Walking Emotion Statues

The group moves around the space at different paces set by the music and, when it stops, freezes in a statue that shows the emotion the teacher calls out. It warms up the whole body and lowers inhibitions ahead of a creative movement unit.

How to play

1. Walk around the whole space filling gaps, speeding up and slowing down with the tempo of the music; add shoulder, neck and hip mobility while walking (2 min).
2. When the music stops, the teacher names an emotion (joy, fear, pride, exhaustion) and everyone freezes in a statue for five seconds (2 min).
3. Moving statues: keep the emotion as you start moving again, changing your walk, height and speed (2 min).
4. In pairs: one creates a statue and the other mirrors it and adds a small movement; then switch roles (2 min).

Rules

• Respect others' space: nobody touches or mocks anyone.
• Statues use stable bases, with no jumps or forced positions.
• Anyone can choose a subtle statue if an emotion feels uncomfortable.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: express the emotion with the trunk, arms and face, and move the chair at different paces.
• Hearing impairment: the emotion is shown on a large card and the music stop is signaled by dimming the lights or with a hand signal.
• Autism: offer a visual list of emotions with pictures and let the student always work with the same partner.

Learning goals

• Activate the body with movement at different paces.
• Express emotions through posture, gesture and movement.
• Overcome fear of moving in front of the group in a respectful climate.

Equipment for a class of 25

• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Do the first statues yourself to give the group permission. It works best with instrumental music and clear tempo changes.

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