Expression ideas... here goes!
1. Give a generic dance move and have everyone do it. Then, have them do it over and over with different emotions like joy, pain, desperation, worship, pleading, etc. If your group is mature enough, have them watch and critique each other.
2. Video tape them doing a dance and ask them to rate themselves on expression. Then ask them who was the most expressive in the dance and why they thought so.
3. Play Charades or Guesstures with no hands allowed.
4. For a dance you are currently working on, play the song and have them stand show, on their face, the expression they are supposed to have for each part of the dance without doing the actual choreography. They can move from one position to another, but they are not to do any hand, feet, or body movements (except to walk to the next position in the dance). They are to only show the expression on their face during that move. When they do this, they should be going over the moves in their head as they express on their faces. You may have to do this one a few times, but I think it will begin to help!
5. Take them to a dance concert where there are several dance teams. Afterwards have a long rap session with them discussing what was great, good, bad, and ugly about the teams they saw dance. Ask them which dances were most powerful and why. Then, if you are bold enough, tell them which of the dance teams they are most like when it comes to expression.
6. Do #1, but put the emotions on paper and pass out a different emotion to each dancer. They are to do the move with that emotion and everyone is to guess what emotion that person trying to convey. (Again, for a moment of boldness, you can use a move from one of your dancers and have one dancer do the emotion they are supposed to all be doing during that move and then have another dancer do the emotion that most of them are actually doing.)
7. Call out different expressions/emotions and have each dancer, all at the same time, do a pose that shows that feeling. Make them do it fast. Then, call out another emotion and they pose to that one. Get faster and faster calling out emotions and see how quickly they can pose with the right emotion. Every so often, stop and check their pose and tell them what emotion you see in them. (For example, you may call out "praise" and some of them may look like you called out "bored".)
I hope these ideas will help you.
As far as leaving personal concerns outside, Sonji has implemented with N'Him worship time to open practice. The first 20 minutes of each practice is time for us to find our own corner of the room and dance our own dance to whatever music God has laid on her heart to play. That helps to set the atmosphere for practice and bring our focus to the right place. It works well!! A short Bible study at the beginning of practice helps as well.
There's my book! I hope this helps!! Any other ideas for pulling expression out of expressionless people??
Annanora, Let us know how things go! Maybe you can teach one of our expression workshops in Jan 2010!! :-)
Karmel