Through music, movement and art you will express and explore feelings without the need for words.
What you’ll need: One other person, space to move around safely, a way to play music or sounds, paper, and coloured pens or pencils.
What’s it for?
Even without words, it is possible to express and explore feelings. This activity will encourage you to express yourself through music, movement, and art. One person will express themselves through body movements and dance, showing how the music makes them feel. The other will draw the body movements they see on paper in a way that shows how the movements make them feel. The physicality of this activity can be a beneficial for the health of your mind and body.
Check In: Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
Decide who is going to move and dance (Person A) and who is going to draw (Person B) first.
Dancing and moving in front of others might feel intimidating for some people. However, this activity should be fun, and it will be important to focus on how our bodies can be used to express how we feel inside, which is unique to everyone!
Your movements could be spontaneous, random, and abstract. It may feel strange, but trust the process.
Making smaller movements, swaying from side to side, or tapping your feet could be a good place to start before adding bolder movements such as twists, twirls, jumps, or arm waving.
You might discover that once you start you might be less aware of what dance moves you will do next, and you may find yourself simply moving freely to the music!
Person B watches and draws the movements on paper, making a record of Person A's actions. When you’re observing and drawing your partner's movements what kind of marks can you use to show the movements and how they make you feel?
Think of lines, curves, dots etc. It doesn't have to be a drawing of the person, but a representation of the feeling, energy, and movement.
When you've both finished, take a moment to talk to each other about the experience.
Can you recognise the movements in the drawings? Discuss what feelings seemed to be expressed.
Time to swap! The partners change over and repeat the process, so Person B gets a chance to move and Person A draws.
Extra Activity: Sounds are everywhere, and they even produce vibrations that we can feel vibrate through our bodies. Why not, try this activity outside and respond to natural or man-made sounds instead.
When you’ve finished, spend a moment reflecting on the activity and ask yourself the following questions:
What words describe the kind of movements and drawings the sounds have inspired you to make?
How did the music made you feel when you were dancing?
How did watching your partner's movements make you feel when you were drawing?
How did the drawn marks manage to describe the movements made in the dance?
Did you find there was a movement you did repeatedly? Think about what feeling this might have reflected.
Did your movements or drawings tell a story?
Could you give your dance or drawing a title?
Could you describe your drawing, or dance as a mood? If so, what would it be?
If your drawing, or dance had a voice, what might it say to you?
Conclusion:
Music and dance offer us a fun way to express ourselves through our bodies. The basis of this activity is communication. In fact, you can think of this activity as a non-verbal conversation between two people but also beyond that - a conversation which occupies the space between different worlds: between inner and outer, between conscious and unconscious processes. This joint activity allows you to make your own meanings about what you're experiencing together, whether it be through movement, or marks made on a paper. This activity promotes, physical expressions of feelings that may be hard to put into words, as well as honing attunement skills - an integral part of forming relationships.
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity. Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity?
If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with! Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Created by Kamala Roberts© June 2022
Creative Arts Used: Art, Music, Dance
Psychological Areas Explored: Communication, Relationships, Play, Self-Exploration
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These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
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