6 Creative Movement Activities (to Reconnect & Have Fun!)
Through several years of practicing creative movement, I’ve personally witnessed just how it can completely transform a person’s presence, feeling of belonging and grounding, and sense of total freedom. As a child, hip hop, street dancing, and ragga dancehall first introduced me to the inherent power of moving your body.
If you’re anything like me, you know how restricting and uncomfortable drunk dancing in bars and clubs can be. I’ve always hated when the music was boring or when people were mostly out to drink or scream-talk at each other over super loud music, or when there was no space to move or when you couldn’t dance without some stranger approaching from behind. I wanted to dance, because I wanted to be free. As someone who doesn’t love to drink alcohol, people would ask ‘what is she on’ or say ‘I want what she took’, because a lot of people can’t imagine moving their bodies without being under the influence of something.
It wasn’t until I discovered sober, non-judgmental spaces, like 5Rhythm (5R) and Open Floor, that I truly felt the liberating (and embodied) potential of movement. Today, I'm passionate about creating accessible, safe creative movement spaces because movement isn’t just good for the body - it’s medicine for the soul, a practice of presence, and a natural source of feel-good brain chemicals (especially if you experience depression).
If you’re looking for opportunities to cultivate creativity, brain-body coordination, dopamine, and human connection, go ahead and explore these creative movement practices either solo, with friends, your partner, or family members. And remember - these activities are always accessible to you whenever you need them!
1. Interpretive Dancing
What it is: Sober, freestyle movement (no choreography, no performance) where you have a completely safe space to move freely and creatively. You can express an idea, feeling, or story - it’s totally up to you! There’s also no judgement and shame with this type of dancing.
Why it matters: Interpretive dancing releases tension, amplifies connection, and strengthens your link to non-verbal joy and artistic expression. Even when you’re tired or stressed, an interpretive dance session can provide respite, healing, and relaxation of the nervous system.
How to begin:
Start with playlists that energize or soothe. Give this Spotify interpretive dance playlist a try and go from there.
Move without intent, structure, or rigidity - shake, sway, bounce, twist, shuffle (you get the idea).
Hold spaces with friends you trust - a group can nurture accountability and socialization.
For my birthday this year, I went to an outdoor 5R Wave event in a permaculture farm where everyone wore headphones (silent disco style) and we danced with the plants. It was lovely to shake out stuck emotions, dancing on soft earth surrounded by trees while appreciating how far I’ve come and how lucky I am to celebrate another birthday.
2. Open Floor
What it is: A resource-based movement practice. Empowering you to uncover your own answers, Open Floor creates spaces for you to explore new ways of moving and responding to what is happening in your surroundings with intention and purpose. Their goal is to help you move through life with flexibility, resilience, and ease.
Why it matters: People who engage with regular embodiment practices are generally more flexible and coordinated, have clearer minds, and a calmer presence. When we move freely with others, we feel more connected to the people and the world around us (which we need to be healthy as social creatures!). As a sober dancer, I personally value the safe, creative container these spaces provide. It’s a practice in trust, community, and authenticity - integrating physical presence with emotional release and clarity.
How to begin:
Find a local Open Floor event.
Remain open-minded to what you may experience, connections you may make, and feelings that may come up. Don’t be alarmed if you experience a strong emotional release (like crying) - this means the dancing is helping you along your healing journey.
Begin with intention, whether that’s letting go of stress, moving through grief, exploring stillness, or shaking out a stuck emotion or feeling.
This past April, I attended a 5-day Open Floor Lab in France. We wove between solo expression, group energy exploration, and embodied reflection. I can’t recommend Open Floor events enough! I don’t have any business connection to them at all - I simply love and treasure their experiences, and believe everyone should try it to see the impact for themselves.
3. Gentle Movement: Yoga, Qigong, Forest Bathing
What it is: Slow and intentional body-mind practices that honour grounding, connection, presence, and the beauty of nature. Yoga, a movement practice that builds flexibility, muscle strength, and presence, is originally from India and can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago. Similar to yoga, Qigong is a centuries-old movement practice (originally from China) that has both psychological and physical components, involving the regulation of the mind, breath, and the body’s movement and posture. Lastly, forest bathing, the practice of walking through luscious nature, has been scientifically shown to reduce blood pressure, improve autonomic and immune functions, alleviate depression, and improve mental health. All of these activities can be done however feels good to you - with as much or as little creative movement as you want.
Why it matters: These three movement practices offer somatic regulation (i.e. turning down the dial) whenever your nervous system is feeling dysregulated and help us move through difficult emotions and life experiences. They reinforce our connection to the natural world, our bodies, and the present moment.
How to begin:
Find a local yoga or qigong class. Different teachers offer different perspectives, techniques, and teaching styles, so expect to try a few different classes to really find the one that you enjoy the most.
After each class, I recommend taking 20 minutes to reflect on what you experienced. How did you feel at the beginning, middle, and end of class? Were you surprised by anything? Would you attend that class again? Why, or why not?
