Qigong
Give the body a quiet way to begin.
Connect breath, movement, and music. Guide a rising and settling gesture with a gentle sway, then let it open into dance.
Lead the exercisePlace in the workshop
Early in the Solo Journey, before faster or relational movement.
Format
1–2 songs. Breath-led movement opening into solo dance.
Music
A slow, steady pulse with clear musical phrases and room for the voice.
What this exercise teaches
Qigong brings movement, attention, and breath together within a broad family of Chinese practices. This exercise draws on those qualities to give dancers a quiet, structured beginning.
The teaching is the connection between breath, movement, and music. Inhale as the hands rise or open, exhale as they lower or settle. Let each movement follow a comfortable breath across several beats of the song. Adjust the musical phrase you follow to your breath, then add a sway or change of direction.
Teach it across 1–2 songs. Demonstrate while people join you, offer one short cue at a time, and leave space for repetition. In the last part of the song, let the form open into their own dancing.
Prepare the room
Clear the space of bags and bottles and leave room for a sway, small steps, and opening arms. Demonstrate the breathing gesture while standing and moving. Adapt the range or support when a dancer needs it.
Describe observing as a valid option before the exercise begins. Ask about access needs privately rather than requesting diagnoses in the circle. The invitation is to explore, not to endure.
Music and DJ guidance
Choose 1–2 songs with a slow, steady pulse and clear phrasing. Start it before the first cue. Let the rise and settling follow phrases of the music, with several beats available for each comfortable inhale or exhale.
Keep volume low enough for a short live cue to be heard. Hold the song through the movement-to-dance transition and blend smoothly into the next exercise. The DJ supports the breathing movement with continuity rather than a sudden drop.
Lead the exercise
1–2 songs
From a simple form into your own dance.
Start the song and immediately invite a gentle sway or hand movement. Demonstrate alongside the dancers. Give each cue over the music, then let them explore it for several breath cycles.
Begin with the music
Invite a gentle standing sway with soft knees. Join the music immediately and notice the breath already moving.
“Let the music move you a little. Notice your breath.”
Lift and settle
Demonstrate hands rising with a comfortable inhale and settling with the exhale while the body keeps swaying. Let the movement take the length of the breath.
“Breathe in as the hands rise. Breathe out as they settle.”
Meet the musical phrase
Point to the pulse with your own gesture. Let one inhale and rise span several beats, then let the exhale and lowering meet the next phrase. Invite dancers to use more or fewer beats so the breath stays easy.
“Let the breath and movement travel through a phrase of the music.”
Join the movements
Let the sway become a weight shift or a small step. Keep the rising and settling gesture connected to the breath and the musical phrase, and let more of the body join.
“Let the whole movement breathe with the music.”
Release the form
Invite dancers to vary the gesture, follow a new direction, or let it open into dance. Stop speaking and keep the same song running. The breath can continue to give the movement its shape.
“Keep the connection. Let your own dance grow from it.”
Carry it into the next dance
Let the gesture settle into the end of the phrase. Keep dancers moving gently while the DJ blends onward. Leave the learning in the body rather than stopping for a discussion.
“Take this breathing movement with you into the next dance.”
Adapt the exercise
Keep hands below shoulder height, use one hand, remain seated, or observe. No movement should require pain, forced stretching, or an unusually deep breath. If a participant feels unwell, stop rather than interpreting the sensation as blocked energy. Someone with health concerns should seek individual advice before participating.
What to watch for
The useful learning is continuity of attention, not an impressive shape.
- If matching the music creates strain, offer more beats for each breath and a smaller gesture. Keep the movement following a comfortable inhale and exhale.
- Do not physically adjust a participant. Demonstrate an option and let them choose their position.
- Keep effort modest. A smaller range or seated version is the exercise, not a lesser version of it.
- Teach movements you know well. When using a traditional form, name the form and the teacher you learned it from.
- Ask what dancers notice. Leave room for their own words and experience.
For dancers
Use a small repeated gesture when you do not know how to start dancing.
- Choose 1–2 songs. Sway, lift the hands with an inhale, settle with an exhale, and let each breath travel over several beats. Let the gesture open into your dance.
- You do not need to close your eyes, become still inside, or feel energy to participate.
- To study Qigong itself, find a teacher who can name the form, their training, and appropriate adaptations.
Can you stay curious without making the movement bigger?