1.1 Universality of Dance

The concept of a universal dance language is based on the idea that dance, as a form of expression, transcends cultural, linguistic, and societal boundaries. Dance is inherently rooted in the human body, which serves as a universal medium for communication. From the earliest times, rhythmic movement has been a natural way of expressing feelings. Experiencing contemporary dance can foster mutual understanding, encourage creativity, and enhance critical thinking and verbalization skills. Dance is more than a physical activity; it allows people to get to know each other.

The integration of dance and music enhances the kinaesthetic experience, improving concentration, memory, self-discipline, and focus. Moreover, the development of self-awareness through dance is closely linked to the acquisition of behavioural patterns that are crucial for community life and social interaction. Dance teaches us the profound importance of non-verbal communication, allowing us to understand one another almost intuitively.

Contemporary dance is an ever-evolving art form thriving on diversity and integration. It provides a space for various cultural dance codes and styles to merge seamlessly, creating rich and multidimensional movement vocabularies. Taking elements from ballet, modern dance, hip-hop, traditional folk dances, martial arts or even circus contemporary dance absorbs and transforms these influences into something entirely new. This not only expands the possibilities of movement but also creates a deeper cross-cultural exchange.

Understanding contemporary dance involves acknowledging its diverse influences, which stem from various cultural traditions, somatic practices, and experimental choreographic approaches. The genre embraces fluidity, adaptability, and the deconstruction of conventional movement patterns, making it an ideal medium for exploring the body's expressive potential. 

1.2 Key elements of Contemporary dance

A key part of the creative process in contemporary dance is introducing an idea or a meaning to movements. Concepts give purpose to performing, making it a meaningful experience for mind, body and soul. The body’s natural gestures are already a way of expression, such as open arms that could suggest welcome or freedom. Beyond that, the way a dancer positions their body in space can tell a story without words. Humans naturally create pulse, rhythms and meanings with their body. Contemporary dance uses this habitual form of expression of everybody and condenses experiences into a holistic expression.

Breathing, as a natural process, is also a key element of universal dance language. It is both a movement of air and a rhythmical process. It helps participants understand time, suspension, rhythm, pulse, unison movement, contrast, and silence. Breath also aids in relaxation and grounding, enhancing both dance performance and overall well-being.

The use of breath can extend beyond simple rhythmic synchronization; it can also serve as a dynamic force that influences movement intention and quality. For example, the breath can guide the movement into dancing softly or hard, or even with impulses. Rhythm can be created by using breathing to set pauses, or by performing a movement slowly or fast. When breath is used consciously, it can transform movement from mechanical execution to organic flow, allowing dancers to fully embody their movement. Incorporating breath into dance exercises also strengthens the mind-body connection, facilitating deeper engagement with movement material.

//TOOL: Offering the participants a warm-up routine, such as “Awakening”, helps explore the connection between breath and movement. The instructions foster the participants’ availability to get in touch with their bodies, their emotional state, the space and the others around them. While helping the participants to ground themselves and to observe their breath and movement flow, it’s the starting point to an intuitive movement and a meaningful improvisation. 

//TOOL: The “Touch (warming up)” practice introduces participants to fundamental principles of contemporary dance, such as body awareness, spatial perception, and interaction with others. Through the exploration of touch, participants are encouraged to develop the ability to listen to their bodies, recognize subtle shifts in sensation, and connect with movement in a spontaneous, non-technical way. This approach cultivates sensitivity to both the body and the surrounding space, which is a key element in contemporary dance.

Emotions, gestures, rhythm, and breath serve as a foundation for generating ideas in workshops or co-choreographed projects involving dancers, amateurs, and diverse populations. 

Some fundamental technical elements of contemporary dance include the use of the floor. This goes along with an explanation on how to use the body as an instrument: On how to bend the joints, transfer weight, approaching the floor safely, expanding the movement, and using techniques like the spiral and the feet to rise back to standing. 

//TOOL: A game called “Colour Game” can serve as an excellent icebreaker and a way to gently introduce floor work. In this game, each color represents a different movement task, e.g. red could mean running, yellow could signify slow movement, black could indicate jumping, and so on. You can then assign colors to different ways of engaging with the floor—orange could represent sitting, red could mean lying completely down, and green could be about just touching the floor. 

Dancing together means exploring space as a group. The choreographer helps the participants to get familiar with different levels, dimensions and sizes of movement. The participants can play around with distance and closeness towards each other. It is fundamental to be aware of the group, to counterbalance freedom in the collective dance. For that sake, choreographers can help participants to foster their capacity for a peripheric gaze where they are aware of others in the space without looking at them directly. Playing around with different group constellations, such as soli, duets or trios helps participants to connect with others and to understand their position in space.

//TOOL: The “Gaze” can be used as the initial point of interaction, fostering trust between the participants and encouraging physical and emotional presence. 

1.3 Significance of daily gestures

The clarity and precision of movement are crucial in dance. Daily gestures offer a foundation for understanding how the body can express without words and how to interact with others, while providing a playful and accessible way to engage with more complex contemporary dance techniques. 

//TOOL: The tool “Storytelling with gestures” allows participants to communicate only by using gestures and movements. This exercise encourages playful interaction and spontaneity. It shows the diversity or recognizable gestures across cultures. It develops a new way how the participants can create a dialogue using storytelling as a non-verbal communication. This is also very helpful when the group doesn’t have a common language or two and this breaks down barriers of how one can talk to one another and work together. 

Daily gestures include common, recognizable body language expressions, both conscious and subconscious, such as walking, laughing, turning, waving, hugging, pointing, and holding hands. Gestures can be altered or exaggerated in a playful manner to easily create meaningful movements. 

Daily gestures can be a great tool to introduce the concept of body relations in space; by amplifying gestures, one can tap into how to use the transition of weight and balance. Touching is a cultural habit. With a group where touch is not a barrier a simple handshake could transform into a counterbalance situation, or a hug could evolve into a lift. A wave of the hand, usually a simple gesture of greeting, can be turned into an exercise to explore how one moves through negative space.

//TOOL: A choreographer can easily create a performative scene with participants by using habitual ways and gestures of meeting someone. The exercise “Hello and Goodbye” allows the participants to quickly create movement material by using daily gestures as foundation. 

The diverse ways one can do gestures according to one’s cultural background enrich a groups’ movement vocabulary. Pointing out cultural differences in daily gestures can foster cultural understanding. In the context of language barriers, daily gestures can help to understand each other with very few words. 

Exercises like “NameMotion” and “Mingling” translate these cultural nuances into movement, offering creative ways to explore identity, foster connection, and communicate across language barriers through shared gestural expression.

//TOOL: “NameMotion” is an icebreaker exercise that invites participants to explore personal identity and group connection by expressing their names through gesture and movement. This simple yet creative task invites participants to introduce themselves by transforming their names into gestures or short movement phrases.

