Professional Log

Title:

Primal Dance of Creation (Gestalt)

Modality:
Movement/Dance/Painting/Clay
Time:
1 hour or a whole day workshop
Facilitator
Informatio
n:

Danielle Jelleyman, training Arts Therapist

Materials:

Large Paper,
Paint or Pastels OR Clay
Plastic sheets for floor protection
A large open space for movement.
A variety of music.
Decent sound system.

Goal:

To start with movement as a beginning point for a creative

expression of the authentic self and integrating
disconected parts of self- as featured in Gestalt theory (in
particular Joseph Zinker).

Method/
Process:

Participants start with a movement. Read from Zinkers chapter

(Second Reading, attached as physical copy in professional log),
the instructions Zinker gives to the participants in his workshop.
Basic outline:
- Participants start on the floor and pin point tension in the
body, start to move that tension. Take note of any sensations
or feelings but continue without judgement.
- Amplify movement, go with what the body wants and needs.
Become playful like a child. Be present to the moment. Dont
plan.
- Once having moved for a substantial amount of time, start to
translate the movement to the piece of paper. Make no
judgement. Use ugly colours if needed. Dont plan.
- Move again. Keep in touch with your body. keep making
contact with your body.
- Go back to a new piece of paper. Go with the flow, continue
to explore movement on paper. If desired, use clay.
Manipulate clay with eyes closed. Keep in contact with body
and movement.
- Keep creating until there is a natural conclusion.
- Reflect as a group on the process and what the process and
product tells about their inner life.

Outcome:
(including
your
personal
reaction
to /
reflection
on
participatin
g in this
activity)

I did this intervention by myself in the living room of the house I am

housesitting.
As I lay on the floor it didnt take me long to find a physical
sensation in my body. As I breathed in deeply I found it seemed like
a series of waves curling over and then retreating over and over
again like a koru curling in and over then unfurling. This translated
into my movements on the page, eventually turning into figure of
eights. It felt better in the body than on the page. I felt the hairs on
my body stand on end as I circled round the room, winding and
unwinding. It felt like a rush of seritonen or some sort of natural
body chemical was rushing to my head giving me the feeling or
pleasure and helping me to unwind from my busy and stressful
week. I ended up blending all the colours I had together. They
made a really ugly colour Ive known I need to do more ugly art.
The spirals however revealed the individual colours underneath
which were really beautiful.
If lacking in inspiration, going from body to visual is helpful. I got
immediate feedback to my body, causing me to feel better in
mood.
I think I would need to stay longer in the process to realise things
like shadows or unwanted parts of myself to realise them and then
intergrate them into my knowledge of myself.

First image:

Second

image:

Third

image: