What is Open Floor?
“Open Floor is not about learning to dance. It’s about dancing to learn.”
Open Floor Movement Practice is a lively, life-affirming dance inquiry inviting us to track our thoughts, feelings, and habits and turn them into creative fuel. Using a foundation of mindfulness and universal movement resources such as breath, grounding and centering; our aim is to use our movement practice to be fully embodied – physically, emotionally, mentally. This simply means being at home in our body for the beautiful ride of being alive - present for anything and everything.
Open Floor is a free-form dance space with no dance experience required or steps to follow; an explorative, drug and alcohol free space to fully express yourself, dance wildly or gently, and connect with yourself and others.
Henry regularly teaches classes and workshops in Melbourne, and travels to his home state of Tasmania monthly to offer classes and workshops.
Open Floor is also a global community of movers, gathering all over the world to dance through life together. For more information about Open Floor International click here.
Why dance?
"This body is a rare and precious gift." Buddha
And for this one precious life, it is our home address.
When we use the dance to be fully embodied – physically, emotionally, mindfully – it simply means being home for the beautiful ride of being alive. It means we're present for anything and everything: loving, losing, colliding, learning, creating, connecting, feeling.
To be embodied is to come to our senses. To show up and learn to stay with our experience whether it's good or bad. To feel our power and to make things happen in our world.
When we live an embodied life we are fluid, flexible, and free to experience all of the wild and subtle moments that go by, the ones that are heavenly and the ones that drop us to our knees.
To be embodied is to arrive at death in peace, free of regret for having missed our life because we weren't home.
For more information, visit: www.openfloor.org
Photo credit: Primal Aspect
Image credit from @youwishemily
Is it your first time?
Here’s a few guidelines/tips for you:
Guideline 1 - no right or wrong
There are no steps to follow, or moves you can do right or wrong.
Guideline 2 - no talking on the dance floor
On the Open Floor we shift from speaking with words to speaking with movement. It makes for very creative conversations and supports us to be with ourselves in a different way.
Guideline 3 - don’t get bored, get creative
If you have no idea what to do, try something below:
Stay As with any meditation practice, distractions happen – expect them. Just gently bring your attention back to movement.
Pace yourself No matter what the rest of the room is doing, listen to your body. If you relax in the beat, like a swimmer treading water, you’ll refuel.
Stretch yourself If you always keep to yourself, include someone else in your dance. If you prefer dancing with a partner, try going solo. Slow down. Speed up. Experiment. Break a habit. Imitate somebody and see how it feels. Create your own remix of others' moves.
It’s not about the music We use music to catalyze movement. Love it or hate it, how you respond is up to you. Use everything as fuel for your dance.
Don't give up We all hit patches of fatigue, boredom, shyness, frustration, or discomfort. Even if you can only wiggle a finger or nod your head to the beat, stay with it until something changes. Most often, it will.
Enjoy yourself Excessive seriousness will slow you down.
You can view my terms and conditions for my Open Floor events here