[Ailist] Wordless Wonders

Wed Nov 21 06:12:14 MST 2007

Mike et all,

I love this train of discussion.  I worked for 20 years as a dance/movement therapist  and yes, the wordless wonders are potent and amazing.

Currently in my eldercoaching work, I am doing some work called Moving Grief through Physical Storytelling.  It is a method of someone telling a story and then choosing others to retell their story in movement (no words).  The original storyteller becomes witness to their own story instead of just replaying it in their mind. The insights have been so powerful - for the movers and the teller.  They always see something new in their own story. 

I have done Physical Storytelling for years as a therapist and it can be used with dreams, grief, change, legacy work as well.  Conner Kelly and Steve Harvey were my teachers (Yanks who now live in New Zealand).  This work blends dance/movement therapy, authentic movement, contact improv and playback theater ideas.  I am attaching an article Conner wrote this year, for anyone who is interested. I think this could be fascinating to use in the DREAM phase of AI.  I am not doing a lot of AI now (except woven into all my work)so I don't have an case examples to share.

To have others embody someone's dream/story is true empathy. I will end with a Haiku I wrote about empathy.

Empathy
Try someone's shoes on.
Sole meeting soul.
Walk differently now.

Sarah Campbell Arnett
Greensboro, NC

-----Original Message-----
From: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu]On Behalf Of Mike Sands
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 7:53 PM
To: ewingchange at aol.com; ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: Re: [Ailist] Wordless Wonders

Esther , thanks  -

Statuary Garden (from 5 Rhythms)
Half the participants strike  poses  in the idea of a statue.  The other 
participants wander through the garden examining the statues. Later 
particpants change roles.
Does this sound innocent - to our groups it was a powerful connector.

Improv game  - ball toss.
Group in a ring - one person throws an imaginary ball to another who catches 
it (or not) and throws it to someone else.  Later you can get two or three 
balls in the air at a time. Thrower lets the  receiver know who she is by 
eye contact.

All at once. (from 5 Rhythms)
Members of the group wander about -- someone, on her own, feels like 
stopping  - so shes does --- all stop.  Someone - on his own feels like 
starting - he does  - all start.  this goes on for a time.

Left Eye Stare.(from 5 Rhythms)
Two people sit sit on the floor and they look into each others left eye for 
about two minutes.

Worldless Dreaming

In groups of  say 3 - 5 - Here are some things - markers, ballons, 
streamers, etc.  You have 15 minutes. Starting NOW - please don't talk - 
decide what you want to do and prepare it fro presentation to the group. The 
presentation can be as verbal as you want.  You can do anything you want - 
use the trinkets or not, draw, or do something eles.  Just express a value, 
or a provocative proposal, or whatever you want to express..

I have sort of deliberatley mimimalized these descriptions - but they were 
potent.  I don't think I have missed anythings out.

Any questions - just e mail.

Again thanks  -  it was fun  to relive those moments

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ewingchange at aol.com>
To: "Mike Sands" <msands at dccnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Ailist] Wordless Wonders

> Can you share with me the exercises you named in this email, Mike?
>
> Blessings,
> Esther
> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Mike Sands" <msands at dccnet.com>
>
> Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:43:15
> To:<ailist at lists.business.utah.edu>
> Subject: [Ailist] Wordless Wonders
>
>
> In the course of exploring "New and Improved" methods of communication - 
> (which includes AI in my mind) several of the most pleasant, intense and 
> generative experiences I have had have involved "wordlessness".  One 
> called for movement in an exercise called "Statuary Garden" from Gabrielle 
> Roth's Five Rhythms work, another was called "Watch the Left Eye" also 
> from Five Rhythms -  another was when an instructor had us create AI dream 
> sequences without talking.
>
> I have also seen great use made of silent improv games.
>
> Does anyone out their in AI land have any experiences or thoughts they'd 
> like to tell about this?
>
> Are there any resources - books, websites, videos dealing with with this 
> idea?
>
> Mike
>
> _______________________________________________
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