7
Brai nDance
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1. Breath- Breathedeeply.
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2. Tactile- Squeeze,tap,pat,scratch,brushall bodyparts.
3. Core-Distal- Reachout withtoes,fingers,head,tail and curl
backto your core.
4. Head-Tail- Moveheadand tail separatelyantl togetherin all
planes,wigglespine.
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5. Upper-Lower- Moveall partsof upperhalf of body,then all
partsof lowerhall of body.
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6. Body-Side- Moveall partson rightsideof body,then all parts
on leftside,do horizontaleye tracking.
7. Cross-Lateral- Moveacrossmidlineand connectupperand
lowerbodyquadrants,do verticaleye tracking.
8. Vestibular- Moveoff balancewith swings,spins,tips and rolls
on all levelsand in all directions.
44 Brain-Contpalible Dance Educati<.trt
Benetitsof lrach I'attern
Someorltenrsare basedon the B artenieffFundaurentals
l. Breath: Deep breathingis essentialfor a fully functioningbrain and body.The breirr
one-fiftholthe body'soxygen.All movementsand rhythmsarebasedon breath
consumes
2. Tactile:A varietyoftouch leadsto bonding,sensoryintegration,proprioception(knorving wherethe body is in space)and appropriatebehavior.
ttsl(,
3. Core-Distal:Reaching
out u,ithdistalends(fingers,toes,headand tail) (:e)nnecls
the wurld lrcyuuduurselvcs(irrtvrpetsonal
intclligcncc)and crcatesfull body cxtension.
Curling back to the core(pelvisand trunk) returnsus to our o\vn self (intrapersonalintelligence)and createsan awarenessof core support lor correct alignment and a senseof
alir.eness.
4. Head-Tail:Beingawareofthe interactiverelationshipbetweenthe headand tail (pelvis)
leadsto a full useofboth endsofour spinefor propellingus throughspacer.i'ithease,both
on and offbalance. Releaseofthe headand tail createsan open path for our central nen'ous
system to fully function. This pattem also strenglhensback, neck and shoulder muscles
usedin sitting,writing and focusingon book, scfeenor blackboard.
5. Upper-Lower: Groundingthe lorverhalf, by yielding the weight of the body into the
earth,allorvsthe upper halfto reachinto spaceand relatervith people. Grounding the upper
halfallorvs the lower to shift weight and travel throughspacetoward someoneor away from
danger.Grounding and articulatingbody halvesencouragesemotional stability. We leam to
reachfor goalsand set boundaries.
6. Body-Side:Groundingthe right sideallows the left side to be fully expressiveand vice
versa. Right or left dominance is felt: left and right brain hemispheresare strengthened.
Rr-fiy-sidernovenlents
rleveloplr,rlizorrlal
eye lfackinBrecessaryfrlr reading.
7. Cruss Lateral: Connectingbody patu frum oppositcquadrantscrcatcs complex, thrcc
dimensionalmovementssuchas spirals.Crossingthe midline ofthe body colulectsboth sides
of the brain through the corpuscollosum,which is essentialfor developing higher thinking
skills. Cross-lateralmovementsdevelopvertical eye trackingnecessaryfor reading.
8, \/estibular: Moving off balancedevelopsthe balanceor VestibularSystem.Stimulating the VestibularSystemstrsngthenseye tracking.hearing,proprioception,balanceand
coordination.
I
The BrainDance
@2000AnneGreenGilberr
WHATIS THE BRAINDANCE?
Thc BrainDanceis a very effectivebody/brainexercisebasedon eightdevelopmental
movementpanems
babiesmove throughin the first year of life to wire the centraln".uous ,yrt". so that the brarncan
operateat its full potential.This centeringexercisepreparesall studentsfor leaming.The BrainDancecan
be usedwith all ages(toddlersto seniors),andin all leamingsituations.
