Posts Tagged ‘Nia Music’
Posted by terrepruitt on November 15, 2012
I recently participated in the intensive that is the second level of training in the Nia practice. Nia trainings are called intensives which is a great thing because it gives you an idea of what the training will be like —– INTENSE! The second level is Blue Belt. Nia borrows from other practices and uses belts and colors to signify levels. The levels are White, Blue, Brown, and Black. There is a Green for teachers that can be taken at anytime after white. Part of the reason the trainings are intense is that they are over 50 hours of instruction. The instruction includes lectures, dancing, participatory exercises, and workout classes. Each level of the practice has its own focus, intent, and principles (except Green). The Blue Belt focus is Communication, Relationship, and Intimacy. While the concentration is on how these things relate to Nia it is probably easy to imagine how lessons involving these three things can be related to everyday life. Since the training CAN be related to life outside of teaching Nia there are many people who take the intensives with no intent of teaching. You might also be able to imagine how the focus can apply to many things in relation to Nia. One way is how a Nia teacher communicates with a class, the teacher’s relationship with the choreography, and intimacy to the music. This is just one little facet of the focus. I am sharing it to give you an idea of what the focus of “Communication, Relationship, and Intimacy” means.
The intent of the focus is to energize personal connection through self-discovery and communication by following The Body’s Way. Since Nia is a body based practice we do our learning through the body. As I mentioned in my I’m Blue, But No Tears Here post we were shown how to use the Nia 5 Stages or the Developmental Anatomy to answer questions about what stage we are in when learning something new. Very amazing. This is the part that I need to practice — really listening to my body and believing what it is telling me. The believing part will take examination time . . . I’ll have to really figure out why my body says I am in one stage where I might THINK I am in another. I might think I am in the beginning stage, embryonic, but my body might say I am in the crawling stage. For me this means I need to pay attention to the details of what I actually know and what I still need to learn. I could know 11 out of 15 things, but since the 15th thing seems to be so big to me, I might think I am just beginning whereas it turns out I know over 73%. All part of the communication, relationship, and intimacy!
Also this training has familiar things you might have heard of in other trainings, for instance: pay attention to what you sense, feel, think, and have within you then communicate accordingly. I know that this type of idea has been taught in corporate trainings as an effective way to communicate. A Nia related example would be: Knowing the choreography and really know how to do the 52 moves, then having an intimate relationship with the music which will allow you to clearly communicate to the Nia participants.
I can almost talk myself into circles because it is all relates so well and ties in together and just connects. The more I type the more things I think of so I really have to concentrate on just a tiny portion so my sharing does not get so confusing. I am trying to share to clarify. I want you to want more. I want to understand that in addition to a great workout, Nia has stellar training and continued education.
Can you see how Communication, Relationship, and Intimacy is important for a teacher?
Posted in Blue Belt, Nia | Tagged: Blue Belt Focus, communication, Developmental Anatomy, Green Belt, Intimacy, Nia 5 Stages, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia Intensive, Nia Music, Nia Practice, Nia Teacher, Nia trainings, Nia workout, Relationship, the body's way | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 4, 2012
I have a confession to make. It is one I might have even confessed before. I know I have done it before. It is easy for me to get caught up. I want to please people. I want the supervisor to know that I am working to keep the students IN the class. I want the students attending the class to like it and want to be there. When you are a substitute instructor leading a different format than is usually taught it is very different from when you are teaching a class of the expected format. Many people are taught that cardio – aerobic exercise – is extremely fast, high impact, and difficult so it is very hard to change that mindset. I was asked by someone who understands both the fact that cardio does not have to be extremely fast or high impact and that people are trained to think it is, if I could do Nia a little higher because people expect cardio to be a specific way. So caught up in wanting to give the students what they are accustomed to getting I put together a routine . . . kind of rushed . . . that didn’t have ALL the elements that a Nia class normally has. It was not good. It felt “off”. I was trying to make Nia something it is not. Nia is not Zumba. Nia is not Cardio-Sculpt. Nia is not extremely fast, rushed, and high impact. Nia is not Jazzercise. Nia is not UJAM. Nia is not all of or any of these other names that there are for classes that are fast, rushed, and high impact. Nia is an amazing practice. Nia is a great workout. Nia is a wonderful cardio dance exercise. And I need to stop trying to make it be something it is not just because people are used to cardio a specific way.
