Students walk around the room.
Not circling but moving into space, mixing and moving around each other.
At any time they can meet another players’ eyes and at that moment it is as if an elastic thread is stretched between them.
The farther they are from each other, the more tension there is in the thread.
As they get closer, there is relief and a loss of tension. If they get very close, they can begin to spiral around each other.
Play with this tension and the emotion that comes with it.
At any time, either player can break eye contact and return to moving around the room.
This is a powerful exercise and can stir up some really powerful emotions.
Acknowledge that eye contact isn’t for everyone, there are some people with various neurodiversities that prefer to never make direct eye contact. Encourage them to do whatever feels most productive in terms of connection.
Get students to really play with the connection at different distances.
Follow up this exercise with Hovering hand