cs-divine-double

The Divine Double (hybrid)

How can we seduce / immersive ourselves into embodying divine presence by creating social & playful layers of accountability and attention?

The Divine Double was an immersive theatre experience hosted as part of the medley.berlin art-residency 2022, created in collaboration other artists in residence and the respond network.

Designed as an intimate theatre journey, groups of four people (in 10-15 minutes intervals) were guided through a four stage experience to playfully cultivate awareness in their bodies, towards other humans in the space and the world around them.

Meeting your many parts

The guests are arriving in the space & meeting their space host + Split Brain, a hybrid tech-human creature with multiple personalities (live actors dialing in via zoom, with a monitor screen added to the actress as the head).

This uncanny play prompts the group to arrive, check-in with themselves and each other and see how everyone is made up of many parts that are in internal conflict with each other.

Dancing with Presence — Unfolding yourself

After being guided through a costume chamber where the participants can change / dress up, a narrated meditation dance awaits.

Hosted by two professional dancers (divine beings) + a narrator (Presence), the group is being guided to dance and unfold into their true divine nature through embodiment and movement.

As the dance progresses, the divine dancers are progressively perceiving the participants movements, joining in to interact. The climax is reached when the dance meditation ends: the guests have now fully unfolded into their divine parts and are fully visible to the gods.

Sample picture of the space © medley.berlin

Meeting in Heaven — Attuning to Presence

The newly unfolded divinities are being guided up the staircase (Stairway to Heaven), where they are met by the Divine Chorus and the Divine Touch.

A 20 minute-long listening touch session accompanied by live music is the final initiation. After this group experience, participants are invited to join the crew and facilitate the Divine Touch for the next group coming through.

Closing

The experiences closes with an open space, during which actors and participants can freely chat and embody their divine personas. Other playful elements like the “cabbage oracle” were introduced.

Ultimately, this experience was a proof of possibility for a community of practice that combines imaginal play with transformative practice to help us cultivate deep presence in our lives.

This experience can be run re-curringly, with more and more participants being welcomed into the story, past participants becoming actors:esses / hosts, to collective expand the storyline and playful presence.

We designed a follow-up 5-day Urban immersion to expand the story and universe, with a loosely weaved co-created program that involved guided breathwork sessions, contact improvisation, live orchestra and other offerings to more deeply practice playful presence into our daily lives.

If you are interested to learn more about our work, and are interested to co-create a similiar experience for your community or company, please reach out!

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