Frequently Asked Questions

5Rhythms® is a movement practice created by Gabrielle Roth.

There are no steps to learn and no choreography to follow. Instead, the practice moves through five rhythms — Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness — which together create a Wave.

You are invited to listen to your body, respond to the music and discover your own movement.

It can be a dance, a workout, a moving meditation, a creative practice — and sometimes all of those things in the same evening.

Flowing. Staccato. Chaos. Lyrical. Stillness.

They are five different qualities of movement that we explore with the body.

In Flowing, we find our feet, our weight and the continuous movement of the body.

In Staccato, movement becomes clearer, more defined and expressive.

In Chaos, we practice letting go — allowing the body to move faster than the thinking mind.

In Lyrical, movement can become lighter, freer, playful and spacious.

In Stillness, we slow down without necessarily stopping. Movement becomes quieter and attention turns toward breath, sensation and presence.

Moving through all five in sequence creates what we call a Wave.

Yes.

Actually, this question comes up a lot.

There is no choreography, no performance and no right way to move.

Nobody is going to teach you a sequence and expect you to remember it. You don't need rhythm, flexibility or dance experience.

If you have a body, you have somewhere to start.

Absolutely.

Weekly Waves classes are open to complete beginners as well as experienced dancers. You don't need to understand the rhythms before coming.

The best way to understand the practice is not by reading about it. It's by moving.

It can be. It doesn't have to be.

5Rhythms can become a deeply meditative, emotional or spiritual practice for some people. For others, it's a way to get out of their head, move their body, release some tension and spend 90 minutes without staring at a screen.

There is no belief system you need to adopt and nothing you need to believe in to participate.

Come as you are and take from the practice what speaks to you.

Not exactly.

Both practices can involve free-form movement and music, but 5Rhythms has a specific map and methodology created by Gabrielle Roth.

We work with Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness, sometimes moving through a complete Wave and sometimes exploring a particular rhythm or theme more deeply.

There is freedom inside the practice, but there is also a map.

A lot of different music.

Electronic, acoustic, tribal, ambient, experimental, world music, percussion, voices, silence — whatever supports the movement we're exploring.

Music is a big part of how I teach.

I spent more than a decade DJing and producing music before becoming involved with 5Rhythms, and I still approach music as a journey. A Wave isn't simply a playlist of tracks I like. I build an arc that supports what is happening in the room and where the movement is going.

Sometimes the music leads. Sometimes the body does. And sometimes we don't need music at all.

You enter the room and begin moving.

We usually start with a warm-up that gives you time to arrive, get out of the day and into your body.

I'll then bring the group together for a short introduction or teaching before guiding us into the practice.

Depending on the class, we may move through a complete Wave — Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness — or explore a particular rhythm or theme.

There may be individual, partner or group explorations along the way.

You don't need to figure everything out. Listen. Move. Stay curious.

Please do.

Many people come to 5Rhythms alone, including for their very first class.

There is no need to bring a partner or know anyone in the room. You may interact with other dancers during the practice, but your dance always begins with you.

Anything comfortable that lets you move freely.

Leggings, shorts, loose trousers, a T-shirt — whatever works for your body.

You will probably sweat, so layers are useful.

Bring a water bottle and, if you tend to sweat a lot, a small towel or a dry shirt for afterwards.

This isn't a fashion show. Wear something you can forget about once you start moving.

Barefoot is highly recommended.

It allows your feet to move naturally and gives you direct contact with the floor.

If an injury, sensitivity or another issue makes barefoot movement difficult, dance shoes or grippy socks are welcome if they help you move safely and comfortably.

Indoor trainers are not permitted.

A few simple agreements help create a space where everyone can move freely and feel respected.

No talking once you enter the dance room. The dance floor is a space for movement rather than conversation. Just as you wouldn't chat through a yoga class, we keep conversation outside the room.

Phones off. No photography or filming. Photos or video are only taken when explicitly allowed by the teacher. If I ever want to use an image where a dancer is identifiable, I will ask for permission.

This is a sober space. Please don't attend under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs.

Respect people's boundaries. Someone dancing near you isn't necessarily asking to dance with you.

Ask before touching. A simple “Can I touch you?” is enough. If the answer is no, that's the end of the question. No explanation is needed.

Take responsibility for your own body. Rest, slow down or modify your movement whenever you need to.

No spectators. This is a participatory practice. Everyone in the room is part of the dance.

These aren't rules about dancing correctly. They're agreements that give everyone more freedom to dance.

No.