So I did a routine that didn’t feel right to me. I thought I would get up the next morning and do the same routine for the class I was asked at the last minute to sub, I was going to try to “bring it” to the students. As I was getting into bed a little agitated from the “not feeling right class”, it washed over me like a refreshing revelation . . . . DO NIA! Duh! Bring “IT”, and make that “IT” Nia. I got caught up and in my trying to bring the students what they are used to, I didn’t allow them the richness of something new. The richness of Nia.
Now, I want you to understand that the Nia Technique creates wonderful routines and all we teachers have to do is learn them and teach them. But we are also allowed to use other music, make up our own routines, mix and match the routines they have created, and make up our own katas. Of course, we need to follow the Nia class formula and the seven cycles which contain the traditional warm-up, move it, and cool-down. I also think when creating a routine/class – in general – it should be balanced; as an example not all songs/movements should be lateral ones or forward and back ones, there should be a mix of movement and the 52 Nia moves. I create routines from Nia routines all the time. So it was not the fact that I put songs together that created the not feeling right routine, it was ME. It was ME trying to make Nia something it is not.
I need to center myself. I need to stick to what I know and not try to give people the class they are used to. I KNOW Nia is amazing and awesome and does need to try to be anything it is not. I KNOW THAT. I just get caught up.
Another point I want to make is, I am not saying those other formats are bad. In fact, I like some of the other formats I have tried. One of these days I might even teach another cardio format. I am saying Nia is Nia, it is not any of the other formats and I need to remember that and let it stand on its own. I need to remember to trust Nia and allow it to touch the people it needs to touch and let the others attend the other dance classes. I need to remember that when I am asked to sub a class I am going to sub it with Nia and not try to make Nia be what that class usually is. I keep thinking to myself, “DUH!”
Thank you for letting me confess and do a public face-in-the-hand-plant!
Do you EVER do that in any section of your life – try to make something be something else even though what you have is just perfect the way it is?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 52 Nia Moves, aerobic dance class, cardio, Cardio-Sculpt, class format, dance exercise, dance format, exercise format, fast formats, high impact, Jazzercise, Nia, Nia Music, Nia Practice, Nia routine, Nia student, Nia Teacher, substitute instructor, Ujam, Zumba, Zumba routines | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 9, 2012
In Nia there are 52 Moves that run through the Nia Routines. One move that we do quite often is not on the list of 52 moves. I call it a four-point turn because we take four steps to do it. In one of the routines I recently learned the instructor calls it an Aikido turn. Since Nia borrows moves and ideas from Aikido and associates Aikido with circular, spiral, and spherical motion, it makes sense this turn would be called an Aikido turn. As with many dance exercises the moves can sometimes be done fast or slow depending upon the music. Sometimes in a Nia routine we can do the same move at different speeds. With the four-point – which is four step – or Aikido turn – the best way to accomplish it is by starting with the first step being a “toes out” type of step. Point the foot out, away from the body in the direction you want to turn. Allow the entire thigh to turn out. Whether you are going to do a fast or slow turn, this first step is key in making it all the way around. Another key is to LOOK! Look the direction you want to turn. Also helpful is hands and arms. Allow your hand to follow after the eyes. The order would be eyes/head, hand/arm, foot/leg. While this is one arrangement of the order, sometimes your arms might actually be doing something else and that is fine too. It could be that the hands and arms lead, but whatever the case your eyes can be a part of the turn. Nia is a dance workout so sometimes we might have our arms dancing in another way to the music.
For a beginner learning the turn, I would make the previously mentioned suggestion of the order. Eyes/head, hand/arm, foot/leg. The thigh bone/foot turned out. Then step on that “toes out” foot, weighting it 100%, as you step all your weight on it your body will turn in the direction you want to go. Your free leg can be swung around to what seems like in front of your “toes out” foot, but by the time you step onto it, it will end up being besides the toes out foot because you will put all your weight into your second step and take the weight off the “toes out” foot so for a moment they will be side-by-side. Then you will swing your free leg behind to land about in line with the heel of your weighted foot. You will weight the foot that just was swung, and turn the other foot to parallel . . . making that the fourth point or step.
