ABOUT:

Rhythm is the breath of life— It is the silent thread stitching nature, music, and movement into one living story.

A deep listening excersize in the rhythms of nature with a focus on the language of the land. How can we tune in to our surroundings by loosening our grip of self to become more present in our own felt senses and surroundings? From egocentic energy to ecocentric,

; A hunters remedy.

(\_/)
( •_•)
/> <\

We will spend the first part of this workshop outside guided into dropping into the deepest layers of sound in the landscape. Becoming one with the language of the environment as a resource for grounding. The land is always speaking and when we listen, we surrender to the humility of awareness outside of our own self-centered egos. If we choose to pay attention to the ordered chaos there is a lot we can learn about the landscape, tempos, and all the interweaving patterns at play.

‘Complex patterns stimulate cognitive engagement and emotional depth, much like the way natural soundscapes enrich human attention and memory. This connection reveals rhythm not as a human invention, but as a universal principle of ordered chaos.’ 1.

The second half of the workshop we will return back inside to the studio with an invitation to apply this awareness to music and how our bodies respond in conjunction to rhythm. How can we syncopate our bodies with what we are hearing from an authentic place of pattern recognition? The benefits of these practices attune our capabilities for focus, increase our attention spans, soothe anxiety and awaken our senses for more vital aliveness, more pungent laughter and authenticity. In hopes to allow a sense of unity.

Listening skills and reflective Responses validate the speaker’s experience by paraphrasing or echoing their feelings—not to agree, but to affirm that they were heard. Can we do this with music? Can we apply this to listening with our hearts rather than our egos? Is this where soul arises? The heart of rhythm. Where the heart connects us to rhythm, the soul connects us to melody.

Fender and Feather, Red Hook NY. 2019. H. Brandt Photography

So let us allow soul to speak and for us to listen.

<3

LOCATION:

Bring water, bug spray and extra layer or blanket or towel to sit on if wanted/ needed.

Resources:

“Repetitive biological rhythms—such as the dawn chorus of birds, the steady beat of cicada wings, or the erratic flutter of moths—form the subconscious scaffolding of musical patterns. These natural cadences, honed by millions of years of evolution, resonate deeply in the human ear, triggering instinctive responses, The unpredictable intervals in bird calls, often irregular and layered, inspired polyrhythmic phrasing in improvisation. Research in auditory neuroscience shows that the human brain detects and anticipates rhythmic variation in natural sounds, triggering emotional engagement through dopamine release—a mechanism mirrored in how jazz improvisers “converse” with their ensemble, responding and adapting in real time.” Σχετικά Άρθρα, 1.

About Instructor:

Haley is a passionate mover. She focuses on attuning to the present moment using felt sense meditations and allows space for exploration of how our bodies respond to rhythm and deep listening. There is so much that can be said that is wordless. With a background in Somatic Arts and Trauma Informed Movement, she facilitates witness and observer experiences. Emphasizing compassionate presence for self and other. Truth telling is the foundation of freedom.

With a 40 hour training on Broadway learning Simonson Technique, Contemporary Floor Work, Jazz, and Lyrical through a D.V. Survivors Scholarship, Hands are for Holding. Learning from experts like Katiti King, Kizuna Dance, Zui Gomez, amongst others. This experience gave her a lot of empowerment and confidence that she likes to pass on through her work. Her love for music comes from their Grandfather who was a tenor saxophonist performer in Boston and Havana, Cuba during the 1940s, passed down to her father who embodied deep listening skills in all the rhythms that be whether in nature or in music by ear.

Papas Saxaphone 2009 H. Brandt Photography

Moving from ground to upright positions across the floor. Finding play and creative ways to evolve from our evolutionary ancestors from fish to foot. All the way up to the present day. Focus on: dynamic stretching, beginners floor work; Allowing the weight of our bodies to carry us. Embracing gravity and moving from bones, muscles, then skin. Subtleties and gentility allow us to find grounding in our anatomical structures and strength.

We will end this workshop with constructive rage and how it serves us in release, boundaries, and letting go. In a conditioned society of people pleasing, being digestible, perfomative likeablity, perfectionism, what is it we really want to say? How can we release this in a healthy way.

But have it be witnessed!

Session two:

Shapes of movement.

Lyrical, staccato, flowing, chaos, and stillness. Moving through the different tempos, rhythms, and phrases of music we will explore how different shapes and textures there are to explore within our bodies unique sizes and shapes in congruent to planes and axis. Where can we find geometry and physics in the art of movement.

Anatomical planes and axes are used to describe the exact locations of body structures and the specific directions of joint movements. A plane is an imaginary flat surface dividing the body, while an axis is an imaginary line around which bones and joints rotate

Story telling and body archives, re-imagining archiving as a living embodied practice. Moving beyond traditional documenting and talk therapy, we will find ways on how our bodies hold memory and story and new ways in how creative expression can unlock personal and collective histories. This is intangible and permanent, operating from spirit as antiquity. When words fall short, where can body language fill the voids.

Masked Dance, ernst ludwig kirchner