As part of the process to become a Nia White Belt Trainer, I have the opportunity to develop a Nia body of work by adapting a Nia routine to new music. This has been a fascinating process, and this month I have been invited to reflect on what I learned and how the music has created my focus and conditioning benefits. I have adapted the Nia routine Alive into a new routine called El Momento. The focus of this routine is Form and Freedom, with the Intent to uniquely & creatively express the spirit of your Nia dance (Freedom) in every movement (Form). I will be filming the routine in June at The Synergy Studio. and I'd love for you to be in the film with me!!
My journey with El Momento, my Nia routine adaptation, has been a joyful ride that has enriched my relationship to music, creativity, sensation and the uniqueness of my spirit. I learned the routine Alive in May of 2010, shortly after the routine was released. I loved the simplicity of the base movements and the space it created for me to fully express my Nia dance.
I had the honor of teaching the 2nd song of Alive at the Courting Your Destiny in August 2011, at Nia headquarters in Portland, and it was on my journey home where I received the mandate to chose Alive as my routine to adapt. I felt the sensation of excitement through my entire body and knew this was it! That sensation has stayed with me throughout the many months of creation of the new body of work and is with me now as I write this blog! With a stopwatch in my hand, I was on my quest for music and that proved to be a joyous and pleasurable experience. This quest unveiled a treasure chest of songs on my laptop that I forgot I had, an exploration of new songs in Itunes and gifts of music from friends. Through the practice of RAW and FreeDance I developed a deep relationship to the music and sensed the “Click” in my body that told me a song was the right fit. As I danced and allowed the choreography of Alive to take on a new shape within the resonance of the new music, the focus of Form and Freedom was birthed. The sounds and silence of the music were the container for Form and Freedom to enter into a sacred playground where form found my freedom, and freedom transcended my form.
The soothing female voice in “Relax”, allowed the freedom of my arms and core to rise up through the stability and form of my base stances.
The tribal and earth sounds in "Raindance" infused the form of the clock steps giving me freedom of play with child like enchantment.
The rhythm of the music of "Staying Alive (Radio Version)" and it’s play with fractions connected me intimately with my body and the endless possibilities (200/700) to uniquely reach my potential within the form of the music.
The “bubble” and “zipper‘ sounds within "The Player" were the inspiration for me to create freedom within the form of the lateral travel that excited my bones.
The tempo of the music of "Drippy" allowed the spirit of my dance to be powerful, yet graceful as I moved within smaller range of motions.
The sounds of the percussion, bass, french horn, trombone, violins and voices in the musical form of "When The Rain Comes", seduced my spirit to manifest the magic of my dance.
The electric guitar and the seductive female voice in" El Momento" brought me to the awareness of my body as Art and what I create in this world.
And, the peaceful vibrations of "Bliss" made me appreciate the expression of my freedom, my uniqueness, my spirit, and the spirit of my Nia dance!
My awareness of the conditioning benefits of El Momento continues to unfold each time I dance the routine. I have noticed the music holds the container to invite my dance to be more athletic and a motivation to play more freely with the planes and intensity levels than I did with Alive. With a focus on the form and precision of the base moves of the routine, I have experienced increased conditioning in my feet. The practice of this routine has been a source to self heal my foot from my break in November. The quality and richness of the music has conditioned my listening skills and nervous system. I have increased agility and mobility in my joints, particularly my cervical spine by allowing the music to move my spine in more agile and fun ways. Other conditioning & educational benefits I have experienced:
"Relax" conditions my nervous system to slow down, while stimulating external and internal awareness through the activation of touch.
"Raindance" energetically blends left and right, up and down, front and back, conditioning my brain.
"Staying Alive (Radio Version)", with the fractions and the form of the tap, creates explosive power bringing agility to my feet.
"The Player" invites the contrast of intrinsic and extrinsic moves to bring strength and flexibility to the core of my body.
"Drippy" uses smaller movements with speed to help me create sustainability (ICU).
"When The Rain Comes" uses the room and community to increase the sensation of measurement of space, and create a relationship through eyes and space to others in the room.
"El Momento" conditions my Conscious Personal Trainer to calm and harmonize my entire body through the expression and dance of my legs.
"Bliss" deepens my relationship with the sensation of gravity to create pleasurable movements on the floor to condition my body.
And the benefits will continue to evolve and expand. Adapting Alive into the body of work of El Momento has brought a deeper gratitude to the work and play of Nia. My long coat is more present, my awareness is expanded, and I have manifested the High Magic of Form and Freedom through this creative process. I am blessed!
El Momento Routine:
Song Artist
Relax (Blank & Jones Vocal Remix) Vargo
Rain Dance Maneesh DeMoor
Staying Alive (Radio Version) N-Trance feat. Ricardo Da Force
The Player Chris Coco & Pete Gooding
Drippy Banco De Gaia
When The Rain Comes Bob Holroyd
El Momento Jens Gad
Bliss Soulfood