Maybe left and right indications will work better for you: The order: Turn your head/eyes to the left , allow your hand/arm to follow. Move your LEFT FOOT to “toes out” turning your left thigh bone to the left. Then step on your LEFT FOOT in a “toes out” position, put your weight on it 100%. As you are stepping all your weight on your LEFT FOOT, allow your body to turn to the left, in the direction you want to go. Swing your RIGHT LEG (free leg) around to what seems like in front of your LEFT FOOT. Step onto your RIGHT FOOT, toes pointing to the back of the room (or what started off as the back of the room), take the weight off the LEFT FOOT (“toes out” foot). Swing your LEFT FOOT (free leg) behind to land about in line with the heel of your RIGHT FOOT (weighted foot). You will stand on the LEFT FOOT, and turn the RIGHT FOOT to parallel . . . making that the fourth point or step.
Right to left works the same but start with your right foot.
To me, it is actually easier to do it fast than slow. But either way the hips get great rotation in the sockets. I was taught that we do not slide on our feet or spin on our feet. We dance barefoot so it is very different than if you have dance shoes on. There is not a nice layer of material that allows for easy sliding and spinning. We pick up our feet so as not to get blisters and to better condition the feet and the legs. So when we turn we are not spinning on the balls of our feet. That is one reason why I call it a four-point turn because we are hitting “points” in our dance. Points, steps, either way it is not a spin on the foot. This is another reason why it is important to start the turn with the toes already turned out because we also always want to be gentle on our knees. Also in Nia we are always reminded to remember our own body’s way. It is more important to protect and love our knees than it is to make it all they way around when doing a turn!
This is a pretty common dance move in dance exercise classes, but it is not always easy and can present a challenge. I believe it becomes particularly challenging when the person doing it wants to keep their eyes on the instructor. The best way to do it is to allow the eyes to move with the turn.
This is also a very fun move because you never know what we are going to do at either end (after the 4th step). Now that you got the turn down come to a Nia class and see what could be waiting at the end! You got the turn down, right?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Aikido, dance exercise class, dance exercises, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia instructor, Nia Music, Nia routines, Toes Out, turned out toes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 26, 2012
I have posted before about the 13 Principles in the Nia White Belt. The fourth principle, FreeDance, has eight stages. I am working my way backwards posting about each stage. This post is about second stage: Being Seduced by the Music – The Art of Listening. In the second stage of Nia FreeDance the exercise we perform is stillness. We keep our bodies still while we listen to the music. We allow ourselves to be seduced by the music and practice the art of listening. When listening to a song that is not familiar or doesn’t have that “get-up-and-dance” beat it is not so difficult, but when the song is one that makes every part of your body want to move, when it is familiar, or one you love it is not easy sitting still. It is not easy to sit with a tall spine that does not gyrate to the beat. But when we do practice the art of listening with only our ears we might hear sounds we had not been aware of before. While we are listening the idea is to name instruments and sounds that you hear. Sometimes you might not know what you are hearing, either you don’t know the name of the instrument or it isn’t really an instrument at all, so you can give them their own names. For instance something might sound like rushing water or trash can lids. I know a Nia teacher whose husband is in a band and she is familiar with a lot of different instruments and the sounds they make. She is very good at naming them when she hears them. Me, if you look at my bars you will see a lot of spaceships. There is a sound that I think of as a spaceship so I use that symbol to signify that sound. I HEAR a spaceship.
This stage might sound a bit like RAW, where we are Relaxed, Alert, and Waiting while we listen to the music, but it is not. Our bodies might be in the same position, of a lengthened spine and a relaxed state but in RAW we are just listening without opinion or too much thought. We have no inner dialogue so there is no naming of sounds. In RAW we are just waiting to receive. With Being Seduced by the Music we are practicing the art of listening and naming what we hear. We are engaged in the music even though we are not moving.
For me this stage of FreeDance might even produce a few pearls. It could be that I don’t know the instrument so I think of what it sounds like which allows us to move “as if we are sloshing in mud”. Or it could be that the sound just makes me think of a certain movement such as “throwing your arms in the air with a burst of sound”. While I might not be purposefully trying to think of pearls with the seduction I just let my mind flow. If there is a dialog then there is, if not, that is fine. I just let the music flow and I listen giving names to this sound and that sound.
Listening to the music without giving it dance or without it allowing to move us in dance allows us a deep relationship with it. We are not imposing our own ideals onto it as we move or we are not interpreting it, we are just letting it in. We are just listening. With that we learn about it. We hear things we might have missed while floating about the space. It is nice to be able to have that connection with the music.
Stage two of FreeDance, Being Seduced by the Music – The Art of Listening is just another toy in our toy box that Nia has given us to play with to become better teachers and better dancers.
