Ritual III
The Body Intact,
The Blood in its Vessel
Grounding
Flesh and Blood: The Beauty of the Body Proper
You breathe.
You breathe.
You move.
It is wonderous. Wonderful.
Move.
Move.
Move!
Your movement. The expression of unassailable beauty.
Co-Choreographer and dancers Trebien Pollard offers today’s grounding.
Mantras
I am beautiful. I am whole.
I am enough, and I accept myself.
Questions
What parts of our bodies do we determine to be disposable? Ugly?
Where has our beauty been hidden & how might it be reclaimed?
These questions are offered by the Black Liberation Collective. View their Liberation Vocabulary, crafted to accompany the project.
Self-led Activations
In Movement 3 of The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist, composer Jonathan Berger infuses the lyric with a kinetic melodic force. His score inspired the inclusion of dance as an act of resistance. Our bodies, our breath exuding and demanding life. For this ritual, you need a device to play music. You need a place where you can move freely: an open floor, a chair to sit in, or even lying down on a flat surface.
Settle into
Stillness
Still
a quiet calm
Take a deep breath
Press play
Today we will practice our ritual through movement. No matter your ability, whether you use every part of your body, or just your breath, this ritual is for you.
Visualization
Walking with the Ancestors
In this visualization, Librettist Vievee Francis guides in a movement with our ancestors. You can listen to this anywhere, anytime, but we recommend listening while you are walking.
Share your reflections
Share a thought, image, or video related to any of these rituals.
You can post it on Instagram and use #Ritualofbreath, or email it to us hopkins.center@dartmouth.edu.
We are gathering these reflections on this website as the work evolves and is shared with other communities.