“I have been teaching dance and movement for 20 years. My work is bases on Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms®. Not only did I take classes with Gabrielle Roth, but also with many different dance teachers and therapists. Working together with Kurt Pattyn, my passion evolved into the direction of teaching classes in moving towards consciousness, for which I use 3 different approaches, each one with its own specific qualities and focus : 5Rhythms® movement practice, Open Floor Movement Practice and Centering Movement Practice.
In each one of them there is an invitation to set your body, your heart, your soul into motion in your own particular way, to recognize your power and to experience the joy of moving. And all of them are a journey towards more self-consciousness.”
Nele Vandezande
5 rhythms movement practice
The 5Rhythms® dance is a method to reestablish the contact with your body. Through the 5 rhythms you are actively invited to focus on the inner you. The 5 Rhythms are Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness. It is a nice way of moving and releasing tension in the first place, of quieting your mind and recharging yourself. Each rhythm has its specific qualities and helps you to get to know other aspects of yourself.
- Methodology : pure movement, focus on another aspect or topic in each session
- Layers : Waves (body-oriented), heartbeat (emotion-oriented), cycles (life phases), mirrors (ego)
- Teacher : Certified 5Rhythms® teacher for since 2000, teaching Waves as well as Heartbeat
- Learn more : www.5rhythms.com
open floor movement practice
The heart of the open floor movement practice are the fundamental universal principles of movement, that support and deepen our work during movement and dance sessions. Through movement we investigate the different aspects of ourselves. A profound invitation to put the body into motion, together with the qualities of the different types of relationships. We work and move around the quality of the relationship with ourselves and our basic need for stability and self-acceptance. In addition, we take a look at our basic need for contact other, the need and importance of being seen, the basic need to belong, and to find our goal in life. All of this is embedded in 4 dimensions : body (embodiement), emotions (emotional intelligence), mind (mindfulness) and Soul (presence).
- Methodology : dance, movement and specific exercises and explanation to get insights
- Layers : common ground, common sense, common good
- Teacher : certified Open Floor movement teacher. Together with Kathy Altman, Lori Satzman, Andrea Juhan and 12 other colleagues a founding member of the international school and movement practice Open Floor.
- Learn more : www.openfloor.org
centering movement practice
The movement sessions are embedded in the centering model, with a deep focus on the body. Through 8 different layers of the body we learn to explore and move the wisdom and power of each layer. We discuss each layer in-depth, its meaning in our lives and how we can use its qualities on a day to day basis.
- Methodology: combination of dance, movement, meditation, ceremony, useful schedules to gain insight and clarity in how we function in our lives.
- Layers: alchemy of the body (personal), connections (relational), cycles of life (ecological), soul and visions (universal)
- Teachers: our knowledge and years of experience with teaching movement and our interest in the human body has led us to develop this work.
- learn more : www.centering.be
For whom? Choose dance and movement if
One of the fundamentals in dance and movement is : “Move with respect for your own possibilities and boundaries. You can’t do anything right or wrong. Everybody dances at his or her own pace. There is no such thing as a competition here. It is not in the least important to dance beautifully.”
By focusing our attention toward our body, by feeling where the tension/relaxation is and moving our whole body from within this focus, we can release stress and tensions. It is commonly known and shown that stress increases the tension in our muscles. By moving your muscles in your way, within your boundaries, your body can –guided by the different rhythms- release and create a deep sensation of relaxation.
We dance at least for 2 hours, and pay attention to correct stretching, warming-up and cool-down. In many programmes that are meant to put the body back into shape, it is said that we have to take at least 10.000 steps a day. During an average dance and movement session, we take from 9.000 to 11.000 steps, depending on the agility of the feet. People feel fitter and have more energy after a session. This fitness is perceived immediately after the session, but also in the longer term, because we improve our agility and we burn enough calories.
Our dancers are people who are physically in great shape, but also people with physical disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, pregnant women, etc., all taking the same course, each with and within his or her own boundaries.
Some of the physical advantages :
- Blood circulation is activated, which increases the supply of energy towards the body
- Movement regulates blood tension and after a while the heart rhythm improves
- You exercise your breath : by breathing more, toxins are eliminated from the body and it gets more oxygen. Your breath gets deeper.
- After the physical effort, we notice a total physical relaxation
Scientific research has shown all of the above.
Movement helps us to relax and physically get in shape, but above all our objective is to undertake an intense inner journey. Through dance and movement , you rediscover every single spot in your body. The more you focus and the more you accept and allow your body, the more you discover that your body is your one and only true friend.
You can really come home to yourself here, connect with others and rely on your instincts, from a basis of dignity and a deep feeling of self-confidence, all at your own pace. Most of us look for answers outside ourselves. The more you experience the movement in your body, the more you learn that the answers lie within. The body is the place from which you can allow yourself to be guided by a deeper power, in deep connection. The deeper you go into your body, the more you discover that it is connected to the larger whole and reacts to it spontaneously.
In dance and movement, the body is considered a gateway to your emotions and thoughts and a tool to get in touch with your intuitive possibilities. The only thing we have to do, is focus on our bodies (feet, pelvis, heart) instead of on our heads (mind).
Feel free to choose. Everyone is welcome!