“If you want to give birth to your true self, you are going to have to dig deep down into that body of yours and let your soul howl.” ~ Gabrielle Roth

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Unlike many other forms of dancing, 5Rhythms isn’t about how “good” you are at dancing.

It’s not choreographed. It’s not about how flexible we are.

5Rhythms dancing is a little bit of everything for everyone. No matter their gender, size, ethnicity, sexual orientation or fitness level.

The 5Rhythms dance, now a worldwide movement, is responsible for bringing thousands of people together—similarly, to connect in a revitalizing, meditative and liberating artistic expression.

Through fluid movements, dancers are encouraged to release their inhibitions, fears, resentments and past traumas—thus, using the five stylistic rhythms as a guide to find inner peace and a deep meditative state.

The practice of 5Rhythms first surfaced in the 1970s, from the late Gabrielle Roth—a dancer, musician and author, born and raised in San Francisco.

Gabrielle described 5Rhythms as: “Leading us back into the garden (of Eden), back to the earth, whole and healed, spirit and flesh reunited.”

Though the interpretation is individual, ultimately, the dance is broken down into five styles:

1. Flowing. (Fluid, continuous movement)

2. Staccato. (Sharp, quick movements)

3. Chaos. (Wild, ecstatic movements)

4. Lyrical. (Harmonious movements)

5. Stillness. (Slow, winding down movements)

Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a dance class or you’re more of a wallflower—“hard times require furious dancing” and everyone’s invited!

For those who dare to join in, we walk away from a 5Rhythms class with a deep sense of connection to our inner self and those around us. We release past tensions and inhibitions—some that we may not even have realized we had). By doing so we are allowing ourselves a space to live a more mindful life, as well as improving our physical fitness.

As Gabrielle Roth so beautifully said: “Healing is a journey. It involves stepping out of our conventional scripts and improvising a dancing path.” 

To find a local 5Rhythms class near you, check out this website.

**Author’s note: I am not affiliated with the 5Rhythms website above, I am simply sharing to help promote a practice I truly believe in.

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Author: Shayna Wilson

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Screenshot.