//TOOL: “Mingling” is an exercise that invites participants on a journey to explore the movements of greetings and cultural gestures.

The choreographer should adapt to participants' communication styles initially before introducing exercises that challenge familiar patterns. This fosters a safe and respectful environment for movement exploration. Once gesture movements are gathered, they can be accumulated to a movement sequence. The co-creation process can be further developed using feelings inherent in everyday gestures.

//TOOL: The tool “Imagine watching a show” uses daily gestures that have a strong emotional expression to create a movement sequence. 

2.1 Open-mindedness & curiosity

When both choreographers and participants approach the process with open minds, the dance workshop becomes a dynamic, fluid experience where everyone’s perspectives, ideas, and creativity are enriching the process. Choreographing in the sense of inclusion means looking for different approaches to recognize, find and promote the personal qualities of the participants. There is no formula, as every individual is different. Inclusivity should be a priority by acknowledging the diversity of body types, cultures, and creative expressions.

The choreographer creates a collaborative framework for the dance experience that allows participants to grow according to their mental, physical and social state. By encouraging participation, the attendees can contribute to the shared codes of conduct and can help shape the experience according to their personal backgrounds and values. Thereby, the feeling of being connected to each other, invested into the process and valued as a person might increase. 

Embodying open-mindedness in the co-creation process is essential for nurturing creativity, fostering inclusivity and generating trust. For this, it's essential not to jump to conclusions too quickly, allowing questioning and the connection to develop naturally. It is important to treat each other with benevolence and curiosity. The choreographer serves as a role model for the whole group. Allowing participants to observe others through the choreographer's gracious perspective fosters mutual respect and admiration. 

By embracing awkwardness and offering ideas to amplify it, choreographers can encourage open-mindedness in movements and concepts. The choreographer demonstrates how to move beyond comfort zones, helping the participants to stretch their own limits and to enter the learning process. The goal is to inspire participants to explore new and unconventional ways of moving. This approach helps participants to break free from habitual patterns, fostering creativity and innovation in their dance practice. 

2.2 Well-being of the participants

Well-being is essential in the process of taking care of the population. It can be achieved by prioritizing well-being in the structural aspects, the overall atmosphere and the didactical practice of a co-creation workshop.

To foster a welcoming environment, it is crucial to consider the participants’ backgrounds, age groups, and daily schedules. Since they are not professionals, they need time to transition from their everyday routines into the creative process. Using soft music, greeting participants individually, and creating a cosy, inviting space can help in this transition. Encouraging self-awareness through introspective exercises focused on breath, body energy and volume, weight, and movement sensations enhances the experience. 

The space where the workshop takes place must be safe and appropriate. Ideally, there should be at least two separate spaces—one for creative work and another for breaks. 

The choreographer can enhance the experience for participants, ensuring they feel cared for, joyful, body and mind eased and connected. Participants need to feel safe and comfortable in their bodies. Therefore, the choreographer can integrate exercises that help grounding to set the tone for relaxation and connection to one’s own body, space and time. The choreographer might start by inviting participants to breathe deeply and become aware of their surroundings, then adding exercises that are focussing the spine or the connection between the participants.

//TOOL: The practice of allowing movement and connection to others coming out of the gaze is explained in the tool list “Gaze”. Using the gaze as interaction between people allows the group to see every participant and to let movement happen naturally out of sharing a connection.   

Besides, the participants can deepen their understanding of how to take care of their own bodies. To encourage participants to take responsibility for their bodies and prevent fatigue, the choreographer should provide enough breaks in the schedule. The choreographer can also invite participants to take breaks as needed and remind them that it’s okay to listen to their own limits. The choreographer needs some flexibility in planning to be able to adjust the music or modifying the schedule if the group needs it. 

//TOOL: The warm-up exercise “Awakening” invites participants into a slow, mindful exploration of their physicality, with a focus on alignment, balance, and spatial awareness. The goal is to enhance body awareness through mindful movement, cultivate balance and spatial sensitivity, and support fluid transitions between levels and movement qualities. 

Joy is also a constitutive element of well-being. Exercises that surprise and engage participants, create a dynamic and joyful environment. Playful games can evoke flexibility in reaction and the spontaneous answer to an impulse enhances excitement, improvisation and collaboration. 

//TOOL: The “1-2-3 Freeze!” game can serve as an ice-breaker that allows the choreographer to introduce fundamental elements of contemporary dance such as rhythm, the use of stillness or some movement qualities while creating joy and playfulness within the group. 

Humour and storytelling, including personal stories from the choreographer’s journey, can also make participants feel more connected and comfortable. 

To increase participants' concentration, focus-enhancing rituals are essential. Closure exercises, such as relaxation or grounding activities, help participants centre themselves and find clarity and purpose in the movement. Alternating rhythms during rehearsals—combining moments of silence with dynamic activity—can also heighten focus and create a balanced energy within the group. Further, tools like “Trustcare” deepen trust, emotional connection, and collaborative exploration.

//TOOL: “Trustcare” is an exercise that invites participants to explore trust, emotional connection, and rhythmic interplay, fostering deep personal growth and collaborative exploration. It incorporates dream states and emphasizes taking care of a partner from a distance.

2.3 Collective imagination

Collective imagination is a creative process through which individuals transcend personal vision to co-create shared artistic realities. In dance and choreography, this practice becomes a powerful tool for deep collaboration, innovation, and mutual inspiration.

Collective imagination arises when individuals come together to explore, to dream and to envision new creative possibilities. It allows participants to nourish themselves from the group, feel inspired and develop a sense of belonging. This process enables personal insights to merge with group dynamics, fostering the emergence of concepts and ideas that could not have been conceived individually. Through both personal and shared exploration, participants shape collective visions that unify, provoke, and give rise to compelling artworks, performances, or creative solutions.

Emerging from the core of this process, collective imagination emphasizes co-creation. It values participation, shared perspectives, and the democratic nature of decision-making within the creative process. It invites mutual support, active listening, and the reinforcement of ideas through collective input. The creation and sharing of a common image—a shared condition that extends beyond the limits of any one person’s imagination, such as that of the choreographer—is central to this process. Choreographers and participants are called to communicate their imagined realities, as if stepping into the same dream, and to co-decide its unfolding. Rather than following a singular vision, the group builds a collective space of imagination, where each contribution matters and new meaning can emerge through collaboration.

To nourish this kind of creative process, choreographers can draw inspiration from the cultural diversity of the group—using common elements of intangible cultural heritage, symbolic objects, or artistic references as starting points. Equally important is the recognition of diverse interpretations, as they enrich the process and offer fertile ground for creative transformation. However, especially when working with non-professionals or participants without prior experience, it is essential to first cultivate a sense of equality and co-responsibility within the group. The choreographer needs to create a safe, inclusive, and participatory environment where every voice is valued, and participants feel empowered to contribute. This can be achieved through practices such as collective brainstorming, allowing everyone to share their ideas before moving forward, or through equal participation in decision-making regarding themes, movements, or directions.

