Happy New Year!
I don’t know about you, but 2022 did NOT start off the way I dreamed it would. I ended 2021 with a enthusiasm and a plan, ready to jump into action. But 2022 had different plans which included me and the kids getting sick, car trouble, and a rocky return to routine and schedule and organization of any kind.
While I was recovering, the rhythm of our life felt jarring and uneven. At first I was just locked into rest, without the energy or ability to do anything but lie down. When I started to feel better I would have a burst of productivity, followed by the need to sit down for a long time. The stop-start-stop-start was so frustrating and made it feel like it took more work to do even the simplest things.
It’s really made me think about the need to create better systems and routines for myself and my family so that we have more ease in our lives.
Actually, it reminded me of the dance concepts of FLOW and ENERGY. When I was recovering, the organization of my day had BOUND FLOW. Tasks happened in a stiff and constrained way. There was no flexibility. There were SUDDEN bursts followed by a need to stop completely. Stop and go. Stay focused and contained or freeze and do nothing at all.
Now that I’m feeling better, everything is running more SMOOTHLY. I’m setting up routines that help me move FREELY from one part of the day to the next. Of course, when I need to, I am able to tap into sharp energy and create a bound flow container where now I can accomplish things from start to finish (instead of getting stuck and needing to stop part way through). Then I can ease out of it into the free flow of the next part of the day.
I know this is a more abstract, real life application of the movement concepts - and that is a big part of why I love teaching movement through this lens. It allows your body to have a kinesthetic experience of an idea that can sometimes (especially for children) be challenging to grasp.
I hope you enjoy the dance activity I’ve put together for you to explore this concept!
Sweater Weather
Concept: Flow - Free and Bound
Music recommendation: Benny’s Bugle by Bill Frisell
It’s wintertime but you’ve grown since last year. Now your sweater is TOO TIGHT! Dance like your sweater is holding you stiffly and making it hard to move. Your arms feel stiff and it takes so much effort to lift your shoulders. Your chest needs extra energy to press forward or backward or bend. Now you try on your snow pants and they are also TOO TIGHT! You walk with rigid steps. You try to bend your knees to march and it’s you’re walking through deep snow, but you haven’t even left the house yet! You are moving BOUND FLOW.
Let’s take off those too tight clothes and try on a new sweater. Oh no! The new one is TOO LOOSE. You can be floppy and your arms can fly up and down and all around so easily. Your chest and back are free to wiggle. You try on your new snow pants and they are also TOO LOOSE! Your legs can wobble and swing. You have so much extra room you can keep moving and moving and never feel like your clothes get in the way and make you stop. You are moving with FREE FLOW.
Teacher tip: If you’re using this activity as an Exploration of the Concept, remember to give time for dancers to experiment and imagine how they would move their bodies in each outfit. You can call out what you see to give new ideas to the other dancers in the class. If you are using the activity as a Developing Skills activity, feel free to add in some more skills based movement as dancers move in each outfit. Some examples could be: skate, jump, waddle, tiptoe, fall, kick.
If you loved this activity, you’ll love Read it and Leap: The Seasons activity collection: 20+ seasonally themed, story based dance activities that spark imagination, build a movement foundation and develop skills that you can plug into your class with less than 5 minutes of prep time.