The 9 Movement Energies
Nia is inspired by nine unique movement disciplines. Infused with
the spirit of martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts, Nia blends
concepts from the East and West to deliver a richly diverse energy
experience.
Martial Arts
Tai Chi
Nia moves inspired by Tai Chi focus on developing a relationship with
your slow dance and learning to move from a lower center of gravity in
the body, called the tan-tien - located two inches below the navel in
the center of the pelvis. Moving from this center it is possible to
develop sensory awareness and a nourishing energy relationship between
your body and the world around you.
A Nia Tai Chi experience involves circular, elegant and soft movements,
reminiscent of swimming in water. This fluidity gives definition to the
body without the use of external weights and slowly and gently
increases your range of motion. Coordinating arm, eye, and hand motions
with the whole body creates graceful systemic movement without causing
strain to the skeletal system. Moving slowly provides conditioning for
the legs and increases flexibility. The energy of Tai Chi maximizes
efficiency by using the basic locomotive move of leading with the heel
and shifting body weight rather than dropping it.
Tae Kwon Do
Nia moves inspired by Tae Kwon Do place an emphasis on precision and on
developing organic skill, the perfect balance between moving naturally
while mechanically perfecting your technique.
A Nia Tae Kwon Do experience includes arm blocks, punches, thrusts,
kicks, hand techniques, and the use of sound. Circular movements become
powerful, directed, linear actions in an instant. Speed changes
challenge quick and slow twitch muscle fibers and improve your
strength, agility, mobility, stability, and overall coordination. The
martial art stances, kicks, core, and hand and arm techniques are a
cornerstone in the foundation of Nia choreography that makes it
possible to receive cardiovascular benefits without repetitive jogging
and jumping up and down. Learning to work from a place of dynamic
control and balance, you benefit from the energy that flows and directs
your body with internal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual power.
Aikido
Nia moves inspired by Aikido follow the path and way of harmony, as in
harmonious spherical motion. 'Ai' means to meet, 'ki' meaning spirit
and 'Do' meaning the way - in other words, the way of harmony.
A Nia Aikido experience encourages you to energetically blend your body
with space, music, breath, time, with other people... with everything!
You learn to focus and consciously direct your energy, which allows
your energy to flow freely and your whole body to move more powerfully
and elegantly.
Dance Arts
Jazz
Nia moves inspired by Jazz encourage fun, showmanship and spontaneous
self-expression while balancing muscle strength and flexibility, making
it possible to move quickly while isolating joints and body parts.
A Nia Jazz experience encourages body symmetry while isolating
individual body parts. Moves from Jazz, such as the cha cha, shakes,
the shimmy, and hip bumps make the Nia experience fun and sensual.
Duncan Dance
Nia moves inspired by Duncan Dance seduce you to move in free-spirited
ways that integrate both graceful and beautiful full-body expression.
A Nia Duncan Dance experience encourages an unrestricted and
uninhibited flow of emotion and motion. Attention to up and out energy
flow balances the downward pull of gravity, which helps to keep the
posture of the body aligned and balanced. Leg strength is built through
the integration of the relève, lyrical momentum, and pauses, creating a
unique conversation with the space - rising to the sky and surrendering
back to the floor. Calf and leg muscles develop a beautiful shape
through the gentle mechanics of opening up the front of the ankle,
groin and torso on rising motions.
Modern Dance
Nia moves inspired by Modern Dance creatively get you to play in space
with your body, creating shapes in space, falling on and off balance,
and being dramatic and elusively emotional.
A Nia Modern Dance experience provides the space to play and create
within the Nia moves, tapping into body language that is both
physically and emotionally satisfying. As you learn to play and create
body shapes in space your body becomes more comfortable at being on and
off balance. Free expansive movement leads the way for increased
strength and flexibility in the whole body. Changing directions keeps
the vestibular system healthy, making it easy for your brain to give
you information about your body movement and help control your balance
and equilibrium.
Healing Arts
Yoga
Nia moves inspired by Yoga take the emphasis off of muscle and place it
on creating comfort by sensing bone and joint alignment.
A Nia Yoga experience teaches you to maintain volume and space inside
by positioning bones and joints so that the body is continually
encouraged to open up and free itself of unwanted tension. Opening the
body becomes a way of making space in and around the joints.
Lengthening and feeling the sensation of flexibility - your energy
moving out and along the bones - teaches you to stretch in a way that
respects muscle attachments. Looking inward, sensing your body as you
move, enhances an ongoing awareness of purposeful bone alignment that
makes moving into most any yoga posture a natural process.
The Work of Moshe Feldenkrais
Nia moves inspired by the work of Moshe Feldenkrais focus on connecting to body sensations, in motion and in stillness.
A Nia Feldenkrais based experience focuses on moving slowly and quickly
while noticing sensations and feelings with the whole body. Awareness
of your movement is how you help create permanent changes in your body
that improve function and pleasure. You learn to place your conscious
and sensory attention on breath, voice, circulation, sight, smell,
sound, touch, taste, orientation to space, time and rhythm, as well as
physical feelings associated with emotions.
The Alexander Technique
Nia moves inspired by The Alexander Technique focus on redirecting your
movement from the top - the head - to help shift stereotyped response
patterns that create inefficient postural habits.
A Nia Alexander Technique experience gives you the power to change the
way you move and hold your body by redirecting the use of the head in a
'forward and up' relationship to the neck and torso. Proper use of the
head and neck is primary in developing integrated body movement. The
practice of allowing the back to lengthen and widen, and learning how
to move as a whole person are just some of the self-healing techniques
inspired in this amazing body of work.