This process of mutual respect and shared agency is not a preliminary step, but an integral part of the artistic creation itself. It ensures that the collective imagination can unfold in a genuine, meaningful way, as every participant has an active role in co-shaping the vision. Only when such a foundation is established, the group can collaborate creatively, imagining and realizing a project that goes beyond individual limits.

This approach not only values cultural reference points, but also translates them into embodied practices, as seen in the task “Mingling”, which explores the simple act of "saying hello" and becomes a springboard for collective imagination. 

//TOOL: In excersize “Mingling” participants are encouraged to embody a wide range of gestures—from bows and handshakes to nods, waves, and cultural rituals—transforming them into expressive movement sequences. Through group improvisation and guided reflection, individual gestures are woven into a shared choreography that honors diverse origins while forming a unified and vibrant composition.

When dancers collaborate, they don’t just combine movements; they bring together diverse perspectives, emotions, and creative instincts. This fusion can spark unexpected ideas and push the boundaries of what’s possible. One dancer’s gesture might inspire a group phrase; one person’s story might become the seed for a whole piece. 

//TOOL: The tool “Living Painting” enhances collective imagination by encouraging participants to take time to observe an image created by bodies in space, share thoughts and interpretations, and collectively decide on the action to be embodied. Through this process, they co-create a shared visual and physical narrative, responding to each other’s movements and choices in real time. The exercise strengthens the group’s ability to imagine together, transforming still imagery into a dynamic, living experience.

//TOOL: For example, a daily object such as a “Coat” is a reference to daily gestures and movements for everyone. Further, the object serves as a starting point for associations that can be used to create movement material. Guided exploration with such an object allows storytelling through dance. By discovering the object, its material, functions or meanings, a collective imagination can be explored. 

2.4 Self-expression

Self-expression is a vital element in the creative process, allowing participants to channel their individuality and emotions into movement and storytelling. By cultivating an environment that encourages freedom, imagination, and structure, participants can explore their unique voices while contributing to a collective vision.

Supporting individual voices means creating space for participants to share ideas and enrich the creation process with their personality and their bodies. Prompts like personal stories, poetry, creative writing, and music can inspire movement while referring to the participants’ biographies and experiences. Enriching the co-creation by sharing personal stories can deepen the connection between the participants and help them to find their place in the group. Through self-expression, dancers gain confidence and feel more connected to their creative journey.

By engaging in the following exercises, participants build confidence and strengthen their engagement into the creative process. 

//TOOL: “NameMotion” is an icebreaker exercise that invites participants to explore personal identity and group connection by expressing their names through gesture and movement.

//TOOL: “Vocalmotion” is a tool to explore the use of voice in relation to movement. It can serve as a collaborative experience where both participants and the musician co-create movement and sound together. The integration of voice, movement, and live music encourage spontaneous interaction and collective expression, while allowing for the organic development of new ideas.

Helping participants connect with their emotions can enhance self-expression. Emotions are at the heart of how we experience and interpret the world. It adds a layer of depth, authenticity and meaning to a form of movement. By exploring an emotional state, a movement becomes clearer, more personal and more expressive. By combining physical steps with inner experiences, the performance resonates more deeply with both the dancer and the audience. The following tools support self-expression in dance by bridging visual and physical expression.

//TOOL: “Emojournal” is an excellent way to help participants explore and express their emotions through movement, drawing, and writing, while fostering self-awareness and artistic voice. It encourages dancers to reflect on how physical activity can shift emotional states and express these changes visually. This task supports emotional awareness, artistic identity, and creative autonomy in a non-judgmental space. Teachers are encouraged to frame journaling as personal expression, validate all emotions, and create a focused, supportive environment for exploration.

//TOOL: ​​“Graphismotion”, a movement based task, aims to deepen emotional awareness and expressive capabilities through guided movement and reflective drawing. The process encourages creative interpretation, emotional reflection, and the development of a personal visual narrative. One emotion can be explored by music, movement and drawing which helps the performance to grow. 

2.5 Public showing as outcome

The public showing at the end of the workshop is the finale and should be shaped by the co-creative process. The goal is to create a performance that belongs to the group, reflects their journey, and celebrates their collective imagination and self-expression.

Therefore, managing performance pressure is crucial. Recognizing that stress is part of the creative process and preparing participants for it can help ease anxiety. Emphasizing that the performance is a moment of sharing rather than achieving perfection can shift the participants’ focus. The choreographer can reinforce the idea that the audience is there to support and appreciate them to foster confidence.

Time management and preparation are also key to a successful performance. Allocating sufficient time for rehearsals, rest, and final adjustments ensures participants feel prepared. Moments of individual focus and practice and moments of group cohesion and collective focus should be balanced. Providing space for post-performance reflection allows participants to share their feelings and absorb the experience. 

2.6 Well-being of the choreographer

A good time-management and structure of space and time is essential for a workshop, that also assures the well-being of the choreographer. This means that the choreographer and the whole team involved should be prepared and think of the time management through the whole workshop. To have a schedule and the objective in mind assures the choreographer to not get stressed. Within the time frame of working hours, the choreographer should schedule some time for reflection and discussion about how the workshop went so far without stress. This is necessary to reflect the needs of the participants and to consider how to adopt the planning. The time frame should always allow flexibility for adjustments according to the situation. 

For the health and well-being of the choreographer, the workshop structure should provide time to warm up and stretch individually as well as having brainstorming time before and in between the sessions. Additionally, choreographers should have genuine breaks that are unrelated to work, ensuring time for meals and rest.

A strong support team is crucial, with different roles assigned to individuals handling organization, hosting, communication, and technical aspects such as lighting or music. Additionally, having someone outside the room available to assist with logistical issues, late arrivals, or health concerns ensures smooth operations. This person takes care of the facilities of the workshop. For the choreographer it can be helpful to have artistic and pedagogical assistance. This person understands the artistic vision and methods of the choreographer but takes part as a participant within the group while knowing what is going to happen. Therefore, the choreographer has a great example, a role model, inside the group that serves as a bridge between choreographer and participants and reinforces the workshop’s structure and intentions. 

3.1 Cultural diversity in Siniparksi project

The SINIPARKSI project challenged the choreographer in different ways of understanding diversity. The participants in the four challenges of practice workshops were coming from different countries, within and outside the European Union, speaking different languages, being in different ages, having different social and religious backgrounds and living either in cities or in small villages. Furthermore, all of them had different movement and dance experiences, sometimes even haven’t been in contact with contemporary dance at all before the workshop. 

Choreographers in the Siniparksi project also came from different cultural and professional backgrounds. Nevertheless, they found a common and shared way of co-working in teaching and choreographing. Thus, contemporary dance practice seems to transcend into the “European way” of approaching dance workshops.

