The Lisa Ullmann
Travelling Scholarship Fund paid the travel costs for my final module of the 5
Rhythms Teacher Training Programme with Gabrielle Roth and the staff of the
Moving Center School USA. This enabled me to go to
California, complete the training, and begin to teach the 5 Rhythms as a
qualified 5 Rhythms teacher.
The
training took place over 1 year and consisted of 3 modules, the first module
was in New York in April 2004, this was my first time in the USA, and so it was
a big adventure! The second module last October, was closer to home in Devon,
and the 3rd and final in April 05 in the San Francisco Bay area of
California. Each module was 10 days 2 weeks long, and very intensive.
Although
the training began only last year the preparation began some years ago. The
pre-requisites were a minimum of 2 years practice of the 5 Rhythms, 400hrs of
workshops, 200 of which had to be with a core member of staff, another 50 hours
of another kind of workshop again with core staff, and two other workshops of
about 10 days each. The application process was tough and even tougher for
those who did not get on to the training.
There
were 78 of us on the training from all over the world, it was very inspiring to
work with so many people with as much commitment to the practice of the 5
Rhythms as I have. Different backgrounds, language and culture and yet a shared
goal to train to teach and share the dance practice with others that had such
an impact on our lives.
The
5 Rhythms is a breakdown of how waves of energy move though our bodies in dance
and in life. As teachers we were taught to share and teach this practice to
others drawing from our individual and unique experience of the practice,
learning to use our bodies and ourselves as a resource for teaching, whether
its where we get stuck or find it difficult or where we find our fluidity and
freedom in the dance. It is not about being a perfect dancer.
We
learnt to teach the physical practice, which consists of 5 basic natural
rhythms, flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Although there are
ways of teaching this, each person has there own unique expression of each
rhythm, both as a dancer and teacher. People often have a home rhythm they find
easier and one that is more of a challenge.
We
covered many topics related to teaching the practice, from the nitty gritty practicalities to making teaching a spiritual
practice. Gabrielle is a challenging teacher, very funny, she totally embodies what
she is teaching, and following her flow you never quite know where she will
take you next. You never knew from one minute to the next when you would be
asked to lead the group in some way quite scary with 77 experienced peers
she kept us awake!
The
training was mainly of an experiential nature and has affected me at a deep
level. I feel as though I have been taken apart and put back together again, I
know that I am different but I need time to embody and articulate this. I feel
different when I teach, connected to a supportive body of work and network of
fellow teachers. I also feel more inspired by what I am doing than ever before.
Now
that I am a teacher I have deepened my own practice of the 5 Rhythms and dance
almost every day if I can. I figure that if I am teaching others it is
important to stay in contact with my own learning edge. It is clear to me that
this is an ongoing study that can never be wholly mastered. I intend to
continue to dance with other teachers when I can and am assisting experienced
teachers when I get the opportunity.
I
am now teaching a class once per week, all is going well am I am getting good
feedback. In the autumn I have two daylong workshops and 12 classes planned to
run through the local Adult Education Programme. I am also organising a dance
weekend for women.
When
I have some more experience, and have established myself as a teacher in my
local area, I plan to offer workshops and classes to specialised community
groups. I have past experience of working with teenage mothers and I would like
to develop ways of working with them with 5 Rhythms dance. I am also interested
in working with young women in general. I have also been asked to work with
children and am considering this.
In
the last few years I have also assisted my husband (he is also a 5 Rhythms
teacher) working aboard. We have worked in Greece, Germany and Israel. I intend
to continue getting experience working abroad and have been asked to do some
work in the Czech Republic and India. I feel very excited about the prospect of
running workshops abroad and have only recently been able to consider this, now
that my children are old enough.
I
think that travelling to the USA to complete the training has given me more
confidence to travel and broaden my horizons. The area where I live in Cornwall
is very poor, there is a lot of need for community work here, but it is
difficult to make a living. I am committed to working in my local area and
developing work that is of benefit to my local community, and in addition to
this I can see myself working abroad.
The
training has exceeded my expectations, Gabrielle Roth is an extraordinary
teacher, the training is of a very high quality and the form an ever growing
and changing dance practice that more and more people from all over the world
are discovering, and through it enhancing and transforming their lives. I am very grateful for the opportunity to
partake in the training, and for the support the Lisa Ullmann Travelling
Scholarship Fund has given me. I hope you will consider funding others for this
in the future.
Many
thanks Julie Deal