Stone Serpent: Hand Variation (Patreon)

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An exploratory improv activity involving a mythical serpent that petrifies anyone who faces it—for 3 seconds. Unlike Medusa, you may look at the creature, but you must never face it head‑on.

Key term: keystone joint

A joint whose position or tension organizes several critical lines of movement, force, and structure. In this activity, the elbows serve as keystone joints.

The activity

Partners alternate roles:

• Serpent – slithers slowly behind their partner, avoiding sharp direction changes.

• Backward mover – tracks the serpent's position while keeping their back to their partner.

The backward mover keeps their back to the serpent while tracking their movement. When the serpent is near, the backward mover casually touches or brushes the serpent's shoulder while rotating the upper trunk (head included)— temporarily chasing the serpent away. They aren't hitting or slapping the shoulder; it should be a gentle, soft touch or brush. Any tension defeats the purpose.

Hard safety rule

The backward mover must keep their eyes on the target throughout the touch. Looking over either shoulder is allowed, but turning around to face the serpent or even presenting a full side profile petrifies the mover for 3 seconds.

Analyzing the video

Notice how practitioners recruit both arms to assist rotation, sometimes resting one hand on their own shoulder as the other meets their partner. Including the opposite elbow (keystone joint) frees the thoracic spine: where the elbow travels, the trunk can follow. This allows significant rotation without moving the feet.

The aim

The aim of this activity is to develop alternate senses and ways of moving. We started from the ground up against downward forces, and now we're working backward into uncertainty. Embracing the toughest challenges first and having fun with them expands comfort so that everything that follows becomes simpler and lighter.

– Sam