The cultural differences between the participants have been significant, but in a common European context. In the end, proposing community dance workshops always means to work with human beings. Nevertheless, the project SINIPARKSI can point out some differences that challenged the choreographers the most: These are the language barrier, the differences in age and movement experience among the participants as well as considering religious aspects while working with physical touch. These research aspects as well as findings according to them will be elaborated in the following chapter. 

3.2 Getting to know the group as choreographer

Feeling comfortable as choreographer and representing an authentic personality is crucial for choreographers starting a workshop with a culturally diverse group. Establishing a clear and genuine tone from the outset sets a frame in which people can gain orientation and move freely during the entire project. One of the initial challenges in working with a group that has different movement experiences is the absence of a shared movement communication code. However, this is not a limitation, as such a code can be developed throughout the workshop.

Akin to the opening of a book or movie, the first minutes are vital. These moments should make participants feel safe, introduce the workshop's key points, and provide a personal reason to engage. By taking on the responsibility as a leader, the choreographer creates an environment where participants can experience something new and feel at ease, knowing that a clear framework for conduct is in place. The role of the choreographer is to direct, not dictate, guiding the participants through the process while allowing space for individual expression. For this, a fundamental curiosity towards the people, a will to get to know them and what they can offer to the group is important. For the start of the workshop, it’s important to observe the group dynamics as well as the individuals. 

Some parameters can be fixed in advance to give the first get-together a better ease. The choreographer welcomes participants to the studio by introducing them to the facilities, such as the bathrooms, tea/coffee area, and available spaces. This helps make everyone feel free and comfortable in the studio environment. It is also helpful to have a designated break room, distinguishing it from the workspace, allowing participants to relax when needed. The choreographer should be proactive, setting the tone with their own energy, creating a positive and open atmosphere.

Names of the participants can reflect personality and it’s important to give them value. It is helpful to learn names as a choreographer or at least put effort in it. Name rounds, even combined with a short name game, allows participants to present themselves and arrive in the space with their identities and bodies acknowledged. Games can ensure that everyone is in the same situation, where every movement becomes equal. When everyone performs the same action, it reinforces the idea that all movements are valid, and no one is judged.

//TOOL: Introducing names alongside a small movement or gesture helps participants feel present and connected. The individual movements can later be combined into a single sequence, creating a shared experience for the group. Using the tool “NameMotion” allows every person in the group to show themselves with a gesture and to contribute to the creation process. 

Establishing a connection between the choreographer and participants can be achieved by actively participating in the exercises. By letting go of inhibitions and exaggerating movements, the choreographer encourages participants to feel free to try without fear of judgment. Initially, removing pressure by not setting an end goal and focusing on brainstorming or research fosters an open environment. This approach broadens the understanding of what movement or dance can mean, creating a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.

It is important that the participants adhere to the choreographer’s personality and for this, the choreographer must earn trust. It means, among other things, showing who they are by sharing one’s own dance, making accessible proposals, being able to take their proposals and integrate them into the choreographic process.

3.3 Embrace the individual perspectives 

Valuing every person within a collective dynamic begins with recognising that everyone develops at their own pace. Some may progress quickly, while others take more time. Providing sincere, specific feedback is crucial. Highlighting why someone is doing well ("because...") adds depth to the appreciation. Feedback should also recognise contributions to the group, such as helping others, practising independently, or showing dedication beyond memorising steps. Positive reinforcement, such as "great, wow, beautiful," empowers and supports participants. Valuing everyone's input and encouraging contributions, whether physical or verbal, conceptual or performative, is fundamental to ensure a rich, diverse, inclusive workshop environment.

Avoiding assumptions is essential in creating an inclusive environment. Focusing on the individual in the present, rather than their history, helps in appreciating their unique contributions. At the beginning of the workshop, treating everyone equally and working to unite them as a group, although it may seem counterintuitive, allows individuals to express themselves within the collective dynamic and arrive in the given space. 

Also, the creation process will be enriched by offering space to show personalities and individual histories as well as physical states. The original artistic idea of the choreographer will always be transformed into something new by the participants according to their individual backgrounds, biographies and experiences, as well as the collective cultural memory the individual is exposed to. The choreographer should observe these transformations of movement ideas and welcome it. The choreographers need to put themselves in a curious state of mind, trying to understand the ideas and intentions of the participants.  

Including different cultural objects, music, and other sources of inspiration helps participants within a culturally diverse group to connect with the content and to ensure a valorisation of diversity. The choreographer can ask participants to propose their own cultural objects and build the creation around them. The choreographer as well as the participants can contribute poems, pictures or personal stories to the creative process. This might empower and value the different individualities and their cultural perspectives. 

//TOOL: The role of the choreographer goes beyond guiding the movement. The creative process incorporates the different cultural backgrounds and experiences of the participants, which will be reflected in the exploration of the “StoryTales” tool. Each participant contributes a childhood game from their country, enriching the collaborative creation through embodied play and shared imagination.

3.4 Open dialogue and mutual understanding 

Creating a space for open dialogue—both verbal and non-verbal—is fundamental for fostering mutual understanding, respect, and inclusivity within a dance setting. Dance can provide an environment where everyone is encouraged to interact, to communicate and to dive into meaningful conversations, despite language barriers. 

When a group shares a common spoken language, the choreographer can support dialogue through verbal reflection rounds, creating space for participants to express their thoughts, experiences, or reactions to the process. However, dialogue is not limited to words. Listening can also happen non-verbally—by attentively observing the body language, facial expressions, and physical energy of others. In this way, openness and presence become embodied.

The presence or absence of a shared spoken language can strongly influence the facilitation process. When participants do not speak the same language, the choreographer can encourage creative strategies for communication—through movement, eye contact, mimicry, and gestures. These limitations can, in fact, spark playful and imaginative interactions, fostering trust and connection beyond verbal means.

In order to create an inclusive environment, it is helpful for the choreographer to reflect on the group constellation. Gathering information in advance—such as participants' cultural backgrounds, languages spoken, or other relevant details—can help anticipate potential challenges and identify tools for building bridges. The more diverse the group, the richer the exchange of perspectives can become, allowing for more layered and meaningful creative processes.

As the process unfolds, choreographers can observe the relationships already present within the group. Understanding how people relate, who tends to lead or follow, and who might feel left out, offers valuable insight for shaping the dynamics. Intentional pairing or grouping of participants can encourage new forms of exchange, allowing individuals to step outside of familiar roles and shine in unexpected ways.

By approaching communication as a multi-layered and embodied practice, choreographers can cultivate an environment where mutual understanding becomes possible—regardless of linguistic or cultural background. This openness not only supports artistic collaboration but also reflects the deeper human values at the heart of collective creation.