Have you ever been sitting still listening to a song you have heard many times before and heard something you hadn’t heard before?
Posted in FreeDance, Nia | Tagged: 13 Principles in the Nia White Belt, Art of Listening, eight stages, Nia, Nia dancers, Nia FreeDance, Nia Music, Nia pearls, Nia RAW, Nia teachers, Nia White Belt, seduced | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 2, 2012
In a post in which I spoke about learning a Nia Routine I said we need to know it perfectly. I would like to explain. First of all I have written before about how when I am learning a Nia routine there comes a point where I just can’t learn any more by myself and I have to take it to class. Always fascinates me how I can spend weeks working on learning it then in one hour in class I learn more than all the time I had spent on it previously. Dance exercise is like that. Teaching something is always different learning, it is a different level. Anyway I had recently said we have to know a routine perfect and what I mean by that is the better we know the music and the choreography, the closer to perfect we can get it, the better. I can do a routine without flaw in my living room then when faced with trucks driving by, kids screaming at the school, people laughing in the lobby I can get distracted. If I don’t know my music perfectly, if I don’t know the choreography perfectly then I will obviously mess up. But when I know it “perfectly” then I can not do it right, but still dance and lead the routine fine. I can mess up without saying, “Oops!” If I know where I am and what is coming I can keep going. Maybe I missed my cue to change movement, but when I know the music I can decide if I just want to stay with the move we are on or go to the next one. If I decide to go, do I want to cut the amount of times short because I was late or do the correct amount because it too fits perfectly with the music? When I KNOW it perfectly, I am free to play and really let the dance of Nia show. I can be perfect in my imperfection.
I might not teach the routine exactly as it is taught on the DVD, but I know what I am doing different and I know where I am going with the music. We teach tight, but loose. I know the moves, I execute them correctly, I do the choreography exactly as the DVD — when I can :-), but, when I mess up I am loose enough to keep going. I am loose enough to see my students enjoying one particular combination of steps, so I can elect to stay and let them enjoy their movements. I know my routine tight enough that when my earring falls off and I get a bit distracted, I can keep going AND expertly step over and around it as it lays on the dance floor. I am loose enough to be able to change the choreography by having to HOP over the fallen jewelry instead of exectuing the normal step. I am loose enough to have fun but tight enough that even when I mess up, I might be the only one that knows. It could be that there are students in class who know the routine well enough that they recognize I am not doing the choreographed move, but they can keep following and dancing because I am tight enough to be able to lead and dance in the now.
Because Nia is about dancing in the moment and having fun we are allowed a lot of freedom. I say this often because Nia allows for people to move in their own body’s way and that is an important part of Nia. But I also like to remind people that Nia IS choreographed. The moves fit the music well and there are proper and safe ways to do them. I like to express the fact that Nia is not just a room full of bodies flaling about. We are all encouraged to be perfect in our imperfection. Our bodies might not move exaclty as they are designed, but we can move with awareness. We can move with purpose. That is how I teach. I like it best when I know the routine so well that I can play and be perfect in my imperfection.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: dance awareness, dance class, dance exercise, dance floor, dance routine, exercise class, Nia choerography, Nia Dance, Nia DVD, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia Teacher, perfect in imperfection, tight but loose | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 28, 2012
I spent a large portion of the day practicing Alive, it is the Nia routine I am starting to teach. I debuted it Friday, but I need to practice and practice. In Nia we say, “tight but loose”. So I need to know the music and choreography to perfection which allows me to dance with it and play to it is loose and flowing and fun to my Nia students. So practice and play is the key. I was so busy having fun with it I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a blog post. Because I also spent some time in the kitchen making a different version of my Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup recipe. The people I made it for convinced me that it was good enough that I could use my adaptation of my Baby bok choy and spinach soup recipe as a post. So here goes.
