Julie Forsey writes…
After dancing a weekend workshop, ‘Endless Waves’, taught by Lucia Horan, I feel replete. Aaah! That was wonderful!
Lucia was visiting New Zealand from her home ‘town’ of New York, and we were fortunate indeed that she made time in her schedule to teach a weekend here in Wellington covering the ‘Wave’ structure of the 5Rhythms.
The Friday night introduction was well attended with a smaller number at the weekend giving a spacious feel to the workshop, which complemented Lucia’s relaxed and accessible style of teaching.
With a lifetime of dancing and having grown up immersed in the 5Rhythms, Lucia’s deep knowledge of the Dance underpins the simplicity of her teaching, breaking down the structure of the 5Rhythms in a way that was grasped with immediacy by the beginners at the workshop and at the same time gave a refreshing perspective and a rich vitality to the more experienced dancers. In particular, I loved the Lucia’s teaching on how the breath is the essential starting place, how it moves through and enlivens each of the Rhythms, and she taught this with simplicity and clarity, bringing it down to earth in a way we could easily grasp.
Through the course of the weekend, we danced through the Wave many times, got to know our body parts, worked with grounding techniques, shared our thoughts in the circle, and wrote of our experience in a simple yet powerful exercise. On the Sunday we danced the Shadows of the 5Rhythms, which further deepened our understanding of the ‘Light’ aspect of the Rhythms. As Lucia explained, everything is in balance, the shadow and the light, inspiration of the breath and the exhalation, opening and closing, giving and receiving.
I really appreciated Lucia’s balanced and non-judgmental teaching, that created an atmosphere of acceptance in which we could accept (even!) ourselves, and every aspect of ourselves that came into awareness through the workshop.
I think it speaks volumes that at the end of the Friday nights’ dance, in the closing circle, we each spoke a word of how we were feeling, and for many of the dancers, the one word was ‘Love’.
Thank you Lucia, and we hope you will come back to teach in New Zealand soon.
Lucia is heading off to continue her international schedule – Japan, Canada, swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas, or dancing in a castle in Italy. Maybe you would like to join her? See www.luciahoran.com/schedule for further information.
