♥ Welcome to Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms^® ♥

with Sue Rickards.

Some information that might be useful for your first sessions.

This is a simple and potentially profound movement practice and you can’t get it wrong. Or right, for that matter - it’s a chance to explore for yourself and everyone is welcome, whatever limitations or experience you have.

Usually, though not always, there is time to arrive, when music is playing. Use this time for yourself, to stretch, move, let the journey here drop away. We all use this time differently, depending on what we need. It really helps if people don’t chat - it can distract the people around from sinking into their practice - and you into yours.

Wearing socks on this floor, chewing gum, etc, can be dangerous, and it’s a good idea to remove jewellery and watches, especially if they’re sharp or may catch.

Then I or an invited teacher will begin guiding/following - a mixture of teaching the Rhythms and following the energy in the room. Sometimes sessions are easy and comfortable for some people and sometimes not. It all changes - from minute to minute and week to week. Begin to practice staying open to how you feel, whatever it is. Be responsible for the well-being of your body. Drink plenty of water.

I know it can seem unnerving/exciting when you first begin coming. Despite how it looks, not everybody knows everybody - though as time goes by this practice does catalyse our ability to be open and honest with ourselves and one another. There’s no rush for anything. Take your time, go with what works for you. We’re all different and that’s to be honoured and celebrated.

People may be experimenting with being loud, big, bold, timid, intimate, self-contained. It’s fine to move away from or towards someone - give yourself permission to experiment too - in your own way. Use your respect for other people and their process and expect respect for yours.

Everybody came for a first time. If you can, speak to someone (or two or three) at the end of the session, especially if you notice that you’re feeling anything (shy, weird, exhilarated, etc). Ask questions, tell them how you are.

Welcome to this practice J

Gabrielle Roth YouTube videos

Gabrielle Roth Documentary Trailer [1:45]
Podcast From MyPath TV – Gabrielle Roth describes and illustrates the 5Rhythms [3:35]
The Wave: Ecstatic Dance [5:59]
The Power Wave Dance [5:28]
The Inner Wave - Dance [5:00]

	Dance like nobody’s watching
	Love like you’ve never been hurt
	Sing like no one can hear you
	Live like heaven is on earth
	Variously attributed to Rumi, Souza and others

Some information from the Moving Center:

Welcome to the 5Rhythms^®

The Movement Work of Gabrielle Roth

This might help you dive in and enjoy your first experience in the 5Rhythms^®

What are the 5Rhythms^®?

The 5Rhythms comprise a simple movement practice designed to release the dancer that lives in every body, no matter what its shape, size, age, limitations and experience. To find your dance is to find yourself, at your most fluid and creative level. While the practice itself is the essence of simplicity, it has the catalyze deep healing and creative expression.

The primary teaching of this work is: If you put the psyche in motion, it will heal itself.

The five rhythms are flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. They come together to create the Wave, a movement meditation practice. Rather than having steps to follow, each rhythm is a different energy field in which you find your own expression and choreography, thereby stretching your imagination as well as your body. Each rhythm is a teacher and you can expect to meet different and sometimes unknown aspects of yourself as your dance unfolds and your practice of the rhythms deepens over time.

The rhythms are the foundation of Gabrielle’s body of work, a series of healing maps for the body, heart, mind, soul and spirit that provide a lifetime of self-discovery and a path to awakening. The 5Rhythms practice starts you on that journey and is the place to which you will always return.

What happens on the dance floor?

In every class or workshop, there is always a wide range of experience in the 5Rhythms work - from first-timers to certified Wave addicts. In any given class, the teacher will be following the energy in the room. So, while the essential map is one of the five rhythms, the teacher might take the class through the entire Wave or focus on just one rhythm or one facet of a rhythm.
The rhythms themselves are gateways to literally thousands of different movement landscapes. Like the body, they are alive and designed to catalyze the dancer’s movement expression in the moment. You are different every time you walk in the room, so is the group and so is the teacher. Therefore, each class holds completely unique possibilities.

How do I start?

1. Go at your own pace.

2. Be responsible for your own body (stay aware of injuries and limitations).

3. Keep your eyes open to stay aware of others.

4. Dance barefoot or in dance shoes only - no socks on the floor.

5. Move how you feel and stay open to changing.

6. Know that everything that is alive has a dance, and your only task is to find and express yours.

7. Enjoy yourself! (Excessive seriousness may slow you down.)

For further information about the 5Rhythms^® or The Moving Center, see our Links page.

For more information, please e-mail info@acalltodance.com
or text Barry 07941 990761.
If you’d like occasional e-mail updates, please send an e-mail to info@acalltodance.com.

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