Created by Yoana Yordanova – Sojka, Andrzej Sojka from Association ARTAREA and CPLR – ODK Pernik, Bulgaria.
Date: 30.07.2021
Link to some pictures/videos: https://www.facebook.com/xavery.vashka/videos/539928320488069
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Annotation: This workshop is compilation and development of already accomplished two workshops which was realized in January and March 2020
Let’s start from this: ancient Rishis / sages/ who realized that consciousness is an energy that is realized through five basic principles or elements – Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, are also connected to our senses as a humans – Hearing, Touching, Seeing, Taste and Smell.
Our bodies are part of nature in that sense we are under influence of the five elements.
Listening is a vital component of effective communication. Communication with our self and with others. Not being listened to can be infuriating and damaging; conversely, being heard can have a positive or negative impact. Effective listening involves the eyes as well as the ears, as body language must be observed. Listening cannot be a passive activity, it takes effort and genuine engagement. Words need to be heard, considered and digested.
3-4 main keywords: Listening and observing through body, mind, movement, senses
Intention: We as a Human nature and Communication with our self
Duration: 3 hours
Target group: 14 young people on age 13-18 years old
Approach: Non – formal Kinesthetic learning through movement and dance.
Theory About the Theme:
1). Back to your senses you can become a creator ; 2). Every sense is connected with some element from our nature; 3). If you learn how to listen your body and your senses, you can understand yourself better; 4). Information need to be heard, considered and digested by our body and mind; 5). Five Elements – Five senses.
All Five elements joined together make one unit – Our Nature, undivided combination of mind, will, emotions used as source of expression -our body.
Earth –Stability and rhythm. It’s a symbol of life and basic of all human creation.
Water – Adaptation. Mirror reflecting our inner peace and the surrounding reality.
Fire – Energy of Transformation. It gives us strength to express ourselves, clearly mind and ability to see more through our eyes.
Air – Connection between five elements . Lightness, inspiration and freedom.
Ether – Space, universe. Place where all our inspirations, self-awareness, memories are kept . Our unique nature, who decides who we really are.
Finding these elements in you and get to know them will help to stay in balance and harmony with yourself, because body in an instrument of expression and channel of communication with our inner emotional world.
Any idea arises in the mind, every thought ends with movement.
The movement is connected with dance . The dance is what can not be owned in our life and because of this it is so valuable.
Dance art helps to free expression of the human spirit – feelings, emotions, fears and joys.
Energy, impulse, intention, act, mood and inspirationare combined in the definition of creativity.
| Element | Sense | Organ of sense | Action | Organ of action |
| Ether | Hearing | Ear | Speech | Speech/tongue, mouth, vocal cords – connection |
| Air | Touch | Skin | Catch | Hands |
| Fire | Seeing | Eyes | Walk | Legs |
| Water | Taste | Tongue | Reproduction | Genitals |
| Earth | Smell | Nose | Separation, secretion, release | Anus |
Some more reading about:
https://www.alternateremedies.com/five-elements-and-relevance-with-human-body/
https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/assessment-skills/communication-5-effective-listening-and-observation-skills-12-03-2018/
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Description of the Exercises:
- ’’Go with the music’’ (Duration 5-7 min.)
Intention: Ice braking, to know and feel each other
- The music starts, people from the team are walking around all space, around all participants and building some mood, tempo rhythm with moving the air;
- When music stops and the person in front of the other from the team is touching the nose ( or the shoulder ) of the other and saying: ” Hi I’m …..name…….and my mood today is like( I feel like)…… Earth, water, fire, air….” Or…. Something else ;
- With some movement trying to express the mood.
Notes: Finding the way to know the general mood in the group and in the space with this exercise, showing us how open are the participants. Every first step is hard, but when you have examples, it’s helps and encouraging you.
2. ’’Observation’’ – Water element (Duration 20 min.)
Intention: Start small conversation about Senses – to narrow the topic
- First step observing everything what is around you with eyes open – everybody around you, every subject, sound in or out of this space, without walking with less movement.
- Then close eyes and slow go to your own body, from outside to inside, with your mind and observation. Start to walk slow, move slow continuing your observation of your own body. Listening your own breathing, steps and movement.
- Imagination – start to imagine how everything looks, what you observing inside of you ( color, form, weight…)
* Can happen to meet someone with part of your body. Observe reaction of your body. If happen meeting with some other body start slow ”dialog”. Listen, accept and give back some information trough your body.
Notes: Participants comment after this exercises, was that they feel really big and in the same time so light. They can feel their own energy and see the color of it especially with eyes closed.
3. ’’Stability’’ – Earth element (Duration 20 min.)
Intention: Rhythm it’s a symbol of life and basic ofall human creation.
- Creating big circle with all participants, where everyone – one by one in his own rhythm and tempo making few steps to the center and going back to his place in the circle. ( is this his choice to reach the center or not).
- With the second try to the center we can add claps with hands to the steps, or claps to some other part of the body, make it more brave and loudly sound then first time. Again one by one.
- Third try everyone is free to move to the center when he feels that, using steps, hands, voice and build his own symphony created with his body.
- Forth level of the exercise is all group to listen each other, feel other participants and together to move to the center and back making sounds with their own bodies and try to build stable common rhythm as a common musical flow.
Notes: Is really enjoyable and energetic exercise. Giving you opportunity to create and feel the group as a one organism – feeling the ground with your foot and power of the common sound.
4.’’Moving Doll ’’ – Fire element (Duration 30 min.)
Intention: Responsibility, energetic transformation, Listening and focus.
- 1. Making groups with 6 people in each group. One is ” the doll ” – it stands in front of the group, other 5 people are divided with the tasks – one to lead the head of the doll, one leading right hand, one left hand, one leading right leg and one left leg – staying as a one group close to each other, but on different levels. Is important for a person ’’the doll ’’ , to see all 5 participants in front.
- 2. Every participant has to go through place of a ’’the doll ’’.
Notes: Big focus and concentration. Ability of the body. Big joy.
5. ’’ Psychological gesture ’’ – Air element (Duration 60 min.)
Intention: Connection, imagination, freedom of the body to express the emotion of the words.
- Working with text and giving the expression of the emotion through the body. 3 lines from poem, Haiku or other text it is absolutely enough. Every participant working alone with himself for 45 min. Task is to express emotion of the words through body, without illustration, just with movement, find the exact movement provoke of the emotion of the words.
- Every of the participants is making his own solo created by movement – expressing this 3 lines from the poem.
- In next 15 min. Every participant is showing his solo. First telling just text – those 4 lines. Then without word just with movement playing his solo.
Notes: It is really hard to express emotion of the words without illustrating them.
Reflection– Ether element ( Duration 30 min.)
In circle everybody is free to share.
Space and self-awareness. Place to share experience, feelings, understanding of what is just happen. Place for questions and finding answers.
Final notes from facilitators:
As a facilitator everyone is free to create many and different exercises inspired by each element. This connection with a nature is the big observation and listening lesson, which can open your senses and make the biggest and true connection with ourselves.
For us as a team it was interesting and important to develop our work and provoke ourselves. Choosing the best exercise from both past workshop meetings and give them new shape and meaning, inspired by five elements on the Mother Earth and having opportunity to realize activities in the Nature.
Resources :
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-five-senses-their-functions.html
https://ccmit.mit.edu/observation/
the Key to Connection is implemeneted in the framework of Erasmus+: Youth in Action programme – key action 2, Strategic Partnership for exchange experiences.
