Posts Tagged ‘dance arts’
Posted by terrepruitt on July 13, 2020
Principle 2 of the Nia White Belt has two parts. Nia White Belt Principle 2 is Natural Time and Movement Forms. As you may have seen, I am re-taking the Nia White Belt training online and so far, the information, the bones of this principle has not changed . . . and that is comforting. It is nice to know that we – from the first Nia White Belt that experienced these principles to now – are all still moving from the same point of reference. Back when I took the Nia White Belt training in December 2008 they were developing new images called triads. We were the first class to get a glimpse of them and be shown how they “worked”. Nia is still using the triads to help students learn and embody information, but as I mentioned in a previous post, we are being presented with the latest langage to be used by Nia, but so far the core of the principles have been the same. In addition to the BRAND NEW (not even been printed) Nia White Belt “Sense” Book (the training manual) we are also reading The Nia Technique Book. The Nia Technique Book has pages and pages devoted to Nia White Belt Principle 2 – Natural Time and Movement Forms. It is a vast principle.
First of all, I want to remind you that Nia is amazing. It is a holistic model for movement and life so it has A LOT of depth. The training material they put out is ALWAYS mind blowing. And over the years they have added more and more things to the toolbox. So, I am not disclosing everything we learn, I am not sharing all of the information because it really is something one needs to experience for themselves. All of the stuff I share – ok, most of it – comes from the publicly available book The Nia Technique Book.
The first part of the principle: Natural Time. I don’t have much to add to my first post on Nia Natural Time. There is a triad for this, but, again, not sharing ALL of our training with you because that just wouldn’t be fair. The first part of P2 is about moving in your own time and using the 13:20, your 13 major joints and your 20 digits, for movement, and about what Nia calls measure which I equate to proprioception, where you know where your body is in relation to things around you and to your own body. This is very helpful when you are dancing with a lot of people. It is also VERY helpful nowadays when you are observing social distancing. You use movement and measure to move in your body’s way.
The second part of the principle is Movement Forms. There are three arts that each contain three different movement forms. Now, I say we may use moves from each art because when exercising and/or dancing you are probably going to do a punch or a kick and/or a shimmy or a cha-cha-cha. But I do need to be clear that we are not actually DOING any of these forms. We just use elements from each form or even more accurately we use the energy of each form. Since we are still using The Nia Technique Book in training, I feel that my previous posts can serve as information regarding each art and its included form.
The “Arts” are Martial Arts (MA), Dance Arts (DA), and the Healing Arts (HA). Within each art is the form from which we use energy.
T’ai chi is the slow dance
Tae Kwon Do is the dance of precision
Aikido is the dance of harmonious spherical motion
Jazz Dance is the dance of fun, showmanship, and expression
Modern Dance is the dance of creating shapes in space
Duncan Dance is the dance of free-spirited, honest movement
Feldenkrais is the dance of conscious awareness of sensation,
the Alexander Technique is the dance of movement from the top
Yoga is the dance of conscious alignment of bones and joints
I am sharing the hastily drawn triad regarding the movement forms because it helps with understanding the organization of them.
For our homework we spent time discovering our energy personalities in relation to the nine movement forms. In our training we spent time dancing each movement form to see how the different energy allowed our bodies to move. It is fun to explore and maybe learn new ways to move.
And there you have it Principle 2 of the Nia White Belt hopefully it gives you a little insight as to how we dance Nia and even how we move through life.
Might you play with dancing using one of the movement forms? See what is your favorite form of expression?
Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: 13 MAJOR joints, 13:20, 20 digits, Aikido, Alexander Technique, dance arts, Duncan Dance, energy personalities, Felderkrais, Healing Arts, holistic model for movement, Jazz Dance, martial arts, modern dance, Natural Time and Movement Forms, Nia Triads, Nia White Belt, Nia White Belt “Sense” Book, Principle #2, Proprioception, Tae kwon do, T’ai chi, The Nia Technique book, training online, Yoga, Zoom | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 22, 2020
I think it is time to revisit some things. A compilation of re-visitation. How does that sound? This is in regards to Nia. I have all of this information spread out in various posts on my blog and in various places on my website but I thought I could revisit some information for a post. This will help to get the information out there. I will answer some questions that I have received recently as a new group of people are going to be treated to a Nia class.
