Beyond the obvious meaning of the words, looking at these actions and analysing them as movement qualities can bring new insights.
Try out these 3 actions (for about 10 seconds each)
1. Stomping your feet hard on the ground
2. Making your arms float gently and slowly upwards and down
3. Shaking part/whole of your body.
How does each action make you feel?
Do you breathe differently with each?
Most people will find one action easier, more pleasant or more satisfying to perform than another. This may depend on what our bodies are inclined towards at any point in time, based on mood or physical state. It could also depend on personality. However, despite our individual preferences, most of us would be able to perform these actions relatively easily.
In my work with adult participants with autism, I have observed that these actions are not always easily performed. Some hardly exert force when they “stomp”. Others have difficulty with a “floating” quality – their arms would go up quite quickly and stiffly. Many have difficulty doing a “shake” because their muscles are tensed up and their joints are locked.
Yet, these different ways of moving are essential for a range of daily functional activities. We need to exert force when we hammer a nail, or unscrew a bottle cap. We need to be slow and gentle when rocking a baby, or bringing a glass full of water to the table. We need to be able to “let go” and relax at least some of the time in our day.
Participating in different activities such as dance and sports provide us with opportunities to experience the different types of movement that our bodies are capable of carrying out. Our choices may reflect our needs or preferences. Intentionally choosing something that isn’t what we would usually do is also a way to grow and expand our movement capabilities, as well as versatility to cope with life!
In a MoveMe! session, participants are given opportunities to try moving in different ways, and to experience different movement qualities. These may be "stomp-like" - sudden, direct and strong* or "float-like" - sustained, indirect and light*, or movement with various other qualities, such as flicking or pressing. Sometimes, props are used to bring greater awareness to one's actions or help concretize a concept.
Look here for a simple activity that can be carried out at home or in the classroom.
*Using Rudolf Laban's description of Effort
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