WORKSHOPS
We have worked closely with a variety of organizations to assist in bringing the creative process to their employees.
THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Viewing Leadership Through A Different Lens
Using the creative process and tools to develop critical qualities of
leadership presence, team-building and communication
Overview
As organizations migrate from traditional hierarchies to more collaborative structures, leaders (paid or volunteer) must learn new ways to work in a climate of complexity and ambiguity. This program develops awareness by using the arts to develop skills needed to enhance personal and team performance. Participants use music and movement to learn how to mobilize participation, build consensus and improve communications. They also develop new insights through a series of hands-on activities that create opportunities for growth and development. Guided by a team of master artists, your team will explore new ways to generate ideas, inject vitality, and create conditions under which innovation can flourish within your group.
This program is an opportunity for both personal learning and professional development
The business of the arts shares key indicators of operational success with other industries: creativity, strength, flexibility, energy, speed, stamina, leadership, direction, co-operation, teamwork.
Target Audience
This program is designed for organizations (profit and not-for-profit), Boards of Directors, Executive Committees, and mid-to-senior executives interested in enhancing their leadership, communication and team-building abilities. It is for those seeking creative ways on how to lead teams for results.
What You Will Achieve
• Learn new ways to communicate easily and effectively within your group.
• How to utilize the creative process to energize your communications internally and externally.
• Deepen your understanding of your own personal leadership style – what works for you!
• Learn how to lead your team to achieve new goals, with new techniques, in new ways.
Differentiators
• This is an active program – you are not sitting at a conference room table all day!
• This program is lead by professional artists, who offer a very different perspective on business, team-building and life.
• This program incorporates humour as a key element = a workshop with ‘fun/retreat’ overtones.
• New experiences offer new perspectives.
Feedback
Colin Funk, Director, Creative Program Development in the Leadership Learning Lab of the Banff Centre, commenting on Motus O’s recent workshop participation: “The work of Motus O is both innovative and path breaking. The company has an innate ability to take complex ideas from popular and corporate culture and apply them in a way that is provocative and meaningful - making learning a sheer marvel. Their pioneering and refreshing work freely traverses disciplinary boundaries advancing arts-based learning to a new level.”
Angela Elster, Executive Director, Learning Through The Arts – “We recently collaborated on a workshop at the Ontario Medical Education Conference in partnership with University of Western Ontario. The results were truly groundbreaking. I can recommend the work of Motus O without reservation. They bring not only creativity and excellence in movement and dance, but high levels of educational acumen, innovation, and an empathic approach to teaching and learning with both children and adults.”
Facilitators
James Croker, Cynthia Croker, Jack Langenhuizen
Co-Artistic Directors of MOTUS O dance theatre, Jack, James and Cynthia are experienced workshop facilitators in the arenas of education, industry, and corporate and volunteer governance. They are also proud to be part of the creative leadership team of arts educators with the renowned Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) program of Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music and at the Banff Centre for their Leadership
WORKSHOPS
DRAMATIC DANCE
This workshop is an introductory to creative movement dealing with a fusion of mime, drama and dance for the purpose of storytelling. A variety of exercises covering the basics of movement and performance will encourage the participants in creative expression while working within their natural abilities.
CONTACT IMPROVISATION
Learning movement which is created by two or more bodies working together in mutual support. A full range of movement possibilities are explored, from stillness to highly dynamic action. These skills are excellent for creating original movement vocabulary.
DANCE TECHNIQUE
MOTUS O also can offer traditional technical training in ballet, modern and jazz dance for students of all ages.
“The members of MOTUS O are articulate, approachable and enthusiastic as evidenced by their rapport with young people in workshops. Their material is appropriate for students of all ages providing the students with innovative movement and stagecraft.”
Deborah Radbourne
Dance Teacher
Unionville High School
Unionville, Ontario
EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT WORKSHOP
For Aphasia or Acquired Brain Injury
DESCRIPTION:
• Finding new ways to communicate your thoughts and feelings using movement.
• Learning new skills through movement.
• Discovering your own personal movement.
• An opportunity for social engagement and having fun in a group with the assistance of movement specialists.
EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT: How?
• Learn movement gestures.
• Explore movement unique to oneself.
• Storytelling.
• Image making.
• Improvisation.
EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT: Why?
• Physical exercise provides stress /anxiety relief.
• Socialize, share, help increase self-confidence.
• Discover new talents, new skills.
• Become more communicatively interactive.
MOTUS O and MOVING STORIES
Informing the future by animating the past and present....
A Moving Story is an improvisational portrayal of someone’s personal experience in their life. The story is told verbally. The dancers and musicians play the story back to the audience in a three dimensional form. The Moving Story experience is an entertaining, engaging and creative inquiry process designed to deepen the connection and level of insight for individuals embarking on important group work. A number of key questions – specifically designed to explore and focus the main goals of any gathering – drive the process. Animated through movement and music, powerful stories and personal experiences shared by the participants are performed back to the audience by professional artists for further contemplation and conversation - helping participants gain new insight and wisdom into past experiences. It helps participants anchor key-learning, moving forward in their lives with greater awareness and understanding of self. Viewing one’s story/experiences transformed into a short dance vignette is a unique way to gain fresh perspectives, new insights and rekindle inspiration. The Moving Stories process is powerful way to celebrate both group diversity and universal commonalties.
BENEFITS:
• Builds group familiarity, openness and trust.
• A creative and refreshing way to synthesize new learning.
• Utilizes and incorporates non-verbal and emotional intelligence into group creative problem solving.
• Helps to make sense of complex challenges and celebrates common experiences.
• Surfaces and honours individual wisdom and personal contribution to group process.