How is Nia different than Zumba?
Well, based off of my Zumba and Nia training and based off of the Zumba and Nia classes I have attended the main difference is movement, both speed and type. Zumba is regularly faster. Nia can be fast, but in general is slower than Zumba. Zumba’s movements tend to be more Latin; focusing on movement of the hips and feet, whereas Nia is more of an entire body movement type of dance class. Nia incorporates three art forms into the dance (martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts – more about all of that can be found in the “The Nine Basic Movements Forms Of Nia” post.)
Is it sweaty?
Well, that is based entirely on you, the individual. Some people dance Nia and don’t sweat, it could be that they just aren’t the type of body that sweats or it could be that they really didn’t move enough to sweat. I remember teaching one class years ago and a student came up to me as I was toweling off and said, “You really don’t sweat much in Nia, do you?” As I said, I was toweling off, my hair was wet, I was blind from sweat, and my glasses were fogged up. And I said, “No, no YOU don’t.” Because this person had stood behind me the entire class. I never saw this student’s arms or legs or head. So, in other words, this person didn’t move a lot, this person never lifted their arms up or out, nor did they kick out, so there wasn’t a lot of movement on their part so they didn’t sweat. And that is fine, if that is what your goal is. If you want to go to a cardio dance class and not sweat don’t move a lot. If you are the type of person that sweats when you move and you decide to move in the class, then you will sweat. It really is all about what you want for your body that day, during that class.
What do I wear?
Anything you want in order to feel comfortable. Something you can move in and that you don’t mind being on the floor in.
Is Nia done barefoot?
Yes. Nia is designed to be done barefoot. Again, we do not jump – sometimes a trainer might get fancy and excited and include a little jump or two when s/he created the routine, but for the most part we do not jump. We don’t typically twist on our feet, we pick up our feet. There is a lot of foot work in Nia designed to stretch and strengthen the foot. Nia believes that – while shoes can be lovely – they restrict the movement of the foot, so moving in bare feet allows the foot to move as it was designed.
What type of music is played in a Nia class?
All types of music. Some routines run the gamut of tunes from rock to classical, some routines contain only one genre or one artist but the music for Nia as a whole varies. You can click here and click around if you would like to hear some samples of the actual music in some of our routines.
As a note, people constantly confuse IMPACT with INTENSITY. We had been trained to think we have to move fast with high jumps up and down (impact) in order to get a “good” workout and in order to sweat. But if you stand with your feet in A stance (slightly wider than your shoulders) and do squats for three minutes, you might get a little sweaty. You will have done an INTENSE exercise, but not one that is high impact. Nia is not high impact, yet it can be intense. People who do the moves in their bodies way, always come up to me and say what a great workout they just had in Nia. The routines are created from movements that the body was designed to do, but Nia knows that not everyone’s body can move that way so dancers are encouraged to move in their own body’s way. And with that in mind individuals get the workout they need.
Above I mentioned sweating in a Nia class, well, it could be you do sweat when you workout, but it could be that you are taking a Nia class in the middle of your work day or you are meeting friends for lunch after class so you don’t CHOOSE to move a lot and you want to take it easy – that is perfectly acceptable. It is perfect to dance how you want to/how you are able to at that time.
So, these are the questions that I have received of late. I can go on for pages talking about Nia . . . and I have if you look here on my blog you will find plenty of posts about Nia. Or you can check out my website, here are some pages that might interest you:
Nia Information / Nia Class Cycles / Main Benefits of Nia / Tips for a Pleasurable Nia Experience / Principles of the Body’s Way / Nia Tips for Moving with Nia / Sounding Tips / Nia’s 52 Moves / Nia Belt Levels and Focuses
Also, feel free to contact me if you any other questions or want more information. Yay to new Nia dancers!
