3rd Workshop

"Body as a Container"

Dance Movement Therapy workshop "Body as a Container" was held on June 9th, from 11.00 to 13.00, in Riga, at the dance studio "We Dance", organized by Young Folks. The class was led by a certified Dance Movement Therapist Darja Krizska-Popova.

The workshop was opened by a welcoming circle during which the Therapist introduced the structure and set the boundaries and safety rules of the workshop, and every participant introduced him/herself and shared their expectations of the workshops.

The Warm-up activities were implemented at the beginning of the workshop to help the participants mentally arrive at the workshop and to pay attention to their bodies. The following warm-up activities were proposed: focusing on breathing, shaking, twisting and body tapping from head down to feet - to awaken the body awareness and release body tension, increase flexibility and creativity. Then the participants were asked to say their names and propose a movement, whereas other participants echoed both names and movements. This activity allowed the participants to create more connections in a group. At the end, walking freely around the space was proposed, paying attention to the feet to feel more grounding, as well as moving consequently every part of the body to elevate body awareness.

After the warm-up the participants were asked to take a seat and reflect on the words "Body as a Container", thinking of what a body might contain and carry - feelings, emotions, etc.

Then an activity "Body as a Containter" was implemented. First, everyone was asked to find a comfortable space in the room and to move freely to different sounds that were played for 1 minute each. After all three sounds the participants were asked to write down any key words or any emotions they experienced during the activity. This part helped them to go deeper into connecting with themselves and being aware of their bodies. This part was followed by couple interactions during which participants paired up and were designated the roles "The Mover" (A) and "The Responder" (B). During the first part of the interaction A was moving to the 3 sounds playing for 1 minute each, while B was observing the movement. Afterwards, B was responding to the movement of an A in their own manner to all the three sounds. Then each couple switched the roles. After the activity participants were asked to reflect on their experience by taking notes and then - by discussing the activity in a structured way: each of the participants was sharing their feedback both as a mover or responder for 2 minutes, while the second person was just listening. This activity was focusing on the exploration, communication and fostering empathy within the group, promoting a deeper sense of connection and understanding themselves.

Finally, a series of breathing and grounding exercises were proposed to finish the process, help the participants to come back to their own bodies. The workshop was closed by a feedback circle during which every participant was welcome to share one's emotions, thoughts or other reflections.