For printable copy of PSALMS IN MOTION instructions, click on the word: INSTRUCTIONS
To see a video of PSALMS IN MOTION being taught, click on the word: VIDEO

In the exercise Psalms in Motion, a group of performers freely interprets a psalm while it’s read aloud—expressing their emotional response to the words through physical movement.

• A Narrator reads verses from a selected Biblical psalm. After each verse, the Narrator pauses and counts to five slowly.

• During the count, each performer moves fluidly into a pose that expresses their reaction to the words they just heard—and then freezes in that pose. They should use the entire five seconds to get into position.

• Encourage the performers to be aware of the other actors around them—taking care to express a variety of different poses and levels.

• Also encourage each group member to interact with someone else in the group—and direct them to keep the overall stage picture fairly tight.

• When the group understands how the technique works, the Narrator should continue the activity but count silently—or even replace the spoken count with a musical flourish between each verse. The Psalms in Motion exercise can be used in retreat settings or educational settings simply as a way of spontaneously interacting with scripture. In that case, the actors improvise their movements on the spot. But if you add a director, you can also shape and adjust the poses of the actors, and rehearse until you have a finished presentation for worship.

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Activities and techniques in the Friends of the Groom Theater Company Resource Center are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
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