Gently reach upwards, as though plucking a delicate flower representing the Holy Spirit from the branches of a heavenly tree. Draw this precious gift downwards and reverently place it within oneself, symbolizing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in one’s being.

Gently stretch out your hand, sprinkled with birdseeds of love which beckons to the dove of the Holy Spirit. Welcome this dove into the embrace of your heart.

Variation: The dove is of fiery splendor, and as you grasp it, your hand trembles with its power. Carry this blazing dove and sweep it across every part of your being, setting your body alight with its purifying flame.

Softly extend your hand upward, as if to delicately harvest a ripe, golden plum that symbolizes the Holy Spirit from a branch of a plum tree from Eden. Lower this treasured offering and partake of its fruit with reverence, experiencing the Holy Spirit’s infilling as you do.

Extend your arms with a gentle and reverent motion, embracing the mist of the Holy Spirit, allowing it to permeate and be absorbed into your whole being.

The Holy Spirit here is likened to an assortment of shifting fruits. one begins by delicately harvesting a blueberry, which then transforms into a plum, smoothly transitions to an orange, followed by a grapefruit, and proceeds to a cantaloupe cradled in one arm, before evolving into a watermelon, and ultimately culminating in a large pumpkin. Absorb the big fruit into the body.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.“

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

The part of the Catholic Mass where everyone shakes each other’s hands is known as the “Sign of Peace.” It usually occurs after the Lord’s Prayer and before the Communion rite. During this time, the congregation expresses mutual peace and goodwill by exchanging a handshake or other appropriate gesture with those around them. The intent is to symbolize the peace and unity that comes from sharing in the Eucharistic celebration.

While the group walks in space, everyone shakes the hand of whoever passes. Find a group flow. Sometimes the shaking misses and people shake hands with the air. Extend the hand shaking motif to all directions and levels. Play with the qualities and speeds.

Variation: high fives which naturally will become low fives and air fives.

When interacting with a partner, one is a constantly shifting the state between touching and not touching.

Someone dances while one or more participants keep their hands in some nurturing places such as the heart, forehead, head, solar plexus, shoulder, neck, or spine.

With the subtle movement of the skin in some direction (think in 3d directions), the participant moves. Think of the old laptops where the mouse pointer moves by the little sensitive finger knob in the middle of the keyboard.

This is a group exercise where people surround the center participant and place a finger on different parts of the center participant’s body. They can change the location of the finger at will. What needs to happen is that the the center participant needs to push against all the fingers at the same time.

Inspired by the exercise before, now everyone can place fingers on anyone else forming a network where everyone must keep tension. Everyone freely changes the fingers at will.

Prayers for others are engaged in solo, duet, or group.

One or more offer a dance of intercession to a body present. If it is a group, then the one receiving the intercession is at the center of a circle or clump. Group can engage in laying of hands/anointing.

This is often done in improvisational dance. It is composed of a scattered group of dancers who mirror one leader in front of them. The leader is always in the front and the chest/torso is also facing the front. If the leader turns, then there may be a new leader. Also, a leader can jump to front to be the new leader.

Two or more participants begin with looping their own personal movements and then eventually come to a middle ground where they are looping the same movement in a mirroring fashion.

The idea behind this exercise is that there is a line of participants mirroring the individual before them, but the mirror degrades more and more the further behind the participant gets. The person at the head of the line is the creator or initiator and the mirroring gets downgraded the further down it goes, making the individual last in line the most reduced body.

One can mirror and pick any number of worlds or filters to add to the ones who are copying, e.g. they are copying but as a cloud, a bird, or a clown.

Grab your neighbor’s hands in a circle. The circle rotates, and people are free to step back, forward, and around without letting go of the hands. Knots can for with this exercise.

One volunteer is blindfolded and another one or more manipulates the body of another in whichever way that resonates. The resistance of the puppet can gradually go from 0% to 100%. Once 100% is reached, this is a dance solo.

The exercise emphasizes symbiotic relationship within the group. One long thread connects everybody together, crafting a haphazard web. Nobody breaks the thread. Each dancer has one or more threads of intercession connecting others. These are prayers for others.

The same exercise can then be repeated with imaginary thread. Move accordingly.

Everyone moves in the space. When one person stops, everyone stops, and when one person resumes moving, everybody resumes moving. A variation of this exercise which was shown by Imre van den Bosch, a site-specific theatre director and educator, is for the entire group to stop at the same time. The feat seems nearly impossible, but when the group forms a good enough connection, magic happens.

Everyone clumps together without touching. As everybody moves in the space, all the arms spread out try and touch only the empty spaces.

This exercise was given in one of Özerk Sonat Pamir’s workshops which he references Anita Saij, founder of the Nordic School of Butoh. Everyone walks throughout the space and are given a series of instructions:

1. Keep one person to your front at all times.
2. Keep two people in your view at all times.
3. Keep one person to your front and one person to your side.
4. Keep one person in your view and another outside of your view.
5. Other Variations can be played with.

The last physical activity of a session is often a Quaker Theatre or Free Revelation Theatre where one can freely dance in front of a class audience. Anybody can enter or exit the space. Audience placement will vary.

We take inspiration from the Quakers, a lesser known Christian denomination. In a Quaker meeting, the congregation sits in silence, creating a meditative atmosphere, waiting for any moment of God to prompt them to speak (in our case, to move).

A good rule of thumb to follow for group improvisation work is to be aware of who is (1) shepherd (2) evangelist (3) follower.

The shepherd is an originator of a world. If somebody enters that same world in some way, that person is an evangelist and part of a duet. Anyone else who joins is the follower and now part of an assembly.

This is a very long (6 to 12 hours or more) dance jam led by the Spirit of God where even lunch and dinner (if happening in the day time) is incorporated into the jam as performative. 

The Street Preacher Resonance (SPR) The jam incorporates a street preacher. The dancer resonates with what is being spoken.

Street Intercession Dance (SID) is a prayer on the street and incorporates audience interaction. Can also incorporate the homeless.