The 5Rhythms practice was created in the 1970s by an extraordinary woman who loved to dance called Gabrielle Roth, to specifically channel the healing power of dance. It has been popular in many countries around the world for a long time and in the last years it is becoming known in Italy.
The 5Rhythms practice has no specific steps to learn, it is a method of free body expression, structured with 5 phases, with 5 types of rhythmic music: Flow, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness. The type of movements range from slow, Tai Chi type, to wild and chaotic. The music used can be of any kind from electronic to classical. All in one class. It depends a lot on the title of the class and the type of group.
Classes are from 1 – 2 – 3 hours, labs 5 – 6 hours, workshops are normally a weekend, or a few days.
The 5Rhythms are a fantastic way to keep the body, mind and soul fit. It is a great way to rest the modern mind and decrease stress and anxieties. After a class it is usual to have a feeling of euphoria, a natural ecstasy, of well-being.
It is normal to sweat a lot in a 5Rhythms class which according to Gabrielle Roth is not only a detox but when we sweat our prayers.
The goal is to move to awaken the deeper dimension of ourselves, unleash the body, heart, mind and soul.
Gabrielle Roth said that the 5Rhythms practice is a remedy for modern life. That we can turn a life of routine and suffering into art.
That by regularly dancing the 5Rhythms we can contact our intuition and explore the wisdom that resides in our body, heart, mind and soul.
Even if you do not feel all of this the first time you take part in a 5Rhythms class it becomes more natural with time to let go and let your movements and your emotions go in your own spontaneous dance.
With time we meet different aspects of ourselves and even discover parts of us that have been hidden for years or never discovered.
The 5Rhythms offer a choreography to dance on the edge – without specific steps but with guidelines that free expressive creativity and self-exploration.
In the 5Rhythms practice we dance what we call a “Wave”. Because from the first Rhythm “Flow” characterised by soft, never ending, circular movements, we go into “Staccato”, a percussive Rhythm with well-defined movements; then we enter “Chaos” where we shake and dance in a more wild way, and then in the fourth Rhythm we enter the phase of “Lyrical” which encourages our lighter dance to come out and play, helping us in the transition into the last of the 5Rhythms, “Stillness”. We slow down into even more delicate movements released from our long breaths and release slow movements that are connected to what is sacred for us, finishing the cycle of 5Rhythms with a deep sense of balance.
We follow the Rhythms and maps that Gabrielle Roth left us in which each Rhythm corresponds to a mapping guide.
For example:
Flow / Earth, Staccato / Fire, Chaos / Water, Lyrical / Air, Stillness / Etere.
Flow / the body, Staccato / the heart, Chaos / the mind, Lyrical / the soul, Stillness / Spirit.
Some classes are called “Sweat Your Prayers”.
Sweat Your Prayers ™ are sessions in which we dance, practicing the 5Rhythms led by certified teachers, selected from the 5Rhythms in the United States.
The intention of Sweat Your Prayers’ is to have reduced formal teaching. To develop, as Gabrielle Roth often taught, the discipline necessary to be a free spirit, and therefore the freedom to dance completely with the sacredness of oneself, others and the community.
The Heartbeat level is used to work specifically on our emotional level. You can participate in this level of seminar only if you have already participated in 5Rhythms classes or workshops with certified teachers and therefore have a base in the 5Rhythms practice.
Flow / Fear, Staccato / Anger, Caos / Sadness, Lyrical / Joy, Stillness / la compassione.