The Ten Lepers (Creative Dance)

The themes of healing and restoration are portrayed vividly in this creative dance interpretation of Luke 17:11–19.

When attempting to express the miracles, or any other story, using creative movement, you should first place yourself inside the situation you wish to interpret; feel the ground beneath your feet and see the scene as it was. Become a part of it, and when you move, interpret what you see. Let the expression flow out from within, rather than confining yourself to a set routine. The story we have chosen as an example is the miracle of the ten lepers from Luke 17:11–19. The movement in this story is from confinement (leprosy) to freedom (health). We will detail first the reflection process and then a visual expression of the story. The first half of the reflection enables us to experience the freedom we already possess in our bodies. From there the second half of the reflection process draws us into the bodies of lepers who await the freedom Christ will bring. Process of Reflection What you will need: A tambourine, a Bible, a cleared space large enough to move around freely Find a space in the room … this is your own personal space. Slowly stretch your arms out all around you. Feel the space … reach up high … reach out to your sides … reach down low … stretch your whole body and explore every bit of the space that surrounds you, and then relax. Walk freely around the room, naturally and at a regular pace. Keep on walking … swing your arms as you walk … keep well away from the others. Now with your whole body, walk as slowly as you can … get slower and slower all the time.… gradually feel your body becoming heavier and heavier … slow right down … and freeze. Walk around the room again … just walk naturally again and at a regular pace. Now slowly begin to quicken your steps … faster … faster … and even faster still. Now take large steps and begin to slow down to the regular pace again. Make your steps larger and larger … giant steps. Now take small steps … tiny steps.… even smaller than you are taking now. Now take bouncy steps … bounce up and down, up and down as you walk along … bounce.… bounce. Now walk with smooth even steps … no bounce at all. Can you walk in a curved path? Now walk a straight line … walk forward … backward … sideways. Make up as many original walks as you can. See how many different ways you can walk. Walk freely again around the room … keep your whole body straight and your head up high … walk with a spring in your step. Now walk backwards again looking over your shoulder, to see where you are going. As you walk forward again, show how you might walk if you were angry. How would you walk if you were sad? How would you walk if you were bored? How would you walk if you were in pain? Slowly walk back to your own space and relax. In your own space, lie flat on your back … feel completely relaxed … let your whole body sink into the floor underneath you. Become aware of your own breathing, in and out, in and out. (At this point the story of the ten lepers should be read, Luke 17:11–19.) Now take your time and sit up very slowly. What do you know about leprosy? What parts of the body does it strike? How were people warned that lepers were approaching? Where did this story take place? What was that countryside like? Try to make a mental picture of the countryside. Perhaps the road is hot and dusty. Maybe the sun is beating down upon your back. Feel its warmth on your face. Place yourself in the picture and stand up slowly. Imagine that you are a leper … where has leprosy struck you? Is it in the arm? Or perhaps a leg … maybe it's your back. You may have it in more than one part of your body. Make your body into a twisted shape. Find your own level … you may still be standing, you may be crawling, or you may be dragging yourself along on the ground. Find your own level. Now make another twisted shape, keeping in mind where leprosy has struck you. How does it feel being a leper? Are you ashamed? How do you think you appear to others? Can you look at others face to face? How do you react when others look at you? Where does it hurt you most of all? Move very, very slowly … not hurrying at all. Some of you may want to move more slowly than others. How do you communicate with the other lepers? Say something to another leper using gestures only … what are you saying? Putting these movements together and using a tambourine, the scene may look something like this: A Visual Expression of the Ten Lepers The reading may be read before or after the expression if you wish.

1. Four slow beats of the tambourine. Lepers enter slowly in their own twisted shapes. They look at their own bodies. (Remember to use different levels.)

2. Shake the tambourine. Lepers quickly recoil hiding their faces. 3. Four slow beats of the tambourine. Lepers try to communicate with each other. 4. Shake tambourine. Lepers recoil again. 5. Four slow beats of the tambourine. Lepers stretch their arms out in all directions: some upward, some out to the sides, some downward. 6. Shake tambourine. The lepers recoil again. 7. Shake tambourine. Jesus enters. 8. Shake tambourine. Lepers look curiously at each other and then at Jesus. 9. Shake tambourine. Various expressions of surprise and curiosity cover their faces. Here we add voices to accompany the movement. Each of the lines could be repeated several times for an echo effect (rather like the rhythm of a train).

Line 1: "Who's coming, who's coming? (Each of these lines should be repeated about four times.)

Line 2: "Who is it?" Line 3: "Jesus." Line 4: "Go away." Line 5: "We're lepers." Line 6: "Heal us." (This said only once and in a loud, sharp, crying voice.) As these lines are spoken, the lepers huddle in a small group. Jesus walks around the group and takes up a position in the center behind the group. Each leper as he or she is touched by Jesus must show through his or her body and face the change which has taken place in his or her body. As each is touched he or she moves out away from the group and freezes in an attitude of joy, disbelief, or astonishment. The movement would finish here. Another way creative movement could be used with this story would be to go through the reflection process and then choose some suitable music and ask the group to improvise the story of the lepers through movement. In this case the group could experiment with shapes, from twisted distorted shapes to strong healthy whole shapes. (Suitable music for this could be Oxygene 1 by Jean Michel Jarre.) You may discover, after your own reflection, a better way of interpreting this story visually. That is the beauty of creative movement, the freedom it allows us.