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Answers to Questions, barefoot, classical music, dance arts, dance class, entire body movement, Healing Arts, high intensity, latin moves, Latin music, low impact, martial arts, Nia, Nia class, Nia Class Experience, Nia dancers, Nine Movement Forms, rock music, sweaty workout, www.HelpYouWell.com, Zumba | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 19, 2018
So you may know that I teach a cardio dance exercise called Nia. It includes Martial Arts (such as Tae Kwon Do), Dance Arts (such as jazz dance), and Healing Arts (such as yoga). It is body centered. Basically, it has many facets and can explained many different ways, but it is best for one to see for themselves what it really is. So I call it a cardio dance exercise. That lets people know that they will be dancing and getting a cardio workout. It clues them into the fact that if they move, they will sweat. The rest they just have to experience. One thing we do in Nia is we move around the room. It is great to experience the world from other perspectives and just moving away from your regular dance spot in your dance class can help you do that. Sometimes when we move from our regular spots we are moving around the room in FreeDance . . . perhaps taking up as much space as possible, moving about the entire room or dancing in all the corners. Sometimes when we move from our regular spots we dance in a “bundle”. Nia is also about community so this really helps exhibit that. We dance in a group, in a bundle, as a community.
There is a particular kata in which I remember the training DVD to have encouraged us to dance close, as stated, in a bundle. So I always try to get people to get close. I suggest we all move gently in the tight bundle. I ask that everyone move through the middle of the bundle at least once. I also propose that people make eye contact. This is something I usually say to remind myself. I am getting better at doing so. I used to always look down, but now we are eyeing each other.
During one class I stepped outside of the bundle to turn up the music and thought it would be a great time to snap a photo. As you can see our little Nia community is great at doing the Nia Bundle. We always speculate as to what people who might see us would think when we have this large wonderful dance floor and we are all in the middle dancing. We also laugh about elbows and toes, acknowledging that you might run into one and being very careful not to step on the other. I believe the Nia Bundle is one of the things that makes Nia unique.
If you have read some of my other posts before, this one might sound pretty familiar as I wrote about the Nia Bundle in my post Dancing Close. This post pretty much explores the same information, but with this one there are pictures.
Not every Nia routine’s choreography contains a Nia Bundle . . . but a Nia teacher can use a Nia Bundle anytime. Since it is such a fun way to dance in community we might just sneak it in whenever we want. I tend to stick to using it when we dance the particular song that Carlos choreographed the Nia Bundle in . . . .but ya never know, since my students are so good at it, I might start using it more.
How would you feel about a “bundle dance”?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: body centered, cardio dance exercise, cardio workout, Carlos Aya Rosas, dance arts, Healing Arts, Jazz Dance, martial arts, Nia Bundle, Nia class, Nia community, Nia routines, Tae Kwan Do, Yoga | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 16, 2014
I am learning a Nia Routine and the focus is the Nine Movement Forms (of Nia). All routines can be an opportunity to connect with the Nine Movement Forms, but when it is the designed focus of the routine it really helps to emphasize each one. There are nine songs to the routine and each song was created with the specific movement form in mind. It is an easy way to practice each form. It is a wonderful way to learn more. There are three arts and three movement forms from each art. The Arts are Healing Arts, Martial Arts and Dance Arts. The movement forms are the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, Alexander Techinique, Yoga, T’ai chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, and Duncan Dance.
Each movement form can be used to guide the movements. Each movement form can energize the moves.
The below is from the Nia Technique (page 101)
(Healing Arts)
“Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais: Reflective, healing, conscious. Move with sensory awareness and feel life as it happens.
Alexander Technique: Transformative, exploratory, natural. Move as a whole person, connected up and balanced.
Yoga: Timeless, linked, expansive. Move in ways that link your body, mind, and spirit to the outer world.
(Martial Arts)
T’ai chi: Flowing, tender, fluid. Float like a balloon, and move like a willow tree in the wind.
Tae kwon do: Sharp, powerful, active. Move with confidence, and feel* your own speed and strength.
Aikido: Harmonizing, peaceful, cooperative. Connect and blend with everything around you.
