A type of dance which requires no skill and no compulsory lycra, and is open to everyone, regardless of ability or disability, is being brought to Wiltshire.
5Rhythms dance dates back to the 70s, and was created by American Gabrielle Roth as a type of meditation and mindfulness through dance.
A big fan is Swindon businesswoman Julie Nicholls, who travels as far afield as Southampton and Surrey to take part in workshops and classes.
Now Julie is bringing 5Rhythms to Wiltshire, and has invited instructor Gay Murphy to run a free taster session on October 29 at Liddington Village Hall. If it’s a success, more classes could follow.
Julie, who is in her 25th year of running Body Mind Coaching, believes 5Rhythms not only makes her a better coach, but complements her own practice. Body Mind Coaching focuses on helping people lead a pain-free and stress-less life through a combination of massage, counselling and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).
“5Rythmns is perfect for people who want or need to exercise but are put off by classes, perhaps because they can’t follow the instructor, or they worry what they look like, or even because they struggle getting off the floor,” said Julie.
“With 5Rhythms, people can wear what they like – loose clothing is ideal – and they dance how they wish, with guidance from the instructor. It suits people of any age and ability. The beauty of it is that you dance your own dance, within your own comfort zone so there is no need to do anything that strains your body. There are no steps to learn and you can never get it wrong. This brings so much freedom to the body that it frees the mind.”
5Rhythms moves through five different types of music or rhythm – flow, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. The aim is to use movement as meditation and find inner expression. In each section the instructor invites participants to focus on an area of their body but without telling them how they should move, or even that they have to move that body part.
Julie says 5Rhythms helps participants to explore feelings and is therapeutic for the mind as well as the body.
She added: “It is a little like a dance-based version of how I help my clients, by helping heal their mind and their bodies. “
The taster session, which runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm, is free but donations are welcome. To book visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/movement-meditation-a-5rhythms-taster-day-tickets-37101285945. In the afternoon, there is a 5Rhythms workshop for £15.
For more information contact [email protected] or call 01793 495551.
