What is the 5Rhythms Practice
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. The series is designed to lay out the map of the 5Rhythms —and allow the dancer to explore an uncharted territory or their movement and dance. The 5Rhythms dance practice was developed in the late 1
970s by Gabrielle Roth; an urban shaman. The practice itself is simple, there are no steps to follow. The teaching is deep. And it comes from the dancer's wisdom and embodiment of the rhythms. In this series, we will explore each of the 5 rhythms, not for its mastery, but for its medicine. We will co-create a space to experience the rhythms of flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness (also known as a 5Rhythms Wave). The dance space is substance free and also talk-free. To learn more about the 5Rhythms wave, see https://youtu.be/8cYYzcTzm6Y?si=MqvjorS4g9Z3uQBW
Why Dance the 5Rhythms
When one of my best friends asked me to join them in a 5Rhythms class, I said “no thank you” for almost a full year. Then, my friend said “it’s not a dance that is just transformative on the dance floor, it will transform your life off the dance floor” That got my attention and from there, it's history, no herstory. The 5Rhythms can feel like an ecstatic dance, with a map that opens opportunities for personal growth and discovery. Each rhythm is a teacher and you can expect to meet different parts of yourself as your dance unfolds. What to Expect:
Expect to have time to settle in, and move on your own, while also being gently guided by music; verbal prompts or invitations*. Dancers may be invited to deepen your inner dance, or prompted to dance in partnership – brief or extended – or to move as part of a larger group. Each class is emergent. 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 into the dance space; so is the group and so is your teacher. Therefore, each class holds completely unique possibilities. A word about touch, courtesy & consent:
By participating in this class you agree to be a partner in co-creating a safe and brave space for our collective dance practice. Since this dance practice is non-verbal, please make eye contact with other dancers before touch. Even if it’s your best friend or partner, on the dance floor we honor sovereignty. Someone may be having a deep experience, some dancers dance with eyes closed or half mast. Please use our eyes as a means for engagement. If you are not open to touch, please say No, thank you or signal to your partner by offering a Namaste, or arms crossed or by walking away. This class is right for dancers who are:
- In any body regardless of shapes, size, color, age, and ability
- Open to exploring dance on your own, in partnership and as a group
- Mindful of the personal space of yourself and others
- Agreeing to share a substance-free and talk-free space
- Aligned with and consent to the safety, courtesy and guidelines above
Facilitators
Jilsarah Moscowitz fell in love with the Rhythms and with the powerful medicine of this practice on Valentine’s Day 2001. Ten years later, she joined the vibrant, creative, and committed NYC teachers’ community in 2011. Since then, she's had the blessed opportunity to share her love for the magic and the medicine of the 5Rhythms practice with a variety of groups such as seniors, persons with Alzheimer's, women formerly incarcerated, lawyers and other dancers in NYC and Baltimore. https://www.5rhythms.com/teachers/Jilsarah+Moscowitz
