Frequently Asked Questions...
WHY IS MOVEMENT SO IMPORTANT?
Bodies are made to move, but how do we get into that healthy habit of movement? Many of us spend too long sat at screens when we work online, or in fixed positions- such as gardening- we can get stiff necks, backs, joints and a plethora of health problems resulting from being static for too long. Attending a regular Movement session can create that Habit of Movement. We find ourselves stopping for a stretch or a groove to break up our screen or weeding session. We can tune in to our bodies and move as we work, but evidence says, stopping every 1/2 hour to move freely is important- and it's fun! Here's just some of the evidence:https://www.nhs.uk/.../why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/​
HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT RATE I PAY FOR SESSIONS WHICH HAVE SOME FUNDING?
Movement For Life strives each year to find funding, so we can offer transformative movement spaces to people on all levels of income. However the funding only covers some places and so it is important those places go to those who are truly in need. Sometimes it's not obvious to bookers whether they qualify for bursaries or concessions. Each situation is different of course, and these days incomes have been squeezed for many families, but this diagram offers guidelines to the sort of questions to ask ourselves when booking.
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HOW CAN THIS MOVEMENT PRACTICE ENHANCE MY EVERYDAY LIFE?
Free, natural movement connects us to the present moment; there we can come into our animal bodies, shifting and adapting with our physical limits, with what moves within us and with what is happening in the space around us. Reset to our embodied selves, we leave the dance floor and step into the dance of life, more able to move with what happens there. We may find more connection to who we are and where we are going, feel energised with joy in our aliveness, more able to express emotion, find time to sway with the ripples on the water, leap with the passing breeze, even enjoy the shifting of weight from one foot to another as we do the washing up...
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Dance is connection, connection brings flow and when flow comes into our everyday lives, it is a gift indeed...
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WHAT IS EMBODIED MOVEMENT?
Embodied Movement may also be called Somatic or Conscious Dance.
All of these describe an approach to movement which invites the mover to grow an Inner Sense of the body and an awareness of how they are responding within, to their experience in the world.
There are never steps to follow- each step is the individual expression of this Inner Sense.
The Soul Motion dance practice guides our facilitation; at the core of the teaching is the Solo dance, where the mover is invited to attune themselves to their sensations and move as their body guides them, allowing them to explore a full range from subtle micro-movements to more expansive movements.
IS THERE CONTACT WITH OTHER DANCERS DURING THE SESSIONS?
The Soul Motion approach encourages Movers to tune in with their bodies through the solo dance, and listen into the co-creative space between dancers. Space is a wonderful partner once embraced.
Participants can make a choice from an embodied place in the moment whether they wish to have contact or not.
Sometimes when partnering with another mover there is the invitation from the leader to use touch specifically to support exploration of a range of movement, but consent is always asked for.
In the free flow of the group dancers may move into contact with each other; equally, if a dancer moves away, it is a clear signal that they do not wish for contact.
CAN I MAKE SOUNDS AS I MOVE?
During our sessions, movers are invited to tune into their bodies and explore through movement what is within, moving through tensions and expressing freely what they discover. When we are in the flow of movement sometimes sound arises spontaneously and movers are welcome to let it out. Sounds can help this process of exploration, release, expression; sound vibrations subtly moving within the body and sending out waves which can harmonize with the dance space.
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So, the short answer is yes- tune in and let those sounds flow as you move...
