5Rythms - Gabrielle Roth

5Rhythms^® - developed in the 1960’s by dancer, director, musician, record producer, and author Gabrielle Roth - is a movement meditation practice which draws on the shamanistic traditions of Eastern culture, as well as on psycho-spiritual studies such as Gestalt and transpersonal psychology. 5Rhythms^®is based on the idea that everything is energy, and moves in waves. Roth describes a “soul journey” in which physical movement is the key to freeing the mind, opening the heart, and connecting to a source of inspiration which releases the individual’s unlimited potential.

In her work, Roth identifies five discrete rhythms - flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness - which are known as a Wave when danced in sequence. A typical Wave takes about an hour to dance. 5Rhythms^®is generally taught with minimal instruction, allowing the music and the atmosphere to guide the dance. Although 5Rhythms^® is not connected to any particular religious movement, many students view the practice as a religious experience; and it has been compared to “a mixture of a Sunday morning gospel service, a Friday night dance club, and a Saturday morning aerobics class.” By dancing the five rhythms in sequence, Roth believes that students can come to a deeper understanding of human nature by rediscovering the connection between mind and body.

While students are invited to bring any type of movement they want to class (typical classes will include a mix of elements of everything from classical ballet and flamenco dancing to yoga, tai chi, and shamanic chanting), Roth has developed a series of “Maps” to guide her students on their journeys through their inner and outer beings. The first map (“Waves”) introduces the five rhythms and how to embody them; the second map (“Heartbeats”) explores the physical expression of emotion. The third map (“Cycles”) is concerned with different types of conditioning undergone by the body at different stages of life, and the final map (“Mirrors”) takes students on an introspective journey into their own psyche.

Roth and her son, Jonathan Horan, continue to teach 5Rhythms^® in a variety of classes and workshops at their school, The Moving Center, in New York City (there is also a branch in California). There is also a list of certified teachers worldwide on Roth’s website (http://www.gabrielleroth.com).

The Moving Center
http://www.gabrielleroth.com
P.O. Box 271, Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
Phone: (212) 760-1381
Fax: (212) 760-1387
E-mail: info@gabrielleroth.com

The Moving Center School (California)
http://www.movingcenterschool.com
Box 544
Mill Valley, CA 94942
Phone: (415) 388-0431
Fax: (415) 389-0245
E-mail: info@MovingCenterSchool.com

Further reading:

Roth, Gabrielle
Connections

Roth, Gabrielle with John Loudon
Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement

Roth, Gabrielle
Sweat Your Prayers

Roth, Gabrielle
The Wave (DVD)