3.5 Group cohesion

Creating group cohesion means providing awareness of the notion of space and the people situated in it. Self-confidence of individuals requires that the group becomes an entity. Finding one’s own place in the group and in space is not always easy and requires guidance of the choreographer.

While pairing individuals to foster their mutual understanding, a dynamic between two people can get strong or even static throughout one sequence. In this case, it becomes more difficult to shift into a relationship with the entire group. The choreographer should ensure that the same pairs are not consistently working together, offering opportunities to experiment within other constellations. This encourages participants to dance with people they haven't worked with yet, expanding their connections and experiences. By varying partnerships, the choreographer creates different types of dance experiences for each participant, based on who they are dancing with. This dynamic enhances the overall group experience and broadens the range of creative possibilities. 

//TOOL: The “Bamboo sticks” tool makes it possible to bring people into contact with each other quickly through indirect contact. The participants are required to focus their attention first on a partner, then on a smaller group and later on the whole group. In this way, the tool promotes a sense of group cohesion.

//TOOL: The tool “Hello and Goodbye (improvisation)” can serve as a creation tool in which the natural way of greeting someone is used as a performative scene. It naturally builds a story and relationships between participants. Depending on how connected participants already feel, the task can even invite physical contact such as a hug. 

In general, incorporating a variety of games can increase the group cohesion, as a playful approach makes activities light and fun. The primary goal is not about succeeding in the games, but rather enjoying the process, which naturally fosters unison. 

At the beginning of the workshop, the choreographer should address the group as one, giving the participants the feeling of togetherness. For example, giving general feedback instead of individual feedback helps to create a sense of unity and collective progress.

3.6 Engagement in interaction

The choreographer needs to question themselves which way of interaction might fit the best to the group. Some groups can interact by language, some might sense each other through direct gazes or even physical touch, and some others might only need a shared energy in one exercise. Not every group can engage in the same level of interaction. Different approaches will be presented in the following considerations.  

3.6.1 Verbal communication

Effective engagement in interaction starts with asking questions and actively listening to responses, fostering a dialogue about wishes, questions, and requests. Allowing others to express their thoughts, demonstrates respect for the participant’s opinions. Explaining the reasoning behind decisions ensures that participants feel heard and valued, even if the choreographer takes the final decision. 

The explanations and instructions given on the exercises must be formulated clearly and succinctly. They should allow the dancers to directly thrive into the experience and follow the flow of the experience. The choreographer can teach with minimal verbal instruction by using gestures or showing objects in the room. Simple, universally understood words like “Move” or “Stop and Go” can be used to guide participants, even across language barriers. When demonstrated alongside the words, these cues are easy to follow.

Lastly, the choreographer should value and leverage the diverse language skills of the participants, understanding that everyone may bring a different linguistic background to the group. 

//TOOL: The exercise “StoryTales” explores childhood games. The inclusion of explanations and exclamations of these games in the different native languages of the participants enriches the creation process and represents a playful response to the multilingualism of the group.

3.6.2 Non-Verbal communication

Language serves as a structural tool for communication, but its absence does not hinder connection in contemporary dance. The body naturally participates in speech through movement, making it possible to interpret meaning without knowing the literal words. To navigate multilingual environments, clear non-verbal cues should be established to indicate agreement, misunderstanding, questions, or concerns. Additionally, language can inspire movement by integrating body language, breath, rhythm, and pauses.

//TOOL: The tool “Storytelling with gestures” allows participants to enter into a dialogue with gestures and movements. This increases the understanding of movement as a way of communication and helps participants to get in contact with another. 

Working in multilingual dance environments requires a sensitivity to verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Since participants may have varying levels of proficiency in different languages, choreographers can introduce alternative strategies such as visual cues, sound-based prompts, or the creation of a fictive language that is shared among the group.  

//TOOL: Sounds created by voice can inspire movements because the tone of voice often carries a lot of significance. The exercise “Playing with sound of voice” offers a playful approach to integrate non-verbal sound cues and to create a dialogue with sounds and movements, especially for a group with language barriers.

//TOOL: Establishing a connection through the eyes in the tool “Gaze” is the first step to make contact without words and without directly touching. Getting in contact by the gaze offers a possibility to introduce interaction and further physical contact in a very smooth way. 

Movement can serve as a universal language and should be used for explanation, even when it takes more time than a verbal explanation. Instead of verbalizing instructions, the choreographer can demonstrate with another choreographer or assistance acting as a participant. This is particularly effective for explaining a pair or group task. 

3.6.3 Physical contact

Respecting each participant's individual comfort with physical contact is essential. Physical interaction should occur naturally and never be forced. For some people, physical contact is an integral part of their culture and communication; for others, it is not. It seems important to listen and quickly perceive this cultural difference and to offer other ways of entering a relationship. The goal is to foster connections between people, rather than focusing solely on the physical act. It is important to recognize that concerns about physical contact may vary, and sensitivity to these differences is key.

//TOOL: Using intermediaries, such as ropes, paper or sticks can facilitate connection without direct contact. Physical contact without touching can be created using tools like “Bamboo Sticks”. If one partner doesn’t take care of the connection and balance of the object in between, it will fall. The participants are obliged to take care of their partner. 

Further, there are tools for offering a gradual approach to physical touch. In recognizing the diverse cultural attitudes toward physical contact, it is essential to offer movement experiences that prioritize consent, trust, and emotional connection, allowing participants to engage in meaningful physical and relational exploration while respecting individual boundaries and comfort levels.

//TOOL:  “Trustcare" is a practice that explore trust and connection between participants through movement. While guiding a blindfolded partner, participants can take care of each other and enter into an intuitive physical touch. 

//TOOL: The exercise “Touch (warming up)” can serve as an improvisational exercise that turns out to be a deeply intimate and multi-layered exploration - an exploration that unfolds not only through movement, but through the silent act of noticing. By guiding participants to engage first with their own bodies, then with the environment and finally with others, the tool invites an expansion of sensory and relational awareness.

3.7 Working with children in multigenerational group 

When working with children in a multigenerational group, it is important to balance between the different ways in which participants of various ages perceive, express, and relate to the world. Children bring spontaneity, emotional honesty, and fresh perspectives that can enrich the collective experience, if their presence is approached with genuine care and respect. Rather than simplifying tasks for them, the choreographer is invited to adapt structures that embrace children’s natural playfulness and curiosity while integrating the more developed technical or conceptual input of adult participants. This inclusive approach transforms the group into a dynamic place of mutual learning, where listening flows across generations and creative imagination is shared. Adults are encouraged to become more open and flexible, while children gain confidence and a real sense of belonging by being treated as equal contributors to the creative journey.