Parsnips, Broccoli, Baby bok choy, and Spinach Soup
–olive oil
–1 medium sized onion chopped (save some for garnish)
–2 parsnips (chopped)
–1 bunch of broccoli (chopped)
–4 bundles of baby bok choy (bottom portion separate from leafy portion, chop both and leave separate, they are added to the soup at different times)
–2 or 3 tsp of minced garlic
–1.5 tsp granulated garlic
–1.5 tsp garlic salt
–48 oz of chicken broth
–a half of bottle or can of beer
–shake or two of teriyaki
–small piece (3/4 of an inch) of ginger, chopped
–3/4 of a 6-oz bag of spinach
–1.5 (ish) wooden spoonful of cream cheese spread whipped with chives
Sautee chopped onion in the olive oil. When the onions look tender add in the chopped parsnip, add granulated garlic and garlic salt. Cook parsnip until it seems a bit tender, then add the bottom portion of the bok choy and broccoli. Let it cook a minute, then add the minced garlic. Sautee until tender. Then pour in the broth. Add about a half can or bottle of beer and the few splashes of teriyaki. Stir it as you feel necessary throughout the entire process. Bring to boil. Add the cream cheese if you are going to use it. Add the ginger. Add leafy portion of the bok choy and bag of spinach. Let cook for a few minutes or until the veggies are wilted. Once the veggies looked wilted use the blender to mix it all up. (I use the immersion blender so I can keep it all in the same pot. Please remember to be cautious of the steam.)
The parsnips give this a little difference flavor and the broccoli leaves little green specks in the soup no matter how much you blend it. Actually when you look at it, it looks the same as all the other soup I make. But it tastes different.
I was trying to make something easy to eat for someone with a sore throat. This soup is kind of thick yet easy to swallow and it packs a punch with all the vegetables it contains. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and let me to continue to share my soup experiments and at the same time put spending time with friends and family at the forefront of life!
Enjoy!
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baby bok choy, beer in soup, broccoli, family time, garlic, immersion blender, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia routine Alive, Nia students, Nia Teacher, parsnips, soup recipe, spinach, teaching Nia, vegetable soup, veggie purees | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 7, 2012
A while back I did a post about rules of the house. Ha, as I was typing this I just thought of another one. My hubby is not allowed to talk to me when I am doing my Nia bars. If he sees me with my ear buds in and paper in front of me with lines on it he knows I am listening to my Nia music and not to talk to me. Sometimes there are songs that are just not that easy for me to count and when he interrupts me I have to start over. So we have reached an agreement there. Anyway, back to my other post, in that I mentioned not touching the cheese. One of my friends commented that she was going to come out here and she promised not to touch my cheese. I was actually waiting for her to come out here to post this, but that scheduled trip got cancelled and I still feel the need to explain. Her comment had me thinking that she thought I won’t SHARE my cheese. But that is not it at all. If I have a good cheese I will gladly share it with a fellow cheese lover because everything taste better when you share it. I actually mean don’t TOUCH the cheese.
One reason I have been putting off writing this post is I like to post pictures with my posts. So I was going to take pictures of what I am about to explain, but I really didn’t want to waste the cheese. I could not — every time since then that I have had a hunk of cheese, I could not bring myself to touch it! Cheese is made from curdled milk. In some cases they use bacteria to make the cheese. Cheese contains living organisms. With all these facts that make up cheese most cheese tend to mold quite easily and quickly.
It is my experience that the mold begins to grow where the cheese is touched. Go ahead, see for yourself. As I said, I will not sacrifice my cheese to show you pictures of this type of experiment. I know it to be true. Even though you wash your hands before you touch the cheese, you still have bacteria and things on your hand that apparently help the mold grow. Again, this is just what I have experienced. I have found that if the cheese is touched that is where the mold grows. I have found that if the BAG or wrapper in which the cheese is stored is touched and that area touches the cheese that is where the mold grows.
Of course, if cheese is old enough it starts to grow mold on its own, but wherever it is touched it grows faster. Have you experienced this to be true? I have, so that is why there is a “rule” in our house that the cheese cannot be touched. That includes ALL cheese in all forms. You cannot put your hand in a bag of shredded cheese. You can pour a small amount into a bowl (or whatever) and handle it from there using what you want, but hopefully you will end up using all of it. If not, it gets put in a separate bag or container it does not go back in the bag with the rest of the cheese. Tubs of cheese . . . . same thing. Even cream and ricotta, you can’t use a utensil then “double-dip” if the utensil has touched hands or mouth. Mouth is probably even worse than hands touching the cheese.
So, that is the reason for the “Don’t Touch the Cheese” rule in our house. It has nothing to do with sharing. We will gladly share our cheese with you, just don’t HANDLE it!
Are you willing to experiment? Use two pieces of cheese to see if the one you touch goes bad before the one you don’t touch? Let us know? Remember you have to have cheese around your house long enough for this to even happen. Ha, ha! (I know how some of you cheese lovers are!)
