Understanding our body as a fluid entity,
a laboratory of exploration to the mind where
different layers and rhythms are the reflections
of the elements running and taking place in our bodies.
Water, wood, fire, earth and metal, the 5 elements
used in the traditional Feng Shui to balance,
attract or repel energies,
an elegant framework to work with the human character,
cycles, temperament, and illness.
Each of us contains one or two predominant elements
that dominate our character corresponding to an energy vibration,
through music,
we create systems that move and connect with other systems,
rippling outside in the universe in a specific pattern that will click
with the energy of the cosmos.
5 Rhythms is a map to tap into the elements of our body with music,
and its practice is based on the idea that everything is energy,
that moves in waves, patterns, and rhythms.
It is a healing practice to channel through our bodies the stuck energy,
to bring clarity to our visions, to dismantle our fears, to find joy in our hearts.
The map is built by 5 different Rhythms:
Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness.
The sequence of the 5 played in this order is called" the wave".
Flowing is a metaphor for Water and is the opening sequence
in our map, represents the awakening of a new day,
with mostly instrumental, uplifting, soft, and short individual beats.
Staccato is the metaphor for Wood, growing from a seedling,
it is the high energy of “getting things done “,
connecting intentions with other dancers,
opening awareness to space, bringing steady beats
with forwarding momentum.
Chaos is the metaphor for Fire when the day is in full swing,
the deepest feeling in the relationship with the song,
allowing the body to move chaotic and lose the mind,
big and popular songs with high intensity and tempos,
playing with archetypes, animals, dark-light, revealing the masks.
Lyrical as Earth that supports and nurtures, having some conscious fun,
bringing connections among the dancers/community,
using the high energy created during Chaos to keep the bodies moving
allowing more space to the body while still being expressive in the dance.
Stillness is the Metal, structure, and order,
it is the time of the day to slow down,
to step back into the quiet comfort of ourselves to rest and recharge,
integration of the whole ride with little or no defined rhythms,
more ambient with the openness of the dialog after the wave.
How do we relate our physical body and
our emotional state through
meridians and organ systems,
how we dance is how we heal,
dance is open to any age, physical condition or
level of expertise.
" 5Rhythms is a movement meditation practice
devised by Gabrielle Roth in the late 1970s.
It draws from indigenous and world traditions
using tenets of shamanistic,
ecstatic, mystical, and eastern philosophy.
It also draws from Gestalt therapy
the human potential movement and transpersonal psychology.
Fundamental to the practice is the idea that everything is energy,
and moves in waves, patterns, and rhythms.
Roth describes the practice as a soul journey,
and says that by moving the body,
releasing the heart, and freeing the mind,
one can connect to the essence of the soul,
the source of inspiration in which an individual
has unlimited possibility and potential ". Wikipedia
“My work is a marriage of art and healing
meant to catalyze wholeness through dance,
song, poetry, ritual, and meditation.
I have learned through suffering and experimentation
how to transform daily life into sacred art “ (Roth 1989:2)
Dance has been one of my biggest tools
for many years to heal so many traumas from childhood,
to reveal compassion and find more in peace with myself;
coming from a trance/ rave background,
with training in modern and jazz dance, Butho and theater,
finding 5Rhythms has given me a language to express a transformation
in my life and body over the years,
a supportive community that mirrors
each of us as only a family does.