The choreographer plays a central, multilevel role in balancing this shared space. As a creative facilitator, they guide the flow of interaction and expression between children and adults, helping different pace, imaginations, and needs to meet and coexist. They also act as a pedagogue, attuned to the specific developmental stages of younger participants and offering structures that support focus, engagement, and collaboration. This dual sensitivity—artistic and educational—allows the choreographer to foster both expressive freedom and a sense of safety within the group.

An essential part of this role is knowing when to step in and when to step back. Sometimes, the choreographer actively engages—playing, moving, encouraging. At other times, they shift into the role of observer, allowing the group’s dynamics to unfold without interference. This ability to move fluidly between action and observation supports a balance between intentional guidance and the emergence of genuine, autonomous relationships. The choreographer becomes not only a maker, but a listener, witness, and enabler of shared authorship.

In this context, co-creation with children thrives when playful, imaginative activities are part of the process in ways that sustain attention and excitement over time—especially as the group moves toward performance. The core challenge lies in maintaining a delicate balance: protecting the child’s imaginative freedom while offering enough structure to shape their impulses into coherent performance material. Children often live easily in the realm of play, but may need more support in refining and composing their ideas. Helping them transition from play to performance without losing their creative spark is a central and rewarding aspect of working with young participants in multigenerational co-creation.

//TOOL: “1-2-3 Freeze!” is a simple yet dynamic game that encourages movement, attention, and interaction. Its great advantage is that it’s ideal for mixed-age groups of kids and adults. The simplicity of the rules, combined with the space for improvisation and adaptation, makes it accessible and enjoyable for all ages, encouraging intergenerational play and shared fun.

4.1 Responsibilities and Qualities 

Even in a co-creative process, where everyone should participate in shaping the shared experience, the choreographer has a specific role. With this leadership, the choreographer has some responsibilities and should be aware of the leadership qualities needed to engage participants. 

• The choreographer communicates the context, concept, and artistic objectives of the workshop. Clear directions should be given, ensuring everyone understands the ideas and steps. 

• The choreographer is responsible for the creation of a safe and supportive environment for body, mind and soul. To do so, a preparational warm-up for body and mind is necessary. A choreographer must provide emotional support, helping foster trust and mutual understanding within the group.

• The choreographer should inspire and encourage participants to express and explore their creativity. For this, the choreographer provides ongoing feedback and offers reflections opportunities.

• The choreographer is the one who has an overview of the process. As a result, they are able to guide the participants through different phases of the workshop. The choreographer is responsible for managing unique group dynamics and ensuring that everyone feels included and motivated. A good leader demonstrates sensitivity, listening, and respect for diverse groups. Emotional intelligence is crucial in a collaborative environment. 

• At the end of the workshop, the choreographer should lead a reflection process, allowing everyone to share their experiences and thoughts, and closing with a feedback circle.

The choreographer's ability to be critically reflective on their approach is essential for improving the quality of co-creating. This includes finding new solutions and adjusting plans if necessary. Continuous evaluation and openness to changes lead to better creative results and stronger group cohesion. 

4.2 Co-Creation 

Co-creation is a participative approach to choreography in which the choreographer and the participants jointly develop movement material, structure, and meaning. Rather than a one-directional process, co-creation invites all involved to become equal partners in an evolving artistic journey. In this process ownership is shared, which nurtures inclusivity, enhances learning and teaching dynamics, and strengthens creative bonds.

In such a setting, the choreographer remains an inspiring figure—one who proposes and catalyzes ideas—yet without imposing a fixed vision. Artistic leadership in this context is not about directing toward a predefined result, but about nurturing a space in which artistic intuition can be shared, shaped, and expanded. The choreographer directs the group around evolving propositions, allowing ideas to emerge, circulate, transform, and, when needed, supporting the group in decision-making.

Beyond being a method of collaboration, co-creation holds deeper value as a practice that fosters empathy and mutual recognition. It invites participants to move beyond their personal lens and enter a space of shared perception, where the ways others think, feel, and choose are not just acknowledged but deeply considered. Through this process, acceptance of difference becomes embodied, and creative diversity is seen not as a challenge, but as a source of inspiration. Co-creation cultivates the capacity to listen—not only to ideas, but to the emotional and intuitive preferences of others—offering a space where personal perspective can soften, expand, and coexist with others’.

To allow co-creation to flourish, it is essential to remain attentive to cultural differences and individual needs. This process is not only about shaping a piece; it is also a mutual learning route. In this environment, the choreographer models openness—welcoming other ways of doing, reacting to participants’ proposals, and even allowing the original idea to be reinterpreted or reinvented by others. What begins as one person’s thought can become a shared creation, owned by the collective.

4.3 Roles of a choreographer during the process

As a choreographer, you will find yourself in various activities throughout all stages of the work: preparation, research, practice, teaching, reflecting, and implementing learnings and findings into your teaching and leadership process. The choreographer in a dance workshop holds a complex and multifaceted role. They must be able to switch between the roles of a director, a shadowing leader, a mentor and a facilitator. 

Each role the choreographer contributes to different aspects of the process and allows the participants to take over the lead more or less according to the situation. Having different roles in leading the group means balancing spontaneously between the one who directs and the ones who follows the idea. In this continuum of participation, the choreographer can take different roles:

A) Director

• giving a clear direction, directing the choreographers’ artistic idea

• taking decisions on the what and on the how

• taking decisions on the outcome

B) Shadowing Leader

• incorporating the participant’s view on your final decision

• transmitting artistic ideas

• being like an umbrella over the common process: having an overview over the smaller groups processes while letting participants to go into their own ideas but still taking decisions on the outcome

• this might involve observing without intervening, showing through their presence that the choreographer values the participants' contributions

C) Mentor

• coaching the participants within their own learning and artistic processes

• offering a clear task that the participants can explore on their own way

• providing feedback to the participants while being close to the participants’ ideas

• encouraging and empowering the participants

• providing feedback and helping to nurture the participants’ creativity and expression through dance

D) Facilitator

• giving a frame that offers participants freedom to experiment and explore on their own ways

• catalysing the artistic process, giving the spark to enter the participant’s processes

• gradually adding information that are following the participants’ artistic ideas

• helping participants to claim ownership of their work

• helping to clarify their ideas

• organising the decision-making process for final choices about the piece 

5.1 Approaches to creation

5.1.1 The role of improvisation

Improvisation serves as the foundation for bringing individuals with varying levels of movement experience into a shared creative process. It provides the opportunity to fill a defined structure, referred to as a score in dance, with the participants’ own skills and ideas. By establishing clear parameters, the resulting sequence of movements becomes repeatable and thus usable for creation. In this process, participants often take on different roles within the whole, enabling them to connect with and identify more deeply with the movement.

Specific roles within a project encourage individuals to take ownership of their contributions, fostering a stronger sense of responsibility and commitment to collective success. In improvisational tasks, it can be beneficial to have participants initially work in pairs or small groups to break down barriers. This collaborative approach allows individuals to focus on each other’s bodies and movements, drawing inspiration from one another, rather than feeling isolated in their own experience. By sharing the space and ideas, participants can cultivate a supportive environment that fosters creativity and confidence.

