Participants' Perspective: the LIFEdance! cycle

By Natasha Colbert and Celine Butte.

Natasha Colbert and Celine Butte, LIFEdance! core faculty and editors of the MOVEit! newsletter, describe their experience of participating in a LIFEdance! cycle of six monthly sessions.

The first session of this LIFEdance! cycle took place in December 2004 at the Jerwood Space, a wonderful setting to work with the theme of 'transitions'. We had time to reflect on the end of the year and Sara invited us to think about 'what we chose to leave behind and what we wanted to take into the new year'.

Transitions

To begin the session, Sara guided us to connect with ourselves, becoming aware of our sense of gravity and the connection between earth and sky. She invited us to meet others in movement whilst staying connected to self. The energy in the room built, supported by Jonny's sensitive and intuitive drumming. The group was then ready to come into the LIFEdance! circle and Sara welcomed both newcomers and those familiar with the LIFEdance! group. She gave clear instructions and guidelines to support the group in creating a safe space for each individual to enter the circle and move with their eyes closed. As each of us took up our space in the centre, the group responded in sound and movement, metaphorically holding and supporting each individual. This very powerful way of working gives each participant the opportunity to see and be seen in a non-judgmental and accepting environment. Throughout the session there were specific times to draw and share personal experiences in pairs and in a group. We witnessed the beauty and depth of each person and experienced a sense of warmth and joy which seemed to be shared by the others in the group.

Personal Power

As we moved into the New Year, we had the opportunity for each of us to have individual attention and to go a little deeper. We were guided by Sara to connect with our personal power and the element of fire. We then explored individual themes through movement, each one supported by others in the group. This journey enabled a shift in perspective on challenging themes and gave us the possibility of moving towards new ways of being. As we took part in each others' story we became aware of hidden parts of ourselves.

Cycles

As we gathered together again for our third LIFEdance! workshop, it was good to see some new faces. Sara introduced the themes of 'cycles', reminding us that everything has its own rhythm, just like a tree that gathers energy over a long time and, when it is ready, comes into flowering and produces abundant fruit. We worked even more closely with the elements this time, starting with grounding ourselves to the earth, flowing into water, then moving with the lightness of air and the passion of fire.

Passing and Presence

In March, more new members joined the workshop to explore the theme of 'passing/presence'. After facilitating a warm up encouraging us to connect to self, Sara gathered us in a circle. She reminded us that we could use LIFEdance! to notice our own blockages and fears, moving through them or embracing them to be more fully in the present moment. She shared with us one of her poems:

'I dreamed I was walking over all of our graves
Yours
Mine
My daughter's

This moment will not come again
Nor any other
One by one
They breathe and pass

So rest into the sweetness of the day
Rest at the still centre of your whirling world

The earth turns
The sky opens
Rain falls
You arise...

Let us dance now
Let us love
Here
At the very heart of life's flowering' 

Connections

Sara encouraged us to use our voice while moving with a partner; communicating in new and creative ways. This month, there was the opportunity to work more deeply with another through staying longer in a duet. This brought our awareness to the dynamics of relationships - staying connected to oneself while connecting with another. Sara encouraged us to slow down our movement as we separated from our partners, assisting us to become more conscious of this process and notice any feelings that may arise. From our own movement, drawing and shared dialogue we were reminded of our personal strengths and resources and how we can draw upon these in our daily life.

Letting Go

In April, with spring in the air, a large group came together. Once again, it was good to have new participants to LIFEdance! 'Letting go' was the theme and Sara invited us to work with it in several ways through dialogue and movement. Working in pairs we first spoke about something that we would like to let go of in our lives: this could be a feeling, relationship issue or an aspect of a practical situation. We took turns as mover or witness, finding a movement or shape that represented our experience of 'holding on', 'letting go', and 'after letting go'. We then came back into the larger group and were guided to create our own improvised dance using these three stages as stepping stones to embody the theme differently. The group engaged with this theme, releasing into a sense of joy, freedom and lightness which comes with the beauty of letting go!

Sign-up for the LIFEdance! newsletter now!!!