This activity involves people in pairs, with one No equipment
person mirroring the actions and movements of needed, just a place the other person. where people can Body movement exercises can be most spread out. revealing, confronting and rewarding. "Human sculpting via mirroring" brings body movement Time exploration into the dyad. By reflecting body movements of another, several subtle but Total ~ 10-15 complex processes are activated, heightening minutes. self- and other-awareness. Immediate non- verbal feedback exercises in the right time and Brief description place have the potential to be transformational. Other times this can simply be Involves people in a fun loosen-upperer. pairs, with one Works with any size group; split into person mirroring pairs/couples. the actions of the Although it is simple, the activity can be other. Stimulates confronting, and requires mature leadership and self- and other- a well chosen moment/sequence/program. awareness. Usually make sure the social ice is well and truly broken, and that there have been other body Acknowledgements movement and physical warmup/stretching exercises, with some laughter and some seriousness. Offer a demonstration. Invite a volunteer to stand facing you about half a metre apart. The instructor initiates action, with the other person following in "mirror image". Make your movements interesting and slow enough for the other person to mime as if they were a full length mirror. Also include zany stretches/contortions to get a few laughs, especially facial gymnastics. Include action sequences for tasks like brushing your CaRon Lewis 3/22/2016 Rec 2330 teeth. The demonstration helps to loosen up conceptions and inhibitions. In pairs, one person stretches, the other follows. Then swap after some time. Debrief as you see fit.
Notes
Variation: Reverse-mirror image. Try following
partner's movements in reverse-mirror image (i.e., swap left <-> right) The exercise can be done in different ways to emphasize difference aspects, e.g., for trust- building, drama warmup, ice breaker, etc.