Posted in Food | Tagged: all types of cheese, Cheese, cheese lover, Nia, Nia bars, Nia Music, rules of the house, shredded cheese | 20 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 20, 2011
Nia routines are choreographed movements to music. Nia’s choreography is pretty. In fact in many cases it is beautiful. Most Nia katas are based on the 52 Nia moves. Steps and moves have been carefully selected to fit with the music, for the most part. There are times when we are invited to just dance without a design. No matter the choreography we are always encouraged to dance in our own way–and that just might not be “pretty” to some people. The body — our bodies — the human body is put together in a specific way. Our parts are connected in a specific way. Movement is allowed and restricted by the way the body is constructed. Some bodies cannot move as was intended. Some bodies might have actual physical limitations that do not allow for soft, fluid, “pretty” movement. For some lifting their arm over their head might cause discomfort. It could be that they are not accustomed to lifting their arm that high so it might not be easy—at first. Some might have tight hamstrings or other muscles so their movement might be less than natural. But Nia is a journey, a practice. Over time the joints will loosen with practice and/or the muscles will become more flexible and be able to move with ease. It could become “pretty” or not. Nia might not be pretty, but it is authentic. It is not a performance. It is how our bodies move. Your body, my body, not the same body so we will move differently and it could be pretty or not. What I might think is pretty you might not. Let it be authentic.
Some bodies have other types of restrictions, could be mental or emotional. It could be, having been taught all her life “ladies” don’t move their hips “like that”, there is an automatic stop placed in her mind so her hips don’t thrust or gyrate. It could be that she thinks that movement is “ugly” so she won’t allow her body to do it. It could be that chipping away at that barrier will take time. And the learning might not be “pretty”. It might be choppy and not happen all at once. It could be that there is an emotion attached to a particular movement. An emotion can act as another type of mental block and not enable or allow the Nia participant to move as the body was designed. And that could, in turn, result in something that isn’t “pretty”. Nia might not be pretty, but it is authentic.
It could also be as previously mentioned — some have an idea of what moves are “pretty” and what moves are not, so for them maybe the “ugly” moves should be kept off of the dance floor, but Nia is not a performance. It is authentic movement of the body.
It could be an arm-raising, hair-whipping, sweat-dripping, face-reddening, body-jiggling, foot-stomping, voice-howling, eyes-crying, heart-softening, spirit-raising, mind-opening, body-moving dance exercise which, to some, just might not be pretty. It is not a show, it is not a performance it is a movement, it is a practice, it is a dance, it is an exercise, it is a workout, it is an experience, it is authentic. It is what you allow your body to do. It is what you want it to be. It is what you sense.
When we allow our bodies to move in an honest way we defer to the body’s intelligence. The body speaks to us, but we need to listen. It will tell us if what we are doing is causing pain so we can tweak the movement and move towards pleasure. Also we can learn which areas of our bodies would benefit from more flexibility or more strength if we listen. All the while, to someone who is expecting a performance this might appear “not pretty”. But to those who have experienced the freedom of listening to the body’s intelligence we see it as beautiful. We know there is a path, there is a journey.
I personally feel that it is beautiful when a participant moves to the music in a way that only s/he can move. Sometimes I might catch a glimpse of one of my Nia students and I have to remind myself that I too need to move according to the sense of the music because otherwise I would stop and watch. It is an amazing wonder to witness a surrender to the music. To some it might not be “pretty”, but it is truly beautiful. So dance your dance. Dance in your body’s way. Don’t judge. Don’t worry about if it is “pretty”. Movement is a glorious and beautiful gift to be enjoyed and not stifled. Let your movements be authentic and don’t worry about those who might think it is not pretty.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: body intelligence, dance exercise, dance performance, Dance Workout, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia choreography, Nia katas, Nia Music, Nia Practice, Nia routines, Nia students, the body's way | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 18, 2011
One of the things we practice in Nia is something we call RAW. We are Relaxed, Alert, and Waiting. It is listening to music by listening to the silence and the sound. The body is relaxed. The mind is alert. The conscious is waiting. We sit and listen. Our spines are upright, tall, and lengthened, even though the body is relaxed. Our muscles are not tense, but they are ready. Within our spines there is space around each vertebrae. The mind is alert. There is no inner dialog with ourselves going on in our head. We are waiting. What we are waiting for is the next sound or the next silence. We are listening to both the instruments and the silence. We are curious. We are listening to the music as a whole. Listening for specific sounds and silences that can allow us to sense many things. The specific sounds and silences can also be used as cues when teaching a Nia class. We might hear a flute every so often. So we might train ourselves to listen for that soft sound. Then we might notice that always after the flute there is a ting of a triangle. Eventually we might notice that right after the triangle there is a moment of silence. We are relaxed. We are alert. We are waiting, either for a sound coming out of silence or a sound of a familiar pattern, as in the triangle after the flute.
