Embodied Groove was born on the dance floor during a Nia class, where I often have my best ideas. :) I suddenly had the thought that I needed to start a live music dance class. Later that day, I mentioned it to my good friend Sarah Hamilton aka Sarita LaTigra. She told me I should talk to Jefe Mogalian. I reached out to Jefe about my idea and he immediately said yes!
Steve Zimmerman gave us our first gig at Redwood Ramble 2017. A few months later we did EG at the main stage at Camp Navarro at Camp Deep End, a sweet festival full of love and magic hosted by ALO and Hot Buttered Rum. We have been part of Camp Deep End ever since. This year was by far the most magical with a full Embodied Groove Ensemble with Jefe Mogalian on guitar, Leslie Jackson on percussion, Jen Rund on bass, and Michael Myers on sax. Terri Williams and Marc Hutt showed up with rainbow ribbons for everyone that were a hit for kids and adults. To my surprise, most of the ALO crew showed up too and got to dance with me on the dance floor!
The main premise behind EG and the inspiration for the name is that music emits sound waves that the audience can feel and then embody through movement. As an audience moving to the music, we are an embodiment of the groove being created. Sometimes this happens naturally, for example to the music of the Grateful Dead or at a Phish concert. But sometimes people need guidance and permission to express themselves freely in response to live music.
Intention behind Embodied Groove:
1) Helping prime the crowd so everyone shows up ready to surrender to the flow and be fully engaged.
2) Teaching people to allow music to flow through them, loosening rigidity, liberating their bodies, healing somatically held trauma, and letting go of unwanted somatic holding patterns. (Same premise as Ecstatic Dance or other conscious movement practices, but with live musicians.)
3) Giving people permission to move freely and showing them that it can be done without substances.
The Flow of an Embodied Groove class:
1) Warm-up (slower music, internal focus, moving major joints, exploring range of movement)
2) Experience with individual instruments (Noticing how different instruments move the body in different ways)
3) Get moving (putting all of the instruments together and allowing the body to respond authentically; moving through the space; interaction with other movers and music)
4) Cool down (slower music, stretching, back to internal focus)
It is a new concept in this delivery, but this practice has been happening since the beginning of time. Most people have just forgotten how to allow it to occur naturally. In our modern day lives, we have become rigid and stuck. Let’s help to liberate and heal others so that we can liberate and heal our world. It is just beginning, but this has the potential to be very big and very powerful for many people. I hope you will join me.
Xoxo,
Leah Taylor