Sometimes I may invite you to explore movement with another person, several people or the whole group.

It's an invitation. You always have the choice to stay with your own dance, and physical contact is never required.

If an exploration involves touch, ask first.

Consent can change at any moment. A yes can become a no, and a no doesn't require an explanation.

5Rhythms doesn't have a routine you have to keep up with.

You adapt the practice to your body and your capacity today.

That might mean making movements smaller, slowing down, sitting for part of the practice or finding an entirely different way to explore a rhythm.

If you're unsure whether a class is appropriate for you, contact me beforehand or speak to me before we begin.

And if you have a medical condition or injury where movement may pose a risk, follow the advice of your healthcare professional.

Of course.

Drink water. Sit down. Slow your movement. Lie down for a moment if that's what your body needs.

Listening to your body is part of the practice, not a failure to do it properly.

Whenever possible, stay present in the room rather than leaving and returning repeatedly.

My regular classes are 16+.

You don't need to be young, fit or particularly flexible. Different bodies move differently, and that's part of what makes the room interesting.

Please plan to.

A Wave has an arc, and the beginning and ending are both part of the practice.

Arriving on time also helps us create the container together without people repeatedly entering after we've begun.

If you know that you need to leave early, please tell me before class.

Advance booking is recommended.

It guarantees your place and makes arriving easier — you can simply check in, put your things down and enter the room.

If a class isn't sold out, you may also be able to join without booking in advance.

For workshops and special events, advance registration may be required, so always check the individual event page.

For regular weekly classes, yes — as long as there is still space available.

If the class reaches capacity, priority goes to people who booked in advance.

For workshops and special events, check the event page first, as registration conditions may be different.

You can book and pay for classes directly through the website.

For regular classes, if places remain available, payment at the door may also be possible.

Workshops and special events may have different payment arrangements, including deposits, early-bird prices or advance-payment requirements. You'll always find the exact conditions on the event page before booking.

Life happens.

For online bookings, you can cancel it yourself at any time using the link in your booking confirmation email — no need to email us.

Cancellations more than 24 hours before class: you'll receive a refund, minus a 30 CZK cancellation fee.

Cancellations within 24 hours of class: no refund.

Workshops and special events have their own cancellation policy tied to a specific date — shown on the event page and in your confirmation email.

If you can't come and would like someone else to use your place, contact us before the class.

For transferring a booking to another date, contact us and we'll let you know what's possible.

Workshops and special events may have different transfer conditions.

First, check your spam or promotions folder.

If nothing is there, contact us with the name and email address you used for the booking, and we'll check it for you.

I'm Ivan Blažević.

Long before I started teaching movement, I was obsessed with music.

I spent more than a decade as a DJ and music producer, learning how sound can change the energy of a room. Eventually, movement became as important to me as music.

My path into 5Rhythms started as a dancer. Over time I became more involved in holding spaces, supporting classes and workshops, organizing events and studying the practice more deeply.

Today, I'm a 5Rhythms Teacher in Training, supervised by Tammy Burstein and mentored by Alex Mackay.

And then there's the other half of my life.

I work in the corporate and technology world. I spend plenty of time in meetings, behind screens, solving problems and living in my head.

I'm also a father of two daughters.

So I'm not particularly interested in pretending that embodied practice happens somewhere outside ordinary life.

For me, that's exactly where the work begins.

We think. We work. We parent. We worry. We plan. We sit in front of screens. And then we move.

Not yet.

I am currently a 5Rhythms Teacher in Training, supervised by Tammy Burstein and mentored by Alex Mackay.

Teaching is part of this training path, and I want to be transparent about where I am in that process.

I'm continuing to study, practice, teach and learn under supervision and mentorship as I move toward certification.

Movement & Beyond is the wider home for the work I'm building around movement, music, embodiment, creativity and connection.

5Rhythms is at the heart of what I'm doing now, but the question behind Movement & Beyond is bigger:

What happens when we stop treating the body as something that simply carries our head around?

Classes are one place to explore that.

Over time, Movement & Beyond will also become a home for workshops, retreats, conversations, collaborations and other ways of exploring what becomes possible when we move, feel and pay attention.

Because I don't think of music as background.

My background as a DJ and music producer taught me to listen to the energy of a room and understand how music can build, disrupt, release, soften and completely change a moment.

5Rhythms gave that relationship with music a different purpose.

I'm no longer trying to make a dance floor move in a particular way.

I'm using music to create conditions in which you can discover how you want to move.

That's a very different job. And one I love.