Purpose
The whole group becomes one mutually-supported structure — everyone giving and receiving weight at once, a collective counterbalance. The felt experience of a group literally holding itself up together.
Setup
Groups of 3–10, warm, experienced enough to share real weight. Establish clear communication first.
Play
- "Start with three: lean into each other to make a stable tripod, weight shared through the middle."
- "Add bodies one at a time, each finding a place to give and receive weight, until the whole group is one interdependent structure."
- "Feel the shared load. Then dissolve it — slowly, one body at a time — until everyone is back on their own feet."
Cues
"Everyone gives and receives at once." · "Build slowly; dissolve even more slowly." · "Announce before you move."
Variations
- Easier: small clusters of 3–4, gentle leans.
- Harder: larger structures with level changes — advanced groups only.
Debrief
"What did it feel like to be held by — and to help hold up — the whole group?"
Watch For
The dissolve is the danger — a structure that collapses at once can hurt someone; come apart gradually and with warning. Protect anyone lower in the structure; never build weight onto a spine. Constant communication.