Moving throughthesepattemsat anyage:
. reorgalizesthecentralnervoussystem
. warms-upandalignsthe.body
. promotesfocusandconcentration
. strengthens
socialandemotionalskills
. developseye-tracking
. relievesstress
HOW DID THE BRAINDANCE DEVELOP?
A baby doesa "BrainDance"very naturallyin the fint twelvemonthsof life if put on a smooth,noncarpetedsurfaceon the tummy. Baby'sfirst breath startsthe wiresgrowingfror ih. b.uin cells.Tactile
stimulationbeginswith the first touchof skin on skin andis essentialfor p;modng appropriate
behavior
and emotionaland socialintelligence.In the first two monthsof life thebaby witt reactrinto spaceand
curl back into the womb positiondemonstrating
the core-distalpattem.At two months,the baby has
betterheadcontrol and will lift and turn the headin both directionscontinuingthe head-tail pattem
begunat birth. Discoveringupper and lower body halves,the baby pusheswiih armsand handsand
then with feet and knees.Betweenfive and sevenmonths,the baby reacheswith oneside of the body,
moving the left half asone unit and thenthe right hali Belly crawlingat this stagedevelopshorizontal
eyetracking. Betweensevenand nrle months,babypushesup onto handsandknies andbeginsa crosslateral reachfrom the upperbody. vertical eyetracking is part of the growthtriggeredby-creepingon
handsand knees'The convergence
of horizontaland verticaleye trackingis essentialfor ieadini. Alter
the first year,crosslateralpattemsappearin walking,runningand eventially skipping. The vestibular
systembeginsdevelopingin uteroand continuesto be very active throughttre fiisi niteen months.The
vestibularsystemanalyzesmovements
throughthe wholebody,helpsus know wherewe arein space,and
links up to all formsof sensoryinformation.
BrainDance for Neurological Re-patterning:
Pattemsmisied as a baby due to trauma,illness or environmentmay causemissing gaps in one,s
neurologicaldevelopment.These gapsmay causeneurologicaldysfunctionthat may-appiar later as
leamingdisabilities,behaviordisorders,memoryproblems,sleepdisorders,speech,balanii or filtering
problems'Moving throughthesefundqmentalpattemsdaily,childrenand adulismay correctflaws in the
perceptualprocessby re-patteming
thebntral nervoussystem.
BrainDancefor Body Connectivityand Alignment:
The BrainDancepattems,donein an orderlyprogression,
helpone rememberthe partsof the visceraland
muscularsystemthat supportthe body.Eachpattemunderliesand supportsthe;ext pattem. By doing
the pattemsin succession,
one connectsand alignsall partsof the body. This leadsto wholenessand
integrationof bodyandmind.
The BrainDancePatternsand Benefits(briefexplanation)
l. Breathl Takefour to six deep'breaths
throughthenoseandout themouth,filling the belly, diaphragm,
andlungs.Deepbreathingis essenrial
for a fully functioningbrainandbody.
2' Tactilel With the hands,massage,
tap,slap,andbrushall bodypartsand surfaces.A varietyof touch
leadsto sensoryintegrationandappropriate
behavior.
3. core-Distal: Reachfrom the body centerout, through,and beyondthe fingers,toes,head,and tail
(distal ends).Then curl back to the torso (core).Reachand curl into differeni planes,directions,and
levels.Reachingout connectsoneto others.Curlingbackto corebringsan u*rr"nig of self andsenseof
aliveness,
as well ascoresupportfor correctalignment
4. Head-Tail:Bring awareness
to the head,pelvis,and spinethrougha varietyof movements
suchas
bending,swinging,wiggling,andtwistingthesepartsseparately
andtogether.Reieaseof the headandtail
createsan openpathfor our centralnervoussystemto fully function.Movementstrengthens
back.neck.
andshouldermusclesusedin sitting,reading,andwriting.
