A group of adults moving into a pose expressing their response to a line of a psalm

PSALMS IN MOTION

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PSALMS IN MOTION
Exploring Scripture with Improvised Movement

In this drama based exercise, a group of performers freely interpret a psalm while it’s read aloud over music—expressing their emotional response to the words through physical movement. The exercise can be used as a group building activity, as a reflective worship experience, or even as a way of creating material to perform.

 

Watch Psalms in Motion Demonstrated:

 
Download Printable Instructions

Instructions:

  • 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. 


MORE DRAMA-BASED SCRIPTURE ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
GROUP SCULPTURE MASTERPIECE - Participants improvise a group sculpture with their bodies based on a theme or verse
MOTION PICTURE SCRIPTURE - A group technique for interpreting Bible passages with repetitive movements and lines
TABLEAUX VIVANT - Actors perform a Bible story as a series of frozen scenes

 
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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.
The Resource Center is designed to assist churches, organizations, and individuals
with creative worship and Christian Education.
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