As summer falls and the shift of Autumn’s approach begins, our bodies grow stiffer with the decline of outside’s temperature. We hold things a bit closer; we wrap ourselves up a bit tighter; we walk a bit faster and we don’t stop to relax and notice like our summer selves once did.
Last weekend I took part in ‘Collective Rhythms’ led by the incredible Nora Aubrey. It made me strongly aware of the shift my being was going through and embrace a deeper understanding and care for the body I live inside.
We boarded the Ardrossan harbour train from Glasgow central at 10 o’clock, with a group of glorious new faces. As we pulled into Stevenston, the sun was trying its hardest to peak out from a cover of grey cloud and we walked our way towards the sea’s edge. We sat and shared warm tea from a large metal flask that Nora pulled from her backpack. We bonded in introductions and conversations. We were an eclectic mix. Some of us visual artists, some musicians, some in corporate jobs, some waitresses and some students. Some were familiar movers, comfortable in dance but some of us not. I very much fell into the ‘not’ category.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to dance. Getting sweaty in the club and shaking my booty In front of booming sound systems is a huge joy for me… but these kinds of spaces are usually accompanied by alcohol and dark lighting. So, I was feeling very nervous to move and dance in front of all these new faces, in the light of day and without a drop of alcohol to rid my self-conscious disposition.
We began by warming up, shaking ourselves out, heating ourselves up and getting the blood pumping. Then we began discovering our feet and how they connect and move with the floor, then how our feet connected with our ankles, how our ankles connected with our legs, how are legs connected with our pelvis… so on, so on. I felt a bit silly at first... very aware of myself, the fear of what I may look like to all these other folk, but this soon dissipated as Nora warmly brought us further into her practice. We began moving on a deeper level and with each other. Noticing how we used space, weight and touch to explore the area we occupied within each other. Reacting and pushing off of one another's bodies and limbs.
I’ve never moved and interacted so closely like this with a total group of strangers and it really moved my mind through something that is hard to write down in words. I think, as humans we are very unfamiliar with touch and platonic intimacy. I felt unbelievably close, supported and held by this group of strangers because of this intimacy we shared and it really got me thinking about human kind and if we embraced this more in our day to day lives… what human existence would look like. It's some kind of gentle but powerful activism.
Throughout the day we took breaks to breathe and creatively react to what we had explored with each other. Some of us drew on paper… in the sand… some of us wrote down words… some of us recorded sound and some of us engaged in conversation.
After our break we got back to moving, always on a deeper level to what we had previously explored. We did mirroring exercises, copying other people’s movement. Moving in pairs, moving in groups. We also used wooden sticks to explore our connected bodies, without letting the stick fall. It challenged me to think of myself and my partner as one big animal. This was playful and brought us a lot of giggles.
As we moved through the day the sun came out, shining down on us in all it’s glory. We were warm inside and out. Moving with ease and confidence. Passers-by and their dogs would take moments to watch us then carry on their way.
By the end of the day, we were moving as one huge collective. Pushing and pulling against each other’s bodies. It was as if we were one big organism, a beautiful creature with 16 arms and legs, but one big and powerful brain. My mind had truly moved into a place of collective thinking, I no longer existed alone. I was predicting and accepting others movement, allowing myself to react with true freedom to their choices. It was probably the furthest I’d ever felt from lonesome.
A lot came up for me during this day. I didn’t expect it to be such a personally transformative and healing afternoon when I stepped on the train that morning. At one point during the workshop I noticed I was actually crying (it happened to a few others as well), it wasn’t because I was upset or feeling sad about anything at all, but more of a bodily response and outlet of emotion (most likely stress, which I'm sure everyone reading right now can relate to in some way). It got me thinking about how much we hold within our physical bodies. Be that, trauma… pain… emotion… all those secrets that we’ve still not confessed to ourselves… this movement in such a held and safe environment allowed me to transform all of this emotion through myself and out of myself. I left that beach feeling two times lighter than when I entered.
Thank you to Nora for creating such a safe and important place, to the glorious individuals for partaking with such openness, kindness and lack of judgement and to the sunshine for finally coming out.
There will be more of these events. I will personally make sure of it. It feels some what necessary.
by Pippa Blundell
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