5.1.2 The role of the choreographer in the creation of a piece

There might be two approaches to take the role of a choreographer in the process of building a piece that especially helps emphasizing teamwork and shared creative vision within the group. These approaches can be mixed and allow participants to be involved in the following elements of the creation process:

• shaping the meaning of movements, discussing narratives and emotions expressed by movements

• defining the movement material and quality of movement 

• defining the structure of the creation, its content and order

In the sense of Guided Freedom, the choreographer refines pre-existing ideas. The choreographer needs to be able to see behind the first initiation of one idea and guide the participants through its evolution.
For this, the approach of the onion can help as an intentional frame for the choreographer that reaches from a simple task to more complexity. Begin with straightforward games or warm-up exercises. These initial activities set a solid foundation. Then you can add layers gradually: Introduce new tasks that build upon previous ones, much like layering an onion. For instance, participants might start with basic movements and then add qualities such as the following:

• Meaning: Ensuring that participants' movements align with the intended narrative or emotion.

• Timing: Helping participants achieve synchronisation and a natural flow in their sequences.

• Relationships: Facilitating meaningful connections between individual movements and group dynamics.

• Clarity: Assisting participants in sharpening the precision and intention of their movements.

In contrast, the approach of Collaboration on Structure involves the participants in the decision-making of the content and order of each section of the creation. As a choreographer, you can start with a clear vision of the elements of the performance and work together with the participants to decide the order as well as the content and meaning of each part.

The key distinction between the two lies in the balance of influence: Guided Freedom offers participants autonomy in generating material, structure and meaning within provided guidelines, while Collaboration on Structure involves participants directly in the overall composition and decision-making. 

5.1.3 The Process - from improvisation to creation 

Composition = Exploration 🡪 Guided Improvisation 🡪 Reproduction 🡪 Performance

Exploration
In structuring a dance composition process, the starting point might be an exploration of movement to see how the participants can move and to discover movement potential. This step sets the foundation for creativity and ensures that participants feel free to express themselves. 

Guided Improvisation

From there, frame-giving conditions and rules can be added to evolve into a composed improvisation. This process involves blending freedom with structure, allowing participants to explore their creativity while working within defined boundaries. Through this stage, movements begin to form coherent sequences that retain spontaneity and individuality.

Workshop exercises as puzzle pieces of the final composition.
Beginning slowly and taking creation moments out of every little exercise of the workshop can be an effective approach to composing. Viewing every exercise in the workshop as a component of the final piece helps in mastering clear elements of composition. It’s like “puzzle pieces” that create one big picture in the end. The understanding of these separated parts may contribute to increasing the confidence of the participants in the final performance and democratization of the composition process. Integrating creation moments from the very first session on, including space familiarization or establishing fixed positions, can enable participants to perform with material developed on the first day and to motivate for every exercise following. 

Reproduction

By repeating, consistency develops, and a sequence can be performed multiple times. Repetition is key at this stage and prepares the group for public performance or a polished presentation.

Performance

The culmination of the process, the performance stage, is not only about presenting the composition to an audience but also about showcasing the participants' journey. It highlights personal growth, collaboration, and the development of the choreography.

Small Changes Create a Performance
Even minor changes in presentation conditions, such as the location, can transform rehearsals into performances. Moving from a studio to an unconventional setting can shift the atmosphere and elevate rehearsals into a performance experience. Although spectators enhance the experience, the primary goal is the participants' development. The journey and growth of everyone involved highlight the importance of the performance over the traditional conceptualization of stage and audience.

5.1.4 Sources of inspiration and starting points

Instant creation can be effectively facilitated using specific tools and techniques. The following tools foster spontaneity and collaborative exploration, making them ideal for quick choreographic outcomes. They emphasize simplicity, adaptability, and collaboration, enabling participants to generate choreographic material quickly and effectively. 

Multidisciplinary art

Incorporating other art forms, such as music, poetry, or live sound, enriches the creative process by providing new dimensions of inspiration and expression. Introducing participants to various art forms fosters creative engagement and encourages them to think beyond the boundaries of movement alone. Collaboration between musicians and dancers, for example, creates a connection between the language of music and the language of dance, highlighting the intricate relationship between rhythm, melody, and movement. Tools like “Embodied Narratives” invite participants to respond physically to music, poems, or spoken text; transforming external artistic influences into deeply personal and expressive movement. 

//TOOL: “Embodied Narratives” is a movement-based task that invites participants to interpret songs or poems as lived experiences, transforming spoken or sung text into expressive physical storytelling. This practice deepens emotional resonance and fosters inclusive, non-verbal communication through the body.

Exercises that encourage participants to synchronize their movements with music deepen their understanding of musicality and rhythm. This connection can be further enhanced by integrating live musicians into the creative process, offering a dynamic and interactive platform for participants to explore how sound influences their choreography. Additionally, tools like body-generated sounds; breathing, making sounds with one’s voice or singing can inspire unique movements, reinforcing the synergy between auditory and physical elements.

//TOOL: Tools like “Vocalmotion” bring these principles to life by integrating voice, breath, and text into movement practice. It offers participants an embodied exploration of rhythm, musicality, and collaborative expression with sound and is designed to explore the use of voice in relation to movement. 

//TOOL: “Voicing Movement” is a task that explores the expressive potential of text and breath in dance. It promotes the use of poems, songs, and spoken words to investigate rhythm, pulse, and the interplay between voice and movement.

//TOOL: The tool “Statues” is inviting participants to look at images of famous statues and to notice how muscle tension is used in their forms. This approach could help participants discover unexpected and yet new movements by taking inspiration from statues.

//TOOL: “Living Painting” is taking inspiration from photography or painting. The participants are invited to create shapes in reference to the image and transform these by movements into something new. 

Common everyday objects: 

Objects can enrich people's imagination and help to bring participants into movement without being forced to develop the movement out of oneself. Clothing, such as hats, scarfs, coats, are related to the daily life of every participant. The normal function of the object can be presented as well as be disturbed by a playful use of it. Introducing metaphors, such as viewing a coat as an opinion or feeling rather than a physical object, deepens participants’ engagement with the narrative. This method helps develop abstract thinking and symbolic movement.

//TOOL: By interacting with a “Coat” and weaving it into a narrative, participants can generate unique and imaginative material. Objects can serve as catalysts for storytelling, creating connections and adding layers of meaning to the choreography.

Game-Based Storytelling
Framing the choreography as a story or game enables participants to co-create actively. Everyday movements such as walking, greeting, and leaving serve as familiar and relatable foundations for instant creation. By repeating these actions, introducing small variations, and allowing for spontaneous interactions within the group, ordinary scenes can evolve into rich, narrative-driven stories. These transformations highlight the potential of simplicity in choreography, turning everyday gestures into meaningful and performative moments.