(Dance Arts)
Jazz dance: Playful, peppy, sexy. Move with pizzazz and express your most passionate emotions.
Modern dance: Languid, moody, balanced. Create different shapes with your body. Play with balance and contrasts.
Duncan dance: Soulful, spontaneous, unbounded. Move like a child enchanted by life.”
*I believe that should say “feel”
In the song matched up with the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais we move in the space. Sensing our bodies and the space around us. Sensing the space with our bodies. The T’ai Chi song has us moving fluidly both slow and fast. The movement is a flow. The third song takes us to a dance art and it is jazzy. We do jazz squares and move with pep and we snap our moves. In the song where we are focusing on Modern dance we make shapes with our bodies. We also sense the moods created by the different shapes. In the Duncan dance focus song we play rushing in and rushing out. The sixth song has moves that are to be done sharp and powerful. It is presented first slow than fast. And that gives the participant options to do either speed. In the song that focuses on Aikido we do a lot of turns . . . Aikido turns or four point turns. With the eighth song we are doing a cool down and use the idea of “long bones” and “short bones” which allows us to expand and stretch connecting to the sensation of yoga. The last song inf our floorplay, we explore the Alexander Technique by moving from the top.
Just a different way to experience the Nine Movement Forms (of Nia). A great way to delve deeper into Nia and its movement forms.
What do YOU think of when you think of these movement forms? What do you think of when you think of Moshe Feldenkrais? Are you familiar with the Alexander Technique? What comes to mind when you think of Yoga? What do you know of T’ai chi? Have you ever done Tae kwon do? Does thinking about Aikido make you dizzy? What could you show me about Jazz dance? Are you into Modern dance? Do you know who created Duncan dance?
Posted in Movement Forms of Nia, Nia | Tagged: Aikido, Alexander Technique, body mind spirit, dance arts, Duncan Dance, floorplay, Jazz Dance, jazz squares, martial arts, modern dance, Nia routine, Nia songs, of Nia, Tae kwon do, Tai Chi, the Healing Arts, The Nia Technique, The Nine Movement Forms (of Nia), the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 1, 2009
As you might now be aware Nia includes elements from three different movement forms from three different arts. One of the arts is the dance arts and one movement form is Modern Dance. With Modern Dance concepts added to Nia it allows us to play with balance, play with shapes, and play with space. We can form any shape we want. We can use arms and legs, fingers and toes, torso and head to make the shapes we envision. We can allow gravity to pull us to the ground, or gravity to pull us heavenward. With all that Modern Dance inspires us to do we can gain strength and flexibility. Agility plays a part also as we shift our weight and change our speed.
Jazz Dance allows us to play and be showmen, and Duncan Dance allows us to play and use our imagination, and Modern Dance allows us to play and in addition really use our bodies. Muscles get a great workout as we expand and contract, shifting our weight, and making shapes. An invitation to experiment with all planes, directions, and levels only helps to confirm that our muscles will be used as we dance and play. Bringing Modern Dance into your workout can also be an exercise in timing and speed. Modern Dance can be the encouragement to make different combinations. For example, walk across the floor, walk high, walk low, walk fast, walk slow, stumble and recover.
This movement form is a great way to explore the floor, you could fall gently to the earth, then rise up slowly, fall gently and spring up. Again, multiple combinations can be a result of letting Modern Dance into the workout. This form also suggest moving one body part and allowing others to follow, so maybe as you are on the ground your hand rises into the air and your body follows and your hand takes you around the space you are in.
Modern Dance really allows for freedom in Nia. It gives you permission to mix things up and make the steps of a routine your own. It is another form that gives us permission to play and make the workout fun.
The Nia Technique Book and The Nia Technique – White Belt Manual have additional information regarding the movement forms that were blended to create Nia. The books are by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas.
Posted in Movement Forms of Nia, Nia | Tagged: agility, dance arts, dance exercise, dance routine, Dance Workout, different movement forms, Duncan Dance, exercise that is fun, flexibility, freedom dance, fun exercise, fun workout, Jazz Dance, modern dance, Nia, Nia exercise, Nia routine, Nia workout, strength | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 29, 2009
A Nia workout includes elements from three disciplines from three different arts.
