Social Presencing Theater: 20 Minute Dance

• Everyone begins the practice together. Use a gong or bell to indicate the beginning time. 
• Ideally the practice is 20 minutes long. It is fine to practice for 10 minutes.
• Allow time for a short reflection.  

Materials 

• Encourage people to dress comfortably 
• Bell or gong to indicate beginning and end of practice

Sequence 

1. Lying down 

• Begin by resting on the floor with the eyes closed. Feel the body resting on the big body of the earth. Bring some attention to abdominal breathing. Experience your body, simply, without judgment or a goal. 
• Let a movement begin. Do whatever the body feels like doing without planning anything. For example, the body might feel like stretching, rolling over, or wiggling its fingers. Keep the movement close to the ground. Any movement is good. Pay attention to the sensations, the feeling of the body, as it is moving.
• Then, pause and feel the body as it is resting in a shape or a posture. 
• Then begin to move again, paying attention to the feeling of the body moving.
• Continue in this way, alternating resting and moving, paying attention to the feeling of the body. As we move or rest, our attention can be on part of the body (we feel our lower back or knee or shoulder) or on a sense of the whole body. 
• When you notice that you are thinking, labeling, or judging the experience, let those thoughts go. Simply rest your attention on the feeling of the body. 

2. Sitting 

• After several minutes, let the body rise to a sitting position. Continue alternating stillness and movement, allowing the eyes to remain closed. 

3. Standing 

• Again, later in the practice time, come to a standing position. Continue to alternate moving and stillness. You might include bending or twisting, maintaining a sense of standing on one spot. 

4. Moving through space 

• Open your eyes and begin to move around the room. Keep your eyes downcast with a soft gaze so that your attention remains in your body and is not drawn outward into what others are doing. 

5. Finding an ending 

• At the end of the 20 (or 10) minutes, stop and hold the still shape. Wait in the still shape until the others have found their ending shape and place in the room. Feel the back of the body. Feel the full three-dimensional shape of the body. Then become aware of the space above and below and around the body. 

6. Reflection 

• Whether in person or on a webcam, reflect briefly in pairs, or in trios. Allow each person one or two minutes to speak. The others listen with their full attention. What did you notice? What did you learn about yourself? 
• Speak from the first person voice about what you noticed, felt or did. Remember, there is no ideal dance or particular “better or right” experience. Experience is not the same as interpretation or thoughts about the experience. Each person’s experience is the perfect dance for them at that time.

7. Continue the practice 

• As you go about the rest of your day, sitting in a chair or standing in line or walking to your car, remember to be aware of the body. Feel the whole body – the feet on the floor, the upright posture, the top of the head. 
• Notice that once you feel embodied, there is a natural sense of being and of presence.