Senin, 12 April 2010

A week with Rachel in Creative Movement Workshop

For the first time of workshop, Rachel (the instructor of Movement Therapy) introduced herself. She told about her education’s background and the organization that she works in. She explained more about those things so the participants know about her background.

Then, she asked the participants – who the members of CAIREU are – about the programmes of CAIREU. So, she can affiliate the movement therapy with it. Some of the workshop participants answered Rachel’s question and most of them told about the programmes that they have completed such as Mediation Training, Peace Building, Strengthening of organization capacity, Peace study, Conflict Transformation, etc. Furthermore, she said that this therapy can be useful to victims of the conflict and other depressed people because of something connected with mediation, peace, and conflict.

Before the participants learnt about the movement therapy, Rachel asked them to introduce themselves but it was done in a group. So, she divided the participants into several groups, and in a group there are two members. Each of two people in the group introduced his/her name, position in CAIREU, other activities outside CAIREU, and the expectations during and after the workshop.

After break, she was beginning tell about the movement, humans, and social beings or being context. She also told about therapy – workshop – creative dance – daily life. In this workshop, she told more about workshop and creative dance, because therapy is used for bigger problem, inner problem, and has a long term, use some method, systematic, commitment, and specially has psychology background. On the other hand, in daily life no need those things anymore; like do the movement just for fun, short time, and no commitment. In the middle, workshop and creative dance, are used for solve smaller problem, bonding each other, sharing, and need an introducing before meeting or doing some movement.
She tried to bringing the participants up with make them thinking about what creativity is and the aim of creativity. Some participant said that creativities are about idea, thinking out of box, has new strategy, inventive, and etc. And the aim of creativity are getting a break through and finding solutions. Next, Rachel explained what the differences between free dancing and freedom in dancing or moving. She said that free dancing is the dance without rule and express our feeling by ourselves. However, freedom in dancing or moving is a movement which is commanded by a teacher or an instructor. The teacher asked us to move like lightness feather, for instance. The movement can be depending on our perception of the lightness feather, that’s the freedom dancing or moving. Rachel also explained the theme of the movement. First is warming up, exploration of theme, deepen the movements, and the last is total the dance process. To make the movement easier, she suggested the participants a web spider. So, from one word, it can be many words to express. Furthermore, the movement is very useful if we can’t express our emotion through the words. We can blow up our emotion through the better way.

Tuesday/ March 30th, 2010

In the second day of workshop, Rachel explained about the self confidence and how to make us still focus on the themes or topics. This day, Rachel did the workshop through the different way. She did more exercise, many movements, and after that she told the participants why they move like those movements.

Firstly, she did a warming up and the participants must concentrate in what they did. We made a big circle and feel where our feet ground on. Then, we tried to focus to our body like feet, hand, finger, stomach, and head. Rachel asked us to breathing in and breathing out for several times. After that, we have to stretch our hand while made some round and move our fingers slowly then quickly. She told us to lift our knee and move it in the front, back, and side. Next, the participants jumped, kicked, and stopped.

Second, she did another exercise by asked the participants to find the spot – free space around the workshop room – in order to make us free doing a movement. First step, walked to space room slowly and quickly in order, when we did this movement we have to be careful to each other, we can make a contact with another participant without talked with them; in other way we may see person in front of us or just see on our feet. Tried to do this in a few times in a full concentrate and stopped it.

Furthermore, Rachel explained about how to build our confidence and self confidence. She was imagining a powerful big tree as a symbol or image to build strength in our body. She told the participants to walk slowly and keep focus on the move; saw the floor for awhile and find the empty space then stopped. Next, tried to imagine that we were a big tree which has strong roots and feel that we were a strong person. This movement can be used to build our confidence.

Then, we tried to walk in a small range carefully and also find the empty spot, and keep walking while make the big range for our steps, did it – walk in small and big range steps – in order. Some participants considered that this movement was describing our character. Some people said that when we walked in a small range steps, we was feeling insecure and uncomfortable, but we can think more creative to find a solution. In the other hand, the bigger range makes us secure, more comfortable and also more creative because many solutions we can find in a big space.