MOTUS O and MOVING STORIES
DIGITAL STORY TELLING
Introduction
Sharing the experience of overcoming a great challenge in life is fundamental in human story making. If you can transmit the range of experience from descent, to crisis, to realization, then you can always move an audience.
The act of using digital video to turn the lens onto one’s life or context creates opportunities to explore, study and communicate issues. The resulting videos can be used for conveying evidence, messages and calls to action to those who can make a difference.
By using oral storytelling techniques, the client reflects on experiences. This perspective becomes the central aspect of the project. We illustrate the human side of an issue by revealing the impact on real people, giving an audience someone to empathize with.
Key Points
Participants are asked to orally ‘tell’ their stories to be recorded by a videographer. Stories and perspectives from real people can create energized discussion. These group discussions will also be made available for the videographer. We then take away the footage, edit it, include some background music, resulting in a 3-5 minute video for each participant. If you like, we can then design publish a website dedicated to your community members’ videos.
Workshop design
We will bring all the recording equipment necessary; audio, photographic and video
SUPPORTING RESILIENCY WITH CAREGIVERS THROUGH
MOVING STORIES
This workshop uses improvisational techniques to help Caregivers process emotions related to end of life care experiences.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
Professional caregivers working in palliative care or bereavement often take on the pain and suffering of their patients/clients. Although intellectually many of us are aware that we are struggling with this burden, often we are not really tuned into the impact that this has on our feeling of wellbeing. In addition, in many workplaces, especially in community work, there are few options for discussion and reflection due to caseloads and time issues.
In this workshop, participants will be asked to share stories and experiences in their palliative or bereavement work with the facilitator and performers. After a few moments to speak amongst themselves, the performers and musician will interpret the narrative. Professional caregivers then reflect on these interpretations, exploring their feelings and reactions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• Increased awareness of the emotional impact on professional caregivers that working with palliative clients and their families has.
• Refueled motivation to invest in self-care.
• Understanding the potential of “Moving Stories” as a technique for debriefing in the palliative care setting and how this approach could help palliative clients and their family cope with the strong feelings associated with their experiences at end of life.
MOVING STORIES
Moving Stories is an improvisational portrayal of someone’s personal experience in their life. The story is told verbally. The dancers and musicians play the story back to the audience in a three dimensional form. The Moving Story experience is an entertaining, engaging and creative inquiry process designed to deepen the connection and level of insight for individuals embarking on important group work. A number of key questions – specifically designed to explore and focus the main goals of any gathering – drive the process. Animated through movement and music, powerful stories and personal experiences shared by the participants, these narratives are played back to the audience by professional artists for further contemplation and conversation. This playback helps participants reflect deeply on the day’s activity reinforcing and anchoring key learning. Viewing one’s story/experiences transformed into a short dance vignette is a unique way to gain fresh perspectives, new insights and rekindle inspiration. The Moving Stories process is a powerful way to celebrate both group diversity and universal commonalties.
MOVING STORIES
Testimonial
"Your presentation yesterday was so powerful. People trekked in afterwards to thank me for having you in, as everyone was touched in a personal way by the experience. I think you have discovered a niche that will bring much emotional release to people in health care, as well as hope and joy as they gain insight through the stories you portray so beautifully through dance Thank you so much from all of us. "
Solange Taylor
Administrator, Parkview Home, Stouffville Ontario
SUPPORTING PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS, FAMILY MEMBERS
AND BEREAVED THROUGH MOVING STORIES
This workshop uses improvisational techniques to help patients and family members process emotions related to end of life experiences.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
Through a number of soft-entry activities to demonstrate the Moving Stories technique and develop trust amongst the group, participants will be asked to share stories about people who have been important influences in their lives, key events, significant moments or stories about what and how they feel. After a few moments to speak amongst themselves, the performers and musical accompaniment will interpret these narratives or ‘dance out’ these stories allowing the client to reflect on these interpretations exploring their feelings and reactions. The remainder of the group will also have the opportunity to discuss situations where they have had similar feelings and reactions. The sessions will end with a group debrief.
BENEFITS
¥ Helps to make sense and celebrates common experiences in life.
¥ Surfaces and honours individuals.
MOVING STORIES
Moving Stories is an improvisational portrayal of someone’s personal experience in their life. The story is told verbally. The dancers and musicians play the story back to the audience in a three dimensional form. The Moving Story experience is an entertaining, engaging and creative inquiry process designed to deepen the connection and level of insight for individuals embarking on important group work. A number of key questions – specifically designed to explore and focus the main goals of any gathering – drive the process. Animated through movement and music, powerful stories and personal experiences shared by the participants, these narratives are played back to the audience by professional artists for further contemplation and conversation. This playback helps participants reflect deeply on the day’s activity reinforcing and anchoring key learning. Viewing one’s story/experiences transformed into a short dance vignette is a unique way to gain fresh perspectives, new insights and rekindle inspiration. The Moving Stories process is a powerful way to celebrate both group diversity and universal commonalties.
MOVEMENT CLASSES FOR SENIORS
MOTUS O dance theatre offers senior citizens non-strenuous movement classes. We believe the art of dance is for EVERYONE.
Classes are customized to the needs of the participants. We do not have a set pattern of exercises rather we develop each class according to those in attendance taking into consideration their abilities. However, basic exercise standards are adhered to such as improving motor skills, muscle strengthening and flexibility. All exercises can be done in or out of chairs. Music is included throughout the program.
Goals of classes:
• Promote physical and mental vitality to maintain personal health
• Increase mobility and flexibility
• Engage Seniors in the art of dance
• Providing opportunity for self-expression
• Foster community building by connecting to peers
