SYZYGY DANCE PROJECT CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
We want to meet you on the dance floor – no matter your fitness level, age, size, or amount of experience!
Wednesdays 5Rhythms Dance Class on Zoom
Weekly Virtual 5Rhythms Class During COVID-19 conditions, please join us each Wednesday for our LIVE online group dance class on ZOOM! Get the latest class details and register on the Syzygy Dance Project blog here. 5Rhythms Journey & Beyond In-person ClassThe 5Rhythms is a simple movement practice designed to release the dancer that lives in everybody regardless of shape, size, age or experience. While the practice itself is simple, it has the power to catalyze deep healing and creative expression. As 5Rhythms Founder, Gabrielle Roth states, "if you put your psyche in motion, it will heal itself." The five rhythms are Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness. They come together to create a wave. There are no steps to follow. Each rhythm has a different energy and tempo in which we tap into the wisdom of our bodies, bring awareness to the patterns in ourselves and our lives, and find our own individual expression. In Sylvie’s weekly Wednesday class, you will be led on a journey of self discovery as we come together in community. The class is made up of two waves. The first wave is your time to arrive, let go of your day and settle in to your body. During the second wave we dance more deeply and explore a specific theme. The last class of each month is Sweat Your Prayers™ with minimal guidance. Wednesdays
Currently being held on ZOOM. 7:30-9:00 pm pst *Cost: $20 class, Sliding scale available Monthly Membership $75 includes free classes and class audio & video recordings. *Proceeds from our public classes and events help subsidize our many outreach programs for people in recovery, inmates, veterans and the elderly. Outreach Facilitator Training 2021 Brochure
2022 TBA In this intensive 4-day training, you will explore how dance and movement can be used as a powerful resource and tool in working with specific outreach populations (i.e., in jails, recovery centers, hospitals, elder care facilities, and schools). This work is a dynamic movement practice of being in the body that can catalyze deep healing, connection and creative expression. During this training you will begin in your own body, allowing yourself to move freely and exploring your innate movement patterns. You will learn movement exercises, and how to support body movement and energetic attunement with others. You will learn the practice of regulating and re-grounding while leading a group, integrating voice with authentic movement and exploring confident leadership. The group will also discuss specific outreach populations, and the challenge of bringing movement classes to groups resistant to or less comfortable with movement. Learn more here. Heartbeat WorkshopsDATES & TIMES TBA Our bodies hold stories, our head makes up stories, and our hearts feel these stories. Can we access our hearts (and emotions) without giving the stories too much power? Often when we touch in to feelings there’s a story attached to it. What if we could feel anger for anger’s sake--how would the flames dance? What if we could move fear from our chest like sand in an hourglass dripping all the way down into the earth, until there is nothing left? Could water flush sadness from our hearts and make it dance like a river? Could joy give us wings to fly? In this workshop we weave the 5Rhythms with our emotions, calling on our elemental allies of earth, fire, water, air, and ether to guide us on this journey. By separating our emotions from our stories, the stories become our history and our emotions are free to move and dance. By connecting and moving with our emotions, giving them voice and shapes, we unlock the heart and release its limitless power to heal. |
“Sylvie's class is a wonderful dance experience, integrating movement, fun, self-expression and deep connection (if you wish to) with others in a language we forget to use - physical movement/dance. You definitely don't have to be a good dancer to do this; it's a safe, total acceptance environment. I've been going religiously for 5 years. Sometimes it's the highlight of my week!" 
“I discovered the 5Rhythms movement practice in 2010. In the short years since, it has helped me to completely transform my life.” 
“I have a found a kindred community on Sylvie’s dance floor.” |
Partnership Workshops
SENIORS IN MOTION
Syzygy Dance Project is committed to improving the overall well-being of seniors in the communities we serve.
The SDP Seniors in Motion program is a class designed to help seniors connect with their bodies, let go of muscle stiffness and allow fluid movement to emerge.
Seniors In Motion is not just a great physical activity for seniors—it’s also a chance for them to socialize while moving their bodies to music.
This class helps seniors to be more relaxed, alert, and connected to the community.
The oldest Seniors in Motion participant is 108, and she is a testament to our belief that if we get our bodies moving, no matter our limitations, we can experience the positive benefits of dance.
During every class we see participants’ energy levels rise, smiles return to their faces, and many remark that they experience less pain.
As part of our service to seniors, Syzygy Dance Project provides Senior in Motion classes at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. We have also provided services at the Sausalito Village and the Jewish Home of San Francisco.
The Benefits of Dance for Seniors
The New England Journal of Medicine conducted a 21-year study of senior citizens (aged 75 and older) that monitored the rates of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, in the participants.
NewBridge teams with Syzygy Dance Project and Life Center Stage to create the Seniors In Motion program gather virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seniors in Motion is part of Tame the Pain, a NewBridge initiative that helps older adults understand the risks of prescription opioids and learn alternative pain management options. It’s funded by a state Department of Human Services grant.
“When we join together in movement and dance, it lifts our spirits, relieves stress, and leads to a deep sense of joy while also improving circulation and strengthening muscle function,” Life Center Stage owner Vicky Mulligan.
“I think it’s great! It gives me something to look forward to on Thursdays,” said 89-year-old Margaret McHugh of Sparta. “I never was a dancer, but it’s very satisfying to move to music I like,” McHugh said. Due to poor balance, McHugh keeps her walker within reach and modifies some of the movements. “It’s a pleasant hour, and I can’t say enough about the women who run it: they are so friendly and welcoming.”
Jan M., another participant, “I enjoy it a lot. It helps me get my body moving a little easier.”
NewBridge Services Director of Community Response and Education Beth Jacobson said the program is suitable for all seniors, including those with chronic pain and disabilities, because the movements can be adapted. “I have received nothing but positive feedback from participants,” said Jacobson, adding that seniors are requesting class play lists so they can do the movements between sessions.
NewBridge’s Tame the Pain will be offering additional upcoming programs. Seniors can contact Jacobson at ejacobson@newbridge.org or (973) 686-2242 for more information.
Seniors in Motion is part of Tame the Pain, a NewBridge initiative that helps older adults understand the risks of prescription opioids and learn alternative pain management options. It’s funded by a state Department of Human Services grant.
“When we join together in movement and dance, it lifts our spirits, relieves stress, and leads to a deep sense of joy while also improving circulation and strengthening muscle function,” Life Center Stage owner Vicky Mulligan.
“I think it’s great! It gives me something to look forward to on Thursdays,” said 89-year-old Margaret McHugh of Sparta. “I never was a dancer, but it’s very satisfying to move to music I like,” McHugh said. Due to poor balance, McHugh keeps her walker within reach and modifies some of the movements. “It’s a pleasant hour, and I can’t say enough about the women who run it: they are so friendly and welcoming.”
Jan M., another participant, “I enjoy it a lot. It helps me get my body moving a little easier.”
NewBridge Services Director of Community Response and Education Beth Jacobson said the program is suitable for all seniors, including those with chronic pain and disabilities, because the movements can be adapted. “I have received nothing but positive feedback from participants,” said Jacobson, adding that seniors are requesting class play lists so they can do the movements between sessions.
NewBridge’s Tame the Pain will be offering additional upcoming programs. Seniors can contact Jacobson at ejacobson@newbridge.org or (973) 686-2242 for more information.