On tough days, yoga helps my nervous system power down and relax, especially the yin type of yoga that focuses more on calming movements and stretching. Also, going for walks in nature (alone, with my dog, or with a friend) helps me return to the present moment, release tension, and cultivate joy. With whichever practice resonates most with you, I recommend putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ and making sure not to pick it up during your activity. Using your phone disrupts the healing powers of these practices!
4. Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT)
What it is: Dance/Movement Therapy is defined by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being. It was created in the 1940s as a way for people to heal through nonverbal methods.
Why it matters: Studies show that DMT decreases depression and anxiety, and increases quality of life and interpersonal and cognitive skills. It's a powerful tool for healing, self-expression, and effective somatic processing.
How to begin:
Seek out local dance movement therapists (make sure they’re ADTA-approved).
Try introductory workshops to get a feeling for what it involves. Even if you don’t believe in therapy or don’t think you want to do it, try to keep any open mind and try it once (who knows - you may love it!).
If it feels good to you, integrate DMT into regular talk therapy sessions to promote faster healing. Be sure to inform your talk therapist of other therapies you’re engaging with (including DMT).
5. Silent Disco Dancing
What it is: Gaining popularity among millennials and younger generations, silent discos are fun opportunities for human connection, creative movement, joy, belonging, and fun. They typically cost a minimal fee (on average, around $15 a ticket) and are regular occurrences, especially in big cities. Everyone puts on headphones that play the same music (or sometimes you can choose between different streams) and people dance however they want to move.
Why it matters: As Western societies experience more and more isolation, loneliness, anxiety, and depression, creative solutions like silent discos are becoming more popular because they actually make a difference! Even if you attend a silent disco by yourself, you still benefit from the community togetherness aspect (helping you feel less alone).
How to begin:
Find a silent disco event near you. If you live in a small city and can’t find a silent disco event, consider organizing one yourself! You just might meet your next best friend there!
Choose playlists that echo your desired rhythm - gentle sunrise melodies, meditations, fast beats, jazzy vibes, etc.
As previously mentioned, I recently went to an outdoor 5R silent disco Wave event in a permaculture farm where everyone danced in nature together. I had an absolutely wonderful time meeting new people and moving my body in a safe and comfortable environment. Even if this sounds a bit odd to you, I genuinely recommend stepping outside your comfort zone and giving it a try!
6. 5Rhythms (5R)
What it is: 5R is a non-profit organization that hosts gatherings for the purpose of engaging in a dynamic creative movement practice that’s both a workout and meditation. They’re active around the world, having hosted more than 50,000 participants since the 1970s. You don’t need any previous experience to join in on an event.
Why it matters: Because 5R has been around for a long time now, they really know what they’re doing when it comes to organizing truly effective and impactful movement-based events.
How to begin:
Find a local upcoming 5R event.
Dress comfortably in clothing you don’t mind sweating in and that gives you a full range of motion.
While every class is different, each class will provide basic instruction in the 5Rhythms, whether that is the full Wave (the 5Rhythms in sequence) or focusing on one or another of the rhythms and its energies. There’ll be a warm-up period (often uninstructed but may include facilitation), a teaching, and exercises for exploring the teaching. There may be a combination of individual, partnered, and group work.
Inspired by 5R dancing, I’ve brought this type of free movement into spaces I was holding or a part of. For example, in the Advanced Program on Ecosystem Leadership by the Presencing Institute in 2018. There, I organised a dance evening and it was just the most beautiful experience. Multiple participants came up to me afterwards saying how much this free and joyful movement impacted them. One person even later trained in becoming a conscious movement facilitator, and is now offering these types of movement spaces! She said it totally changed her life and opened a new realm for her.
Bringing It All Together: A Life of Movement
These creative movement practices connect to important, bigger themes (and that’s why they’re so powerful!):
Presence: Moving beyond worry and stress and into flesh, breath, and your senses.
Connection: With ourselves, each other, and the land we all live on.
Healing: Remaining open to physical, mental, and neurodiverse–accessible movement that promotes energetic release and emotional processing.
Identity: Stepping into body-centered liberation that’s free of performance or intoxication.
While it can feel scary and anxiety-inducing to put yourself in brand new environments and experiences, incorporating regular creative movement activities in your life is so worth it. The more you engage in practices like these, the more comfortable you’ll feel and the more mental and physical benefits you’ll experience. And at some point, you won’t believe how you never had these activities in your life before!
How do I make sure to continue engaging with creative movement practices? That’s a tough one. To be honest, I do fall off the bandwagon every now and then, like everyone else. Especially when life gets intense, or sleep and dopamine get scarcer. Sometimes I also really struggle to prioritise creative movement.
But even when I’m in the trenches, what helps me the most is doing it with friends. For example, the silent disco I and some friends went to for my birthday. Even if I had planned for it, if it would have been just me, the risk of bailing would have been quite high the day of. But because friends were coming with me, I went. And I’m so glad I did! Finding support for ourselves and accountability partners can really go a long way to keep up with the things we know are good for us, even if they’re hard for us to do sometimes.
