Gabrielle Roth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gabrielle Roth
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| Born | February 4, 1941 |
| Died | October 22, 2012 (aged 71) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Dancer, musician, author |
| Known for | 5Rhythms, trance dance |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Ansell |
Gabrielle Roth (born February 4, 1941 – died October 22, 2012) was an American dancer, musician, and author. She was known for creating the 5Rhythms movement practice. This practice uses dance to help people connect with their bodies and feelings.
Gabrielle Roth faced challenges like depression and injuries. But she used movement to heal herself. She wanted to share the power of dance with the world. Her goal was to help people heal their bodies and spirits through movement. She worked at places like the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. She also founded a theater company in New York. She wrote three books and made over twenty music albums with her band, The Mirrors.
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Gabrielle Roth's Early Life
Gabrielle Roth was born in San Francisco on February 4, 1941. She was inspired by the dance of a Spanish gypsy named La Chunga. She also loved watching the Nigerian National Ballet. As a teenager, she trained in dance. She paid for her college by teaching movement at places that helped people recover from injuries.
After college, she lived and worked in Europe for three years. During this time, she visited memorials for concentration camps in Germany. Later, she injured her knee twice while skiing and dancing. Doctors told her she might not dance again. This made her very sad.
She then went to Big Sur in California. There, she joined a group at the Esalen Institute. She became a masseuse and found that dancing helped her body heal. A therapist named Fritz Perls asked her to teach dance. Gabrielle then created a special way of dancing. This became the "Wave" of the 5Rhythms. It includes five movements: Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness.
Her Career in Dance and Music
Gabrielle Roth taught at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She also taught at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York. She started her own experimental theater company in New York City.
Her school in New York, called The Moving Center, teaches her work. It has trained over 400 5Rhythms teachers around the world. She also directed theater shows.
Music with The Mirrors
Gabrielle Roth performed and recorded music with her band, Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors. They made more than 20 albums. People described her music as "pure energy" and "intense rhythms." It was often called "yoga music" that could help listeners feel calm and meditative.
The 5Rhythms Movement
The 5Rhythms movement system was created by Gabrielle Roth in the late 1970s. It focuses on five main body rhythms: flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness. It is a way to become more aware through dance. By 2012, there were 245 registered teachers of 5Rhythms worldwide.
In 2007, Roth started a non-profit group called 5Rhythms Reach Out. This group offered 5Rhythms classes to people with conditions like Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Many people found 5Rhythms to be a powerful and healing experience. Dancers often felt refreshed and connected to others. It was described as a type of "moving meditation."
Personal Life
Gabrielle Roth was married to Robert Ansell. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. She passed away on October 22, 2012, at the age of 71. Her son, Jonathan Horan, now leads The Moving Center and 5Rhythms Global.
Her Creative Works
Music Albums
- Raven Recordings
- Jhoom (The intoxication of surrender) (Raven, 2009)
- Bardo (with Boris Grebenshchikov) (Raven, 2002)
- Tribe (Raven, 2001)
- Refuge (with Boris Grebenshchikov) (Raven, 1998)
- Zone Unknown (Raven, 1997)
- Tongues (Raven, 1995)
- Luna (Raven, 1994)
- Trance (Raven, 1992)
- Waves (Raven, 1991)
- Ritual (Raven, 1990)
- Bones (Raven, 1989)
- Initiation (Raven, 1988)
- Totem (Raven, 1985)
- Endless Wave 1 (Raven, 1996)
- Endless Wave 2 (Raven, 2000)
- Music for Slow Flow Yoga (Raven, compilation, 2002)
- Music for Slow Flow Yoga 2 (Raven, compilation, 2003)
- Stillpoint (Raven, compilation, 1996)
- The Movement (Raven, compilation, 2001)
- The Classics (Raven, 4 CD compilation, 2004)
- Other Producers
- Dancing Toward the One / Sacred Rock (1982) The Moving Center
- Pray Body (1983) The Moving Center
- Path: An Ambient Collection (1995) Windham Hill Records
- Conversations With God: A Windham Hill Collection (1997) Windham Hill Records
- Still Chillin (2005) Aquarius International Music
Television and Video Works
- I Dance the Body Electric (1993)
- Secret Egypt (1995) Mystic Fire Video
- The Spiritual Path to Success (1997) Quest special on PBS
- Sukhavati: A Mythic Journey (1997 [music]) [DVD 2005] for Joseph Campbell Foundation and PBS
- The Wave: ecstatic dance for body and soul (1993) Sounds True VHS
- The Power Wave (2001) Sounds True
- The Inner Wave (2001) Sounds True
- Ecstatic Dance Trilogy (2004) Sounds True
- Open Floor: Dance, Therapy & Transformation (2002) Raven Recording
- The Great Lesson: A New Film About Mind and Body: Featuring Gabrielle Roth. Great Lesson Productions.(2012)
See also
- 5Rhythms
