In preparation for my upcoming workshops with Tara Newbigging around the themes of physical and creative connectedness, I did a Google search to see if I could find some good images.  It was illuminating.

When I put “Music and Movement” (or variations thereupon) into the search field, the images that come up are ALL of small children.  There are lots of primary colours, ring-around-the-rosies, laughing toddlers and cartoon images.  So I chose to be more specific, and added the word “adult” to the search.  This brought up a batch of images of happy seniors involved in music therapy, drum circles at the senior’s residence – and one ad for pole-dancing crash mats.

Are those of us in between toddlerhood and senior citizenship not allowed to combine music and movement (pole-dancing aside, apparently)?  If Google is to be taken as a finger on the cultural pulse, then the answer is no.  Music – yes.  Movement – well, in certain predictable ways.  But to combine the two is a concept that seems to be culturally assigned to the very young or the very old.

I encourage you to challenge Google and come out to one of the Ground and Creative Flow workshops coming up in Canmore.  There is no charge but registration is required.  If you find you like it there will be more opportunities in the future, including a full day “staycation” retreat in May.  Watch for details.

In the meantime, as this winter slips farther behind us every day, get moving out in the sunshine – there is a song to sing out there!  Shine on.