The Four Poses

A series of activities

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When students are engaged in musical movement, in the spirit of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, there is a sense that each child is engaged and present in the current moment. This integration of time, space, and energy is a powerful developmental practice for the students. Learning to strengthen the connection one feels with time, with music, and with their classmates is a worthwhile pursuit and yields powerful results

I’ve spoken many times of how this practice could save the world. The extra-musical benefits of the work are, in many ways, the right prescription for the ills that ail our culture. The activity I’m presenting in this post, The Four Poses, is a great example of a way the students strengthen connections within their own body, and between each other. The activity begins with an exploration of The Four Poses, presented in isolation.

1. Wide Pose - Arms outstretched, legs wide but still strong on the floor. Feel the ribs and the shoulders open up. Bend the knees.

2. Narrow Pose - Pull the arms into a prone position, cross the legs at the knees. Collapse the ribs and shoulders as if you are being smashed between two books in a bookshelf.

3. Tall Pose - Reach up with your arms, extend your toes. Gaze up with your eyes and feel your chest elevate.

4. Short Pose - Sink down into the ground, still keeping your feet strong. Bend the knees and press the hands into the floor. Allow your head to sink as low as is comfortable.

After we’ve practiced each pose in isolation, we’ll practice moving between them as a “follow.” This part of the activity requires the students to explore the space between each pose, traveling between them and experiencing some synchrony as we attempt to mirror the leader. I’ll begin by flowing between the poses in random order, asking the students to follow. At first I might narrate and tell them which one I’m traveling to, but after a while they just follow my gesture. We try to make the activity as seamless as possible. I’ll then allow the children to lead. This is an important step, to see if they can initiate this improvisation, and move appropriately between the poses.