Gabrielle Roth is the founder of the 5Rhythms. Many of us have danced with her, some of us have learned from her, others have never met her personally. But through the wonderful work she has created, she is present in all of us and inspires thousands of people around the globe.
As a young woman, Gabrielle Roth began teaching movement to children, the elderly and the disabled. In the late 60’s she met Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy) in Esalen and started to develop a movement practice out of which the 5Rhythms were finally born. She founded „The Moving Center New York“, which became an expression of her vision and created the framework for her life’s work. Over the years, Gabrielle’s body of work ranged from countless dance floors all around the world to her three bestselling books: „Maps To Ecstasy“, „Sweat Your Prayers“ and „Connections“. In New York City, she also dedicated herself to lively, experimental theater work and produced more than 20 albums of percussion-based music together with her husband Robert Ansell (see www.ravenrecording.com). In 1988 she began training teachers with her method.
She founded the 5Rhythms Teachers Association (5RTA) and 5Rhythms Reach Out (5RRO), a non-profit foundation whose goal is to bring her work back to where she started over 50 years ago: To children from difficult backgrounds, the elderly and other groups with special needs (see www.5RRO.org). Gabrielle left this world on October 22, 2012 and her work is being continued by her son Jonathan Horan, the „keeper of the flame“ (see 5Rhythms Global).
From my confusion movement stirred
something bigger than me wanted out
raw awareness set free
allowing untruths to fall away
birthing the 5Rhythms
essence embraced
an offering placed in the cradle of time
continuously rocked
by an incessant hunger to know spirit in all things
the 5Rhythms—
a route
to the
root.
~Gabrielle Roth
