Niio Dance BASICS
find Freedom in your Body and Aliveness in your Mind
Niio Dance Basics - a 7 Week Course
12th February - 2nd April
Embodiment and Empowerment
Vitality and Strength
'Finding your Feet'
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‘Find your feet’ literally and metaphorically, and form a solid foundation for your breathing, moving, dancing self in this 7 week course that takes you back to basics in posture, co-ordination and dynamics in free movement and dance. From establishing some classic dance fundamentals we can feel more at ease and inspired to move freely and express.
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beginners
If you would like to feel more confident about moving and dancing, to lose self-consciousness and enjoy being in the moment, this course is a perfect foundation for you. You will receive guidance on basic dance principles to support you, new ways to think about moving and ideas to open and inspire your imagination. Rather than shy away from social situations where there are opportunities to dance, you will become part of the celebratory spirit of the event!
movers
and groovers
This course can also be for confident movers. Maybe you love to dance, but have never had formal lessons, and would love to learn some fundamentals to enhance your movement.
You may find that you always go to familiar places, and this course may help you to find new ways to move. You may also learn a whole lot more about your body and yourself in the process!
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NB: If you feel no need to learn basic dance principles and would like to deep dive into embodied somatic movement and dance, then Niio Dance Flow 16th April - 4th June may be more suitable for you.
what you will Gain:
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more energy and vitality
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expanded movement reach and repertoire
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lightness and laughter as you commit to the ‘work’ of allowing yourself to Play
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structures and frameworks to support your movement, both in your dance and externally into the world
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a sense of wholeness and connection within
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new certainty within yourself and confidence in your abilities, as you become more comfortable in your own skin
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potentially new perspectives and inspirations for yourself and for life
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NB: All the above are potential gains, dependant upon time and commitment invested, and prior health conditions and abillities. Seven weeks is an introduction to what is possible, building a solid foundation. We go into more depth and exploration in Dance Flow, Niio 1 and Niio 2.
Course Elements:
This course gives you guidance for ways to move, giving physical shapes and structures for your dance, without learning formal stylised dance steps or sequences:
Basic Dance Principles
Initiation
how and where our movements begin
Weight & Balance
finding internal support to hold us,
and give us confidence,
to step out with surety and lightness
Space
exploring our kinesphere (the spherical space around our body,
as created by Rudolf Laban),
how we move in space,
and where to
Travel
we explore a myriad of
different ways of moving and travelling across the floor
Dynamics
we look at our qualities of movement, which can include speed, energy and flow of movement
Form
we look at structure and shapes,
patterns and pathways
Rhythms
we look at moving to different
rhythms and beats
Somatic Dance
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All of the above dance principles are part of classic dance and performance - to create aesthetics, mood and atmosphere. However, when dancing for ourselves, for self-expression and to access our interiority, we use somatic approaches that also correspond with the four modes of human perception identified by Carl Jung - sensing, feeling, intuiting and thinking.
Whilst I guide you, there are no set sequences you have to follow. Rather I introduce an idea or motif that you can then develop as part of your own dance. And most importantly the idea is to listen in, as opposed to moving infront of a mirror - an entirely different activity with different focus and intention.
NB It may also be worth remembering that just like life, dance is not always pretty, regular or predictable!
every week:
What you will Receive:
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guided warm-ups
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meditations
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dance sessions
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support from me - through weekly check-in and Q & A
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community - a closed fb group where we can share ideas and experiences
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optional follow-on exercises
1 x 10 min – YOGIC and/or SOMATIC WARM-UP SESSION
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This video will give a concise warm up that prepares you for the session, or can be done on its own as a general mini warm up and movement session for your body.
1 x 30 min – VIDEO DANCE SESSON
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This video has focussed guidance to demonstrate new movement pathways, time for you to follow, and then with freer guided movement exploration after.
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Downloadable as an mp3 so that eg you may listen on headphones outdoors. This will allow you the opportunity to sense into your body without external influence or distraction, discover your own dance flow, and get away from the screen!
1 x 10 min – MEDITATION
The meditations are also an opportunity to go back to basics, of the body and the breath, as we begin to explore our interior. I give you simple guidance accompanied with beautiful music and subtle visuals to help you ease into the meditative mind without pressure or expectation.
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Plus:
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7 x 30 min downloadable mp3s of the dance sessions
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7 x 10 min downloadable mp3s of the meditation
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Reflection exercises for each module completion
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All the lessons are kept in the Niio Dance course portal for you to reference and access again for another 60 days after course completion. MP3's are yours to keep forever.
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NB This course is a perfect preparation for Niio Dance Flow which follows on from this course. Or, if you are inspired to explore deeper into the body mind connection, learn more about yourself and your body, and instill a moving meditation and dance practice as part of your regular health and wellbeing self-care programme, then it is also the perfect preparation
for Niio Roots - Earth Spirit beginning in April.
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NB: The pictures above are taken from previous Niio Dance courses, and are only indicative of how it may look. The actual course content may look different.