Creature Movement Practice
Access your inner wild in this beginner friendly dance class! Learn more here. Upcoming classes are: April 16, May 7, June 25, September 17, October 29, November 19, December 10
A short dance film and an invitation to move: this creature draws you out, barefoot, into wet grass, squidgy mud, running water. Let your feet, then your body, respond to the feel: sliding, squishing, flowing. Open the door to your inner animal and respond to the sensations, to the textures, to your instincts.
Creature: A Movement Meditation is a digital dance offering that invites participants to join me in a guided movement practice to get in touch with the animal within. Participants are welcome to view the dance film from the comfort of their homes or to bring their devices “on the go” to experience it in nature. engage fully in the experiential component. This offering is framed as a solo-experience, but participants may “bring a buddy” if they’d benefit from a communal experience. Choose your own adventure.
If participants enjoy the movement meditation and want to share your experiences with a broader community of creatures, the final invitation is to repeat and record a small version of the movement meditation. This can be shared via instagram by tagging @kkingsfordsmith, on facebook by tagging Kalila Kingsford Smith Dance.
Below are some supplemental materials: an audio only version of the video which includes audio description of the movement, a transcript of the instructions, a link to the video with audio description, and a contact form where you can send your video in a dropbox or google drive link. Please mention if you would like me not to share your video on my social media.
“The work moves into boundless possibility when guided through imaginative practice and navigated through somatic inquiry. I breathe a little deeper; I wonder when the leaves will fall; I sigh, and the wind picks it up.” – Jorgie Ingram, The Dance Journal
Movement Instructions:
I invite you to step out into the natural world. Find a tree, some grass, a rock, some dirt, a stream. Begin with a deep breath. Check in with your body. Arrive in this moment, in this place. Begin to feel your environment. Sense the heat from the sun on your skin. Feel the breeze, the humidity, the shade. Bask in your environment.
If you feel comfortable, remove your shoes. With bare feet, start to feel the ground you stand on. Notice its textures, its heat. Is it prickly, is it smooth? Is it squidgy, or is it firm? How do you want to move in relationship to this surface.
Here you are. Sensing your environment, feeling with your feet. Tap into the animal within you. What creature is this? How does this creature want to move? Let this creature emerge and begin to move you.
When your instinct tells you to stop moving, come to stillness. Breathe deep. Check in with your body. How does the creature within feel? Thank it for joining you in movement today. Thank you for joining me in movement today.
Kalila Kingsford Smith Dance 