With this tool we are to listen and observe what transpires in the music. We aren’t to form an opinion of whether it is “good” or “bad” or whether we like it or not. We are just listening and learning. Part of RAW is not moving. This to me is one of the most challenging parts of RAW. We are to listen and not dance. We are to listen and not move to really be able to LISTEN and in order to be in the sensation of RAW and not allow the sensations of the body interfere. Sometimes it is really hard to do. Nia routines are set to music that inspires the body to move so to have to sit still and just listen is not always easy.
Additionally, I slip out of the tall, upright, and lengthened spine. Once I start barring the music I tend to lean on my arm. Ya know, elbow on the desk, forearm upright, chin resting in the palm of your hand? Without fail this makes me sleepy. The combination of being relaxed, and alert – so I have no conversation going on in my head, and I am waiting. I start to fall asleep. Then I realize I missed the instrument I was waiting for. So I sit up and start again. Sitting up tall and with a lengthened spine really is the key.
It’s a practice; Nia and RAW. It works too. Listening to the music in this state of concentration really helps me learn my music. It is fascinating to think of the silence as music just as much as the instruments are. RAW is a great tool that Nia has taught us to help with our Nia practice both as teachers and as students.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: barring the music, Nia, Nia class, Nia inspiration, Nia Music, Nia Practice, Nia routine, Nia students, Nia Teacher, RAW | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 29, 2011
Nia White Belts focus on the body. The body is what we can use to teach. It is fascinating. By the time we teach a routine in front of a class we should know the music and the choreography so well we don’t have to think about it. I know I have shared before about how there is a point where I can’t learn any more without taking it to the class. That is not necessarily the way we were trained to do it, but that is how I do it. I have worked on learning a routine, got as far as I felt I could go, taken it to class and only done it for one class before I go back and work on learning it some more. With that one class I was able to get past the learning plateau. But for the most part we know the music and the routine well by the time we share it with our Nia students. This allows us to concentrate on what we are sensing. This is White Belt Principle #13, Teaching What You Sense.
One of the Nia White Belt Manuals says:
While Nia impacts every aspect of our lives, it is first and foremost a somatic practice rooted in physical sensation.
© 2010 Nia Technique, Inc. | NiaNow.com Principle 13 Lesson Plan | 1
Teaching what we sense, what we are experiencing in our own bodies allows us to connect with what is going on in our students’ bodies. When I feel the stretch in my side, I can say, “Everybody sense your side.” This allows each participant, each individual body to sense what is going on in his or her own body. It could be a stretch. It could be a twinge which might be a signal to tweak the movement. Whatever is sensed belongs to the individual. I am not saying, “You SHOULD feel . . ” I don’t know exactly what they should sense. Each person is different. Nia teachers invite Nia students to SENSE parts of the body so each person can get the workout their body needs.
While we are dancing the moves we are showing the Nia students the Nia choreography, we are also guiding them with our words. In addition to guiding them through the Nia routine’s choreography we are guiding them through a somatic workout. A workout that is rooted in the Body’s Way. By teaching what my body is sensing participants learn what THEIR bodies are sensing and in turn we all learn our our own individual’s body’s way.
Learning all of this in a cardio dance workout class might seem like a lot, but it is something that happens over time. It might also sound different than other exercise classes, and that is because it is different. It is unique. Each class brings new awareness. When students desire to they can take what we touch upon in class out into their lives. Being aware of the body’s sensation as we live and go about our everyday chores and pleasures. We could call it “Noticing what we sense.” But for me, as a Nia teacher/student I am encouraged to teach what I sense and it makes a world of difference in the workout you receive.
Posted in Nia, Nia White Belt Principles | Tagged: cardio, cardio dance workout, Dance Workout, Nia cardio dance workout, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia Music, Nia participants, Nia routine, Nia students, Nia teachers, Nia White Belt, somatic practice, the body's way, White Belt Principle #13 | 2 Comments »
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