//TOOL: Games like “1-2-3 freeze” offer a structured framework where participants can explore movement while building relationships and narratives. These activities elicit authentic reactions and interactions, which are essential components of compelling performance. 

//TOOL: The “Maestro technique” allows one participant to take on the role of the leader, guiding the group in spatial movement and content. Participants can follow the leader’s movements or adapt them based on their interpretations. This method promotes improvisation, collaboration, and the opportunity for participants to influence the group’s direction, fostering a sense of ownership and collective creativity.

Room & Space
Space is always a source of inspiration. The basic settings of the workshop room like the lightning, the walls or the placement of objects can inspire or shape movements. 

//TOOL: The tool “Bench” allows participants to explore movements in relation to a bench and related habitual movements. The participants can refer to the normal function of the bench, as well as transforming the object into something new. 

//TOOL: The tool “Rooms” offers inspiration on how to use a building as the starting point of the creation. The history, the architecture, the colors, as well as the atmosphere or the emotional resonance to the room can be used as inspiration for movement research. 

//TOOL: The tool “Touch (warming up)” helps participants become more attuned to the space around them by encouraging them to engage with their environment through touch. The interaction with different surfaces, whether the floor, walls, or objects, heightens spatial awareness and invites exploration of how the surrounding elements can influence and inspire movement. Through this embodied connection with space, participants begin to see their environment as a dynamic source of creative inspiration.

Emotions/ Feelings

By incorporating tools like “Emoji” and the “Emotion Journal”, participants can deepen their emotional exploration within dance co-creation workshops, using visual stimuli to inspire movement and connection to one's own feelings, ultimately enriching their expressive range and understanding of how emotions manifest through the body.

//TOOL: Using emojis as inspiration can be a playful and effective way to generate movement or to add an emotional, expressive layer to one existing movement.  Presenting a mood visualised by an “Emoji” can help to alter the quality of dance and give participants a chance to explore emotional expression.

//TOOL: The “Emojournal” tool creates space for participants to express how they feel. It serves as a tool for exploring emotions, discovering their inner artist, and understanding how feelings are embodied and reflected in their dance.

Restrictions

Interestingly, setting restrictions can actually foster greater creative freedom. By working within specific constraints, participants are encouraged to explore new possibilities they might not have considered otherwise. These limitations provide structure, reducing the pressure of limitless choices and allowing creativity to emerge more organically and never-ending. A strategy to reduce complexity and set restrictions can be the limitation of movement to specific body parts, such as only using the right shoulder or the left leg. Encouraging participants to “steal” a movement or a pose from a well-known figure or from another participant and modify it with their own body can be a starting point for the creation. 

TOOL:// In the “Statue” exercise, the stillness of the body unlocks certain qualities to support this concept. Further, it underlines the difference in the quality when the body finally gets out of the concept to arrive in another posture. This enriches the in-between movement that is taking place, which in this concept is the essence of contemporary dance. 

Mistakes & Misunderstandings

Mistakes and misunderstandings are integral to the creative process and should be embraced as opportunities for growth. The choreographer can discuss the role of faults in art, encouraging participants to integrate “mistakes” into their work as a source of innovation and individuality. Observation also plays a critical role in fostering creativity. Teaching participants how to observe others analytically allows them to learn from their peers and apply these insights to their own movements. By providing time for reflection and discussion, participants can evaluate their contributions and understand how their unique perspectives shape the collective outcome.

5.2  Facilitation of memorization

5.2.1 Co-creation of movements and scenes

Repetition plays a crucial role in memorizing choreography, much like learning a language. Utilizing participants' own steps, movements, and signs can significantly enhance body memory, making retention easier, and, at the same time, avoid language barrier. Integrating movements from other participants into these personalized steps can create phrases.

Further, the participants can create one whole scene on their own, having the choreographer as a mentor on their side. Empowering participants to co-create scenes can significantly enhance memory retention by allowing them to take ownership of the material. When individuals contribute to shaping a scene, it becomes more intuitive and meaningful for them to recall. 

5.2.2 Oral recapitulation

Developing and inventing a unique group language and establishing vocabulary together can also facilitate memory retention. Assigning a specific word or term to each shared experience ensures that everyone understands the same concept, even if the term is linguistically unconventional. This common vocabulary fosters a sense of unity and clarity within the group. Using a common set term to refer to a specific pose or sequence creates an orientation point to recall the choreography. These terms can be symbolic but serve as anchors for recalling specific poses, movements, or sequences. 

Besides keywords and specific terms, introducing the concept of counting in contemporary dance, shared sound elements like a clap or specific shifts in the atmosphere offered by music, can act as an effective reminder for pivotal moments in the performance. 

Building on this idea, engaging in an oral recapitulation before the performance can further support memory retention while offering the body a moment of physical rest. In this exercise, all participants gather in a circle and take turns contributing a thought or detail about what happens in the performance. In addition to this oral recapitulation, and in cases where participants do not share a common language, visualization can serve as a valuable tool to bridge communication gaps and ensure everyone remains aligned in their interpretation.

5.2.3 Visual aids & Visualisation

Visual aids, such as a timeline that maps out different parts of the choreography on paper, can be highly effective for memorization. This visualization helps dancers see and gain a clearer understanding of the structure and sequence of the composition. It might be helpful to also visualize formations, specific dance steps or ways of moving through space. This visualization allows them to see the flow of movements and offers an easy reference point when recalling the sequence.

5.3 Handing over the piece to the participants

Gradually stepping out of the leader role can significantly empower participants, fostering their confidence and independence. Initially, demonstrating movements and allowing participants to copy and then create their own, helps them become less dependent on instruction. This participatory approach might require more time, but it is essential for participants to evolve into performers. By stepping back as a leader, the choreographer gives space to the interpretation of the participants as well as allowing the participants to take ownership of the process to create a piece. 

The same outcome can be reached by letting the participants step into the teacher role by transferring one 's movement to another person in the group. Ideally the participant feels confident enough about their own movement material that they can teach it to the other participants. This progression allows participants to gradually ease into autonomous creation, fully embracing and owning their movement.

The language used by the choreographer and the attitude presented is already defining the first step towards an empowering environment. Reminding participants of the value of (body) expression over perfection is key to fostering confidence. Encouraging them to share stories and emphasizing the absence of a binary right or wrong helps build motivation, particularly during challenging tasks. 

Before the performance, motivational guidance helps participants feel grounded and confident. Remind them to take their time, connect deeply with their dance, and focus on contrasts, spatial awareness, and relationships. Phrases like “The audience doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be” and “Nothing is wrong” can help alleviate anxiety. Encourage participants to view the performance as an opportunity for self-expression rather than perfection. By fostering this mindset, participants can step into the performance with confidence and authenticity.