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ABOUT CONSCIOUS DANCE
Conscious dance, also known as Ecstatic Dance, is a healing and spiritual practice. Dance has been used as a method of communicating with the spiritual world since the beginning of humanity.
“I see dance being used as communication between body and soul to express what is too deep to find words.”
— Ruth St. Denis
Gabrielle Roth, founder of 5Rhythms, brought dance as a healing modality to the mainstream world in the 1970s. She used unstructured movement as a way of tapping into deeply buried emotions, bringing them out and into motion. The idea behind conscious dance is that our bodies carry our memories and emotions. Often, difficult experiences can cause emotions and trauma to be trapped in the body, causing physical and psychological problems. Sometimes movement brings memories to the surface, where they can be dealt with on a conscious level. Other times, the energy bypasses the mind entirely working itself to completion through movements of the body. Intuitive movement in response to subtle feelings and sensations can serve to free these trapped emotions and allow them to move out of the body.
There are different forms of conscious dance, both guided and unguided. With guided conscious dance, a facilitator guides participants through a practice in which movements are unchoreographed, but the session has a structure such as a theme or a specific intention. With unguided conscious dance, music is provided for freeform movement, but facilitation during the practice is not provided. There is a place for both forms of conscious dance. Some of my most powerful experiences have been guided, though I often prefer unguided as my daily practice.
Group conscious dance was traditionally practised in person, but since the pandemic virtual sessions have been gaining momentum. In- person events have the advantage of cultivating a strong tangible group energy, and more opportunity for connection & interaction between participants. Online practice offers the advantage of a guided practice where the participant has the option of being witnessed through the screen, or to dance in privacy with the camera turned off, depending on their personal needs at that time.
Conscious dance is a way to explore your own depths. It serves a similar purpose to astrology which is to delve into your true nature, and to connect with a deeper truth. Conscious dance can be combined with imagination techniques to create transformational journeys of deep, embodied insight. Intuitive movement is a powerful path into the realm of the soul.