5. upper-Lower: Move all the partsin the upperhalf of the body in a variety of ways (stretching,
bending,twisting, swinging)while stabilizingthe lower half. Move the lower half of the body whiie
stabilizingthe upperhalf. Groundingthelowerhalf allowsthe upperhalf to reachinto spaceandrelateto
other p.eople.Groundingthe upperhalf allows the lower half o shift weight and travil throughspace.
Groundingand articulatingbodyhalvesleadsto emotionalstabilityandexprlssiveness.
6. Body-Side:Move all the partson the right sideof the bodyin a varietyof ways(stretching,bending,
twisting,swinging)while stabilizingtheleft half.Move theleft half of the bodywhile stabilizingthe riglt
half. Strengthenhorizontaleyetrackingby movingeyessideto side.Strengthinyerticaleye tricting by
moving eyesup and down.Groundingthe right sideallowsthe left sideto be fully expreisive,and vice
versa.Rightor left dominanceis felt andleft andright brainhemispheres
arestrengthen;d.
7- cross-Lateral: Move "opposing"bodypartsin a varietyof waysby bringingright kneeto left elbow,
right handto left knee,left handto right foot (crossingboth behindand in front), etc. Swing both arms
sidewaysacrossthe midline, perform spira.lingmovements,and skip in place with armi swinging.
Connectingbody partsfrom oppositequadrants
createscomplex,three-dimeniional
movements,
Crossine
themidline of the body connects
bothsidesof thebrainthroughthecorpuscollosumand is necessary
foi
readingandwriting.
8. Vestibular: Spin in one directionuntil dizzy.Breatheand rest until balanced,then spin in the other
direction.For more vestibularstimulation,tip in differentdirections,swing the whole body forward,
backwardand side-to-side,roll on the floor, and spin on a low level on bottom,stomach.and back.
Moving off balancedevelopsthe vestibularsystemresponsiblefor developingeye tracking,speech,
hearing,proprioception,
balance,
andcoordination.
For a more thoroughexplanationand ideasfor BrainDancevariationsseeBrain-CompatibleDance
Education(2005)or theBrainDancevideo(2003).order resources
at www.creativedance.org.
BrainDanceVariations
@2004AnneGreenGilbert
whatevervariationofthe B_rainDance
I am doing,I alwaysmovethroughthe patternsin the order
that we did them in the first yearof life: Breaththroughvestibuiar.The vestib-ular
systemactualt ;;ts
developingin the womb and continuesthroughfifteenmonths.However,spinning
and s*ingingn'ute a
good endingto theBrainDance,
so I placethe vestiburar
patternth€re.you might piactice.p.JinJ putr"-,
separatelyin otherpartsof the lesson,but alr eightpatternsshouldbe perfoined in
ordei as u J*_uo
exetcise.
Rememberthat eachpattem lays the foundationfor the next one. you need to remind
.
your
studentsto keepthinkingaboutand,sing theearlypattemsastheymovethrougt tte taterpattems. '
Il classrooms,I usuallyhave the studentsdo differentvariationsif the BrainDance
.
standing
becauseof spacelimitations.In gymsor dancestudioswherethereis morespace,I may
havethe students
do the BrainDancein a combination
of levels:lying,sitting,andstanding.
Integrating DanceConc€pts
After you and your shrdentsare comfortabledoing the basicBrainDance,integrate
the lesson,s
dance
conceptinto the BrainDance.It becomesmorechallengingwhen you integrateth; concepts,
which
causesthe brainto makenevr'synapticconnections.
It is alsoi gieatway to embodythe conceptfiom the
verybeginning
of class.
Integratingthe concepts
alsohelpsthestudentsdiscovermoremovementpossibilitieswithin each
pattern.They might chooseto recreatethe movementswhen improvising
or choreographin!b; il;"
lesson.This conceptualexplorationof the BrainDancepatternswill alsJ deepen
t5iir'uno!.rt-aing lr
body m€chanics,while theydevelopdanceskillsandiectnique.
