Movement Ritual: Remembering the Body

 

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Check In

 

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Introduction

 

Anna Halprin conceived movement ritual as a series of structured movements that helped to release tension, expand range of movement, and spark creative expression. In today's class we will explore movements that will help us create a community ritual. Our ritual will be based on movement metaphors, the creation of a group myth and the subsequent consolidation of our ritual structure (Beginning, Middle and Closing).

 

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Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the different ways of looking at dance
• Explain the meaning of personalized self-body as metaphor for the big collective body
  
• Gain an awareness of the concept of group myth 
• Experience the creation of a movement ritual
  

 

IV

 

Main Lesson

 

1

 

Moving Toward Life: Five Decades of Transformational Dance.

Page 245

The theater world is more inclusive than dance in Western culture, particularly when it comes to using movement connected to feelings. In the dance world the reaction I often get is that "this is therapy not dance." I've never found this prejudice in the theater world. I search for real-life-as-art. I want the personalized self-body to become the metaphor for the big collective body. I don't like the way ballet, modern and even post-modern dance armors the body personality by abstracting feelings, content and physical movement. It becomes formalized art, feels distant from life, it doesn't involve me.

 Question 1

Why would the personalized self-body be important in the creation of a movement ritual?

 

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Moving Toward Life 

Editor's Note (Pages xvi)

 

• 1973 - A myth is a tribal happening created by the unification of collective energy and group consciousness.
• 1974 - A myth is simply an "audience participation event."
• 1886 - A myth "embodies a personal and collective vision of how we see ourselves and the world.
• 1993 - Myth is more specifically defined as "a narrative pattern giving significance to our existence whether we invent or discover its meaning
  

In general, when expressed in words, a myth is a story; in sound, it becomes music; in visual images, a painting or a sculpture.

Through the shaping of matter, myth becomes a dwelling, a village, a temple, an altar; through physical movement, a dance or drama.

 Question 2

Based on the progression of the concept of myth, according to Halprin, articulate your own definition of myth.

 

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A Note to Remember

 

 Halprin's continual quest has been for a dance of meaning, one that comes from the authentic center of the person dancing (xvii). From the Editor's Notes of this book, written by Rachel Kaplan, one can understand that the main purpose of this work is to search for the place and meaning of the individual and the community, in the body, in the family and in the world. Thus, embodying our stories to feel our lives through the center of our bodies (our heart) is a way to come together in community. This attempt represents the way we therapists can develop central human strategies for survival.

 

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Case Study

 

 Ana Halprin Workshop

 

 Question 3

According to Ana Halprin in this video, which are the two ways of looking at dance?

 

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Discussion Questions

 

1. Why would the personalized self-body be important in the creation of a movement ritual?

2. Based on the progression of the concept of myth, according to Halprin, articulate your own definition of myth. 

3. According to Ana Halprin in this video, which are the two ways of  looking at dance?

 

VIII

 

ACTIVITY

Movement Ritual 

Ana Halprin said that "a dance ritual is a dance with an intention."  Imagine a scenario in which you go to a community in despair with the purpose of creating a dance-ritual that could heal the members of that community. For this, you must engage in a process of exploration, discovery and performance.

 WARM UP

Students walk through the room in any direction, finding pathways between each other.

Eventually, every student pairs up with another student, adjusting their pace to each other.

Then, the two students add a third. They adjust their walk pace to each other.

Finally a fourth student is added. They experience attunement.

They move in a circular motion, around the center of the room. Now the group has to pace their walk so that they do not end up on top of each other.

Students experience attunement at a collective level.

REMEMBER THE BODY

Individual exploration of movement choices in which you recognize your emotions as you release them. 

Close your eyes. Focus on your breath. Be aware of what is in your mind.

Begin to shift weight from one leg to the other. Let the arms follow the motion. Begin to experience flow as you involve your whole body.

Be aware of the movements you experience .

Psychological and emotional healing only happens when you deal with your own emotions; so you dance your emotions; you dance trauma.

 BACK TO THE GROUP

Gather in groups of four and create a dance ritual.

 Reconnect with your group and share some of the movements you experience.

Try to explain the meaning of your movements so that they become movement metaphors.

Every member of the group now teach other members his/her moves.

Turn those movements into a movement phrase for the whole group.

 

COMMUNITY DANCE

Now, come back to the whole group. The smaller groups teach their movement phrases to the whole group.

The group finds the myth in the movements by giving meaning to every move the group has learned.

The group performs the dance and brings it to a closure.

 PARTS OF THE MOVEMENT RITUAL

Beginning (introduce the theme or metaphor; develop it), Middle (create a climax ; a pulsing) and Closing (consolidate the ritual with the achievement of the group-body).

IX

Journaling

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Glossary

XI

Sources

 

Halprin, Anna (1995). Moving Toward Life: Five Decades of Transformational Dance. Wesleyan University Press

 

XII

STUDENTS' WORK

 

 Myth

 

 1

Sydney Diloreto, Kemeria Baraso, Itzel Cuevas

 

Our myth showed the cycle of our daily lives and how it consists of high and low energy. We start our day of well rested and ready to take on the challenges ahead, but over time we get worn out and tired. It's okay to hit those lows and take time to revive ourselves so we can get back up and seize the day!

 

2

 

Allie Hopfenberg, Lauren Lusardi, Kayleigh Lumia

 

 

Our group of three's myth in our opinion was similar to the group's collective myth. We started with the movement of rising up and stretching out and then lastly pushing away what does not serve you or oneself. The overall idea/movements that are found at the beginning of a cycle that could either be based on a day-to-day way or life. 

 

3

 

Emily Tano, Kaitlyn Bitting, Sarah Aframian, Ari Brattolli

 

There's a myth to life where there is a cycle of positive and negative events. However, one has to realize that it is a reacuring cycle and that they will eventually overcome the hardships that come their way and life will go on. The story that we came up with in our group is how we first started out the day very tired, but then realized that there's ups and downs to life and we need to go with the flow and bring ourselves back up.

 

4

 

Anna Swirski, Sophie Hussain, Rachel Fein, Maya Broadwater

 

The myth is that everyone can struggle day to day with unknowns and anxiety. It can either be a good or bad day, but everyone has both. But at the end of the day, you can relax and put your mind at ease, wake up tomorrow, and see if it gets better.

 

5

 

Sofia Campos, Tiernan Trout, Sheamus Yuwen, Ambi Pu

 

Annoying things happen, but you will always find someone or something you love to support you, then you will make it through the day