Opportunities for discussion and reflection about the braiding of our mental, emotional, and physical selves resided in this entire process. We engaged in inclusive, self-caring rehearsals that began with emotional check-ins. I also made sure to leave these check-ins as invitations, not requirements. This allowed dancers to share as much or as little as they needed to that day.

These community building exercises ranged from verbally responding to the question, “How are you actually doing?” to kinesthetically responding to the same question through dance improvisation. Our check-ins also looked like spending thirty minutes focusing on caring for our bodies through guided body scans, slow improvisational floorwork, or breathwork that allowed for a crescendo of self-care. 

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Though these activities replaced some time that could have been dedicated to choreography, I found that the positive mental, emotional and physical results from completing these exercises were numerous and made for a more productive rehearsal. In the dancers, I noticed sharper metal focus, a greater willingness to engage in dialogue about the choreography and process, and greater freedom of movement in their dancing bodies. In myself, I noticed an increase in my ability to be a calm, thoughtful leader with more openness to creativity in my choreography and making process.