Integratingthe conceptsinto the BrainDancemay frovide studentswith meaningfulinformation
.
on how theymoveandthink Ask your students
for ideason integratingthe lesson'sconc"it. ttot onty*itt
they be more involvedin the lessons,
but you wilr havea greaterpool-of id"a, to drawfro'm
;i; t;"
teachthat concept.
".*i
Integrating DanceT€chnique
While thebasicor conceptual
BrainDanceis an excellentway to begina techniqueclassin any dance
.
style,integrstirg dancetechniqueinto the BrainDancemakesrhet""httiquJrnor" uralnj"ompatiule.
rire n.rt
four patterns of the BrainDanceare the basisfor movingwith goodtechnique.we often teil
our studenErc
breatbe,but in the BrainDancethey.actuallypracticebreathing.The tactile patternwill makepartrering
and
contactwork easier,because
tle studentsfirst exploreall kinds of touch in their own bodies.Tile Core-bistat
pattemhelpsstudentsmoYe\vith core strengthand full extensionof the armsand legs.
The Head-Tailpattem
awakensthe two endsof the spinethat_propel
us throughspace.work in this patteri witt tretpoanceiJmove
throughspacein a connected
andeasefulway.
In
the
last
patterns,
four
integrateyour specifictechnicalexercises.particulararm movementsfor
_
your dancestyle(port de bras)canbe fully practicedin the UpperBody pattern.pliis and
otherleg movements
are practicedin the Lower Body. Tendus,brushes,and simiiarone-leggedmovementso" pru"ti""a
*it tf,"
correspondingarm movementsin the Body-Side pattern. More co-jlicat"d contra-lateral movements
are
practicedin the cross-Lateralpaftern.Turns,springs,falls, rolls and full body swingsare practiced
in the
Vestibularpattem.You will noticea profoundchangein your studentswhenyou bririg the irainDance
into
techniqueclassandtechniqueintothe BrainDance.
Spendingmoretime in eachpattemandworking on technicalskills make importantbrain and body
connections.
You will noticethat your students'techniqueis more expressiveand ariiculateafter doing thi
BrainDance.You will alsodevelopan excellentvocabularyto usefor feedback.For example,you
,nigti ruy,
"That movementactuallyusestheHead-Tailpatternmorethanthe core-Distalp"ttem.f.y iocusingon--ou,ng
with a Head-Tailinitiationandseeif that helpsyou do that movementeasierandwith moreexprlssion.,;
The
studentsthemselves
usethepatternsfor self-assessment
andto givepeersarticulatefeedback.
Mirroring and Shadowing
Onceyour studentsare familiar with the BrainDance,havethem mirror or shadowone another
insteadof copyingyou. (You canca or,t thepattemsif necessary.)
Havestudents
work in pairs,t ios,anJ
quartets. c'hange leadaship with each pattem or repeat each pattem with a new
leader. play with
relationshipby askingparurersto standnearandfar from eachothei.
Traveling
Performall the pattemstravelingthroughgeneralspaceinsteadof standingin self spaceor
alternateself andgeneralspace.Movingthepattemsthroughspacewill leadto manynew waysof dancing
andnew discoveries
suchasthedifferencebetween
a body-sidewalk anda cross-lateral
one,
Musicand Rhymes
The brain is very responsiveto musicso dancersare more inspiredto do the BrainDancewhen
accompanied
by musicor rhythmpatternssuchasrhymes.Eric Chappelle,the MusicDirectorfor the Creative
DanceCenter,has composedexceptionalmusicfor conceptualdanceclassesand the BrainDance,Musicfor
CreativeDance,l/olumeII, #2.1is usefulfor doingtheBrainDancequickly,asthe wholepieceis just over five
minuteslong.Changepatternson eachpausein themwic Musicfor CreatiyeDance,VolumeIII, #17-19is fun
to use,becauseit changesmetersand endswiti a lively reel for the lastthreepattems.Musicfor Creatile
Dance,VolumeI, #15hasa soft,rhythmicqualityandprovidesa steady,continuous
beatin sixes.I oftenrepeat
the songseveraltimesfor a longerBrainDmce.Musicfor CreativeDance,VolumeII, #,/3-19comprisesseven
briefpiecesthat haveworld themes.Startwith the breathpattemin silenceandthenbeginthe music.Change
pattemson each new musical section.BrainDanceMusic is ur entire CD of music to accompanythe
BrainDance.
Experimentwith lively musicto energize
thestudentsandslowermusicto calmthem.I alwaysuse
nurseryrhymesandsongswith very youngchildren,but it is sometimes
fun to usethemwith older studenrsas
well! Exploreandexperiment.
Lying or Sitting on the Floor
Createa BrainDancesequence
that is performedlying and/orsiftingon the floor. Move through
the pattemswhile lying on your stomach,back,and sides,on handsand knees,and sitting. If you are
familiarwith the BartenieffFundamentals,
Pilates-type
exercises
or yogapositions,incorporatethem into
your BrainDance.You might alsoincorporate
your floor barreinto the BrainDance.
This variationis mosl
successful
whendoneon a smooth,non-carpeted
surface.
In a Chair
Do tlre BrainDancewhile sitting in a stable,non-foldingchair. This variationis appropriatefor
studentsover agefive. You andyour students
will discovernew waysof movingin the pattemsthatyou were
not ableto do while standing.School-aged
students
canbe very qeativewhile dancingin their chairs.The chair
BrainDanceis particularlyusefulfor olderadultsandsomespecial-needs
students.
Be carefulwhenteachingthe
eighti pattem(vestibular)to olderadults.Many olderadultshavebalanceproblems.Havethem gentlyswayor
tip the body sideto sideand forwardandbackward,
or swingthe headgentlysideto sideand aroundin easy
circles.Have them hold onlo the armsor seatof the chair. Older individualsmight take turns holdingyour
handswhile doingthis pattern.
With Props
Propsadda newdimensionto thebasicBrainDance.
Dancersmightholdtwo smallscarvesof different
colors,one in eachhand.The scarvesprovidea visualandtactileaid to distinguishthe differentpatterns.
Foamstickscan alsobe usedfor tactilestimulation;whenheld or manipulated
with differentbody parts,
they help studentsfeel andvisualizethe variouspatt€ms.Stretchybands
andbody socksmadefrom lycra
areotherfun props.The pushandpull ofthe stretchymatedalhelpsdancersbe moreawareofbody parts,
halves,andquadrants.
Workingin pairswith thestretchybands
addsanotherlayerof interestandchall€nge.
Seethe Appendicesfor websitesyou cancontactto ordertheseprops.
With Emotions
Performingeach pattem with a differentemotion(or doing severalpattemswith the same
emotion)addsvariety,andoftenhumor,to theBrainDance!
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ible Dance Education
DANCE CONCEPTS
SPACE
Place
Size
Level
Di rection
Pathway
Focus
selfspace,generalspace
small(near reach)
big (far reach)medium(mid-reach),
high,middle,low
forward,backward,riglrt, left, up, dowu
curved,strai ght,zigzag
singlelbuus,multi-focus
TIME
Speed
Rhythm
fast,medium,slow
pulse,pattem,grouping,breath
FORCE
Energy
Weight
FIow
sharp.smooth,shaky,swingY
strong,light.active,passive
free,bound
BODY
arm,wrists,elbows,hands,fingers,
head,neck,shoulders,
stcmum,ribs, legs,
hips,pelvis,trunk,spile, stotnach,
knccs,feet,tocs,heels,ankles'etc.
Relationships over,under,around,through,above,below,befween,
beside,near,far, in, out, together,apart,connected,etc'
straight,curved,angular,twisted,symmetrical,
Shapes
asymmetrical
offbalance,on balance
Balance
Parts
This pagemay be reproducedto createpostersfor the classroomor studio'
@ 2005AnneGreenGilbert