From the dance arts, one dance we call upon is Jazz Dance. Jazz Dance allows us to bring in the fun! With Jazz it is about fun, showmanship, and expression. It is about big and little. Many elements from Jazz are incorporated into Nia. Isolations, syncopations, combinations, rhythm steps.* We could do a little flick of the wrist or full body shimmy, enabling us to exercise our intrinsic muscles and show the playful side, the sexy side. We could do a jazz square, a hip bump, or big arm circles allowing us to express ourselves. Bringing Jazz Dance into Nia helps bring in the rhythm and it can be a lesson in agility–where we start or move a body part and quickly bring it to a stop.
There is also facial expressions that can be associated with Jazz Dance; the big smiles, the teeth, the pout, the laugh, the wink—all can be jazzy! And of course, the hands, can’t forget “jazz hands” for one. With that it can be an expression of self, or beats of the music, or whatever you want. We can also do a lot of finger motions, pointing, flicking, “come here, Sexy!” gestures—all assisting in the health of the hand.
Jazz Dance brings a lot to Nia, it helps us be playful and have fun.
What moves, gestures, steps, etc. make you think “jazzy”? What movements do you do that you could add a “jazzy sparkle” to? And how?
Some of this information is from the Nia Technique Book and The Nia Technique – White Belt Manual, V3. Both books are by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas.
*V3 – White Belt Manual.
Posted in Movement Forms of Nia, Nia | Tagged: Carlos Rosas, dance arts, dance exercise, dance lesson, Debbie Rosas, elements of Jazz, Jazz Dance, jazz dance lesson, Jazz Exercise, jazz square, movement, Nia, Nia Dance classes, Nia exercise, Nia Lesson, Nia White Belt, Nia workout, playful exercise, rhythm dance, sexy exercise, shimmy, The Nia Technique, three disciplines | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 31, 2009
Nia™ is about joyful movement. Move with joy. Move for joy. Move to joy.
A Nia workout includes elements from three disciplines from three different arts:
From the martial arts, we use moves from T’ai chi, Tae Kwon Do, and Aikido.
From the dance arts we embrace styles from Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, and Duncan Dance
And from the healing arts we are mindful of teachings from Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique, and Yoga.
At times we might move slow, focusing on movements centered around the body’s inner core, as in T’ai chi. We might kick or punch as one might do in Tae kwon do, and these movements might flow into a spiral motion that is associated with Aikido. We could decide to play the showman and do the entire routine with a jazzy flair or just add movements of creating shapes, dropping and then recovering the body’s own weight as a modern dancer might do. There is always a chance we could give into our inner child and run free and honest with the playfulness of a Duncan dancer. While we’re doing one these things we are keeping in mind the teaching of Moshe Feldenkrais and being conscious of sensations. We could stretch to the top with utmost concentration one might contribute to the Alexander Technique, then move onto a dance of bone alignment increasing awareness, relaxation, and balance the could be thought of as Yoga.*
So in one workout you can experience all those things. Strength is balanced with grace. Fun is balanced with seriousness. Body is balanced with mind.
The music is varied and is intended to promote the movement of the routine. There is no doubt something for everyone.
*based on information from The Nia Technique by Debbie Rosas & Carlos Rosas
Posted in Movement Forms of Nia, Nia | Tagged: Aikido, Carlos Rosas, core, dance arts, Debbie Rosas, disciplines, Duncan Dance, Feldinkrais, flow, fun, grace, Healing Arts, inner child, Jazz Dance, joy, joyful, martial arts, mind, modern dance, movement, Nia, Nia San Jose, playfulness, San Jose Nia, sensations, showman, strength, T'ai chi San Jose, Tae kwon do, Tae kwon do San Jose, Tai Chi, the Alexander Technique, The Nia Technique, The Nine Basic Movements Forms Of Nia, Yoga, Yoga San Jose | 13 Comments »
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