The last exercise, she asked some people to make two groups and stand in opposite way. Next, one group have to walk normally, slowly and quickly in front of the other group in order. Then, the second group said “STOP” to the first group that walked to them and did it in order. This exercise may we use to build our self confidence. It can be seeing when someone gives the order, whether she/ he do it in loud or low voice and how long the range that she/ he need to say “STOP”. Rachel gave the participants some suggestions before we do some exercises; like is it okay If we touch each other, or how about the feeling if we use the short range of steps and etc.

Wednesday/ March 31st, 2010

This day, Rachel told about how to make a good relation with the others and minimize the tension between them, she made more exercise too. In this session, Rachel did something for relaxation, so she asked the participants to lying up on the floor. And again, find the empty space in order to not touch anybody. Then, close our eyes and put our hand on the floor while make our body relax. Move our toes slowly and our fingers too while feel that our body united with the ground. Next, we have to do same thing with our feet, legs, knees, upper legs, hips, stomach, shoulders, neck and head. Feel that we were relaxing our body, and try to give it the energy. Feel the energy was blowing up from feet, legs, stomach, hands, finger, and head while move those things slowly to the left and right side. Rachel said that we have to open our eyes slowly while feel the energy in a whole body, turned around and stand up again.

Then, to build self confidence and also knowing each other, Rachel showed us about the movement to say hello without voice and talk, only with our body. For example, we used our hands to say hello or we use other part of our body to say hello to the others.

For the next activity, she asked four person to do some movement that aim to concentrate, relaxing, and just go on as there’s no end in our life. Four person walked in a very slow motion and stay focus while imagine that the way which they will go never end. This activity needs full concentration. After that, we discussed about this activity in a group with Rachel. After break time, Rachel explained about movements that have purposes to increasing our trust to the others, feel comfortable in a big group, and once more about self confidence. Every movement that she taught us really useful when we organize some workshop or seminar.




Thursday and Saturday/ April 1st and April 3rd , 2010

After theory, there were two days for practice our theory that has given by Rachel before. The participants will have an opportunity to practice the creative movement to the others. On Thursday, the participants showed about creative movement to woman study center in STAIN Pontianak. This organization needs this activity because they also work in traumatic healing especially for woman trafficking, violence or sexual harassment. So, CAIREU member explained about this movement and Rachel just see and added a little bit things that we missed.

Besides, in Thursday evening, CAIREU members have to practice the theory to orphan children who live in the orphanage. Children really enthusiastic in this activity, especially when we showed the movement that Rachel told us before. For the children, we just want to make them comfortable in a big group although some of them still confuse and shy to move. So, sometimes we were repeating the movement or let them moved as comfortable as they want to move. (Continued)

Sabtu, 10 April 2010

Takut di Negeri Sendiri


Aku merasa gelisah di rumah sendiri
Makan tak tenang, karena masih berpikir akankah besok aku masih bisa makan?
Tidur tak nyaman, sambil berpikir kemana lagi aku harus mencari rezeki?

Aku merasa tak aman di tempat tinggal ku sendiri
Pergi tak bisa terlalu awal
Pulang pun tak bisa terlalu larut
Bimbang memikirkan rumah, jangan sampai ada pencuri yang masuk dan melibas harta bendaku
Tak nyaman di jalanan, karena berpikir apakah aku diikuti seseorang yang akan menjambret atau merampok isi dalam tasku?

Aku merasa gerah di kampung halamanku sendiri
Hasil bumi dieksploitasi
Masyarakat kecil mengemis segenggam nasi
Pribumi hanya jadi kuli
Sementara masyarakat lainnya bergaya hedonis setiap hari
Pemerintah hanya sibuk sendiri dengan elitnya birokrasi
Sementara anak-anak dan perempuan dijual beli

Aku merasa takut di Negara sendiri
Ledakan bom bertubi-tubi
Koruptor menari-nari
Westernisasi makin menjadi tapi yang diambil hanya dari satu sisi
Katanya modernisasi, tapi pemikiran masih kolonialisasi

Mau jadi apa negeri ini?
Kalau kejujuran ditukar dengan materi
Keikhlasan hanya imajinasi
Uang jadi prioritas tertinggi