In this week’s edition of A New Normal, we’re exploring movement when we are all, in some way, stuck in place. We conducted Zoom interviews with parents, Olympic athletes, retirees and even ex-ballerinas to uncover how people are finding their own ways to find space and freedom.
What we heard is that moving isn’t about going anywhere: it’s about making room for ourselves, our energy, and our intentions. Learning how to move in isolation is no mean feat — and people are getting creative.
Joseph, Olivia, and Charlotte improvise
In New Jersey, 76-year-old Joseph wasn’t going to surrender his daily two-mile boardwalk jaunts — instead, he moved one street over to avoid the crowds. Olivia, a social media strategist recently laid-off due to COVID-19, continues to rise at 7:30am for HIIT classes, even though they’re virtual now. New Yorker and exercise physiologist Charlotte decided to put all of her living room furniture against the wall to open up floor space. She laid down a yoga mat and turned on some music. “It made me want to move.”
Natalie built a garage hockey rink
In Colorado, Natalie transformed her garage into a makeshift hockey rink so that her five year-old son, and aspiring NHL athlete, Oliver can continue hockey practice with his coach — over FaceTime. She fashioned a net and goal from a ladder with an icebox attached to it.
“I’m a parent, I’m a teacher, I’m a coach, I’m a friend to him now,” Natalie tells us. She’s had to be creative about what it means to keep her son physically active and engaged. Without school, their daily walks are the new recess, and she’s trying to find ways to inject some magic into their outdoor wanders. “Let’s count the flowers,” Natalie encourages. When they come across a squirrel, she tries to get him to imagine the creature’s backstory,“Where is it going? Does it live there? What do you think it eats?.”
Evelyn and fellow New Yorkers ‘dance’ in the streets
A troupe of ballerinas dance to the music of Phillip Glass: dodging, body-swerving, and side-stepping each other as they expand across the stage.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Evelyn tells us, of an iconic piece from Jerome Robbins’ ballet Glass Pieces. “Whenever I go outside now, the street scene reminds me of that.” In New York City, staying six feet apart on sidewalks requires a choreography we’re not used to.
Evelyn, now a fitness instructor, was a dancer with the New York City Ballet for more than ten years: “Dancers are so self aware of their bodies,” she says, “Even off stage, dancers are trained to know how much space they have around them, how they navigate that space, and what it would look like to move through that space.” Going forward, we wonder if people will spend less time on crowded streets — and look instead for spaces that cater to them and their circles.
“I think people are becoming more aware of how they move outside in their bodies because now, they have to be aware.”
Charles films himself dancing
Charles, a massage therapist and fine artist, sees movement as a lifestyle. He is turning to spontaneous dance parties in his West Hollywood bungalow to move through the current moment, “I have a playlist called Morning Movement. I put it on when I’m beginning the day, when I’m walking my dog or while making tea,” he shares “I really do love to dance…I get so much from it in a spiritual way.”
Beyond the morning wake up — he’s also creating dance videos. Films were always a side-project, but now they’re becoming fuel for his artistic practice. In addition to his bodywork, the videos serve as live action drawings. Each is a standalone “sketch.”
While Olympians move in their minds
“You close your eyes and you visualize the feeling of going through your competition. What does it smell like, what does it feel like, what do you do on your way into the arena,” former Olympic diver, Cassidy Krug, explains how crucial visualization will be to athletes training moving forward. “You’ve got to do it, do it well, and picture it well.”
We’ve all watched as Olympic hopefuls get creative in an effort to stay active while quarantining at home, but the reality is that half the work of training is mental. Athletes can “practice how to dribble, how to pass,” said sports psychologist Dr. Alan Chu. Rugby player Keith Earls plays the game everyday — in his head. “I train my mind every day for half an hour,” he said. Visualization is its own kind of training. And it’s going to be essential for athletes in this moment, who can’t practice the way they always have.
“The secret is in the fact that, when we imagine how we are performing certain moves in our head, the receptors in our brain receive the same stimuli as when we are really performing them, the result is the same, the move is being practiced and perfected, regardless of the lack of physical activity.”
Cassidy, for one, is hopeful about what we’ll learn in this period. “Maybe it will give us all a greater appreciation of our bodies,” she tells us. “When we are able to get out again, we’ll appreciate the times when we can be in physical spaces with other people, exercising, moving.”
Finding Ways to Move in A New Normal
TOYS & GAMES 🏓
Will the next wave of fitness innovation help kids to move and play?
This could mean:
- Games that interact with the built and natural environment, getting kids engaged with nearby nature.
- Kids’ cooking games — designed to flex their minds and build dexterity.
- At-home dance offerings that use music as a driver of movement (for all ages).
ATHLETIC RETAIL 🏋🏼♂️
Are we poised for an inclusivity revolution in fitness? A revolution open to all ages and both the physical and mental benefits of movement?
This could mean:
- Content and subscriptions dedicated to internal work and visualization — helping athletes train mentally and emotionally.
- Collective neighborhood movement classes, such as Tai Chi outdoors.
- The walking renaissance — fitness apparel that is geared towards all-accessible activities.
REAL ESTATE + HOSPITALITY 🍷
As we become more aware of the space around us, will there be a greater need for dedicated spaces that make us feel safe and protected?
This could mean:
- “Micro-hospitality” offerings, akin to small bars in Japan or private karaoke rooms in Korea — where we can enjoy ourselves because we know everyone present.
- An elevated role for the home in travel — not just offering local flavor but offering a trusted space.
- Public spaces that privilege private moments — where people can gather together safely.
A New Normal is a series by Redscout, a strategy and design consultancy. The series will examine how COVID-19 is changing the world and envision how these shifts are reshaping our work and that of our collaborators, our clients, our friends. Sign up to the newsletter here.
