blog about 5 Rhythms events
- Dancing out of depression with 5 Rhythms classes article from the daily echo.
- Shall We Dance? Science Says ‘Go on, It’s Good for You’
Studies have started to emerge on the positive impacts community dance activity can have on different populations, across a range of issues. Huffington Post
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