Title of the activity
Everyday Movements
Duration
10 – 45 min
Participants
No limit
Activity proposed by
Vimmart – Inclusive Art School
Aims
The aim of the exercise is to produce a variety of movements.
Material
No special materials are needed. The space should be as accessible as possible to make the exercise easy to move around.
Preparation
No special preparation is required. If necessary, you can use music to support the exercise. On the dance floor, you can use a chair, for example, for support.
Steps/Instructions
- Participants choose their own place in the space. The facilitator asks participants to do an everyday activity that they do in their daily life. An activity could be, for example, brushing your teeth.
- The facilitator asks the participants to change the movement, for example, from extremely large to extremely small. The tempo of the movement can be changed to slow or fast, or the movement can be done sitting, lying on the floor or on a different part of the body.
- During the exercise, participants can also be encouraged to move around the space using different variations of the movement they have found.
Evaluation method
Observing the group is important. Finally, it is worth sitting down and discussing the feelings and thoughts that the exercise evoked.
Hints/tips for facilitators
Participants should be instructed that the “everyday movement” must be active. It cannot be, for example, sleeping or sitting.
If necessary, start by discussing which daily movements are common to the group members, this may make it easier if it is difficult to decide on a movement.
Variations
The exercise can also be used to develop performances or scenes.
Example: Divide the group into smaller parts, each group taking turns in front of the audience. Each group is divided into smaller groups, each group takes a part. The group then performs an improvisation together, interacting with the space and each other, using their own everyday movement and its variations to their advantage. The facilitator can also choose to reduce the size of the performance space or bring objects on stage for the dancers to use (chairs, tables, mattresses, etc.)
The exercise can also be done in pairs as a movement dialogue.
Method
The exercise is from the Finnish method Tanssi-innostaminen® (transl. Dance animateuring)’
It is an artistic-pedagogical method developed by Raisa Foster, PhD. It aims to animate individuals and communities through a variety of exercises.
