Conscious Dance
CONSCIOUS DANCE
"Nothing is more revealing than movement." ~ Martha Graham
photo credit/clothes- Sonja DenElzen, Zen Nomad
Conscious Dance is a dynamic dance form that uses freestyle movement to inspire you to get out of your mind and into your body.
Conscious Dance leads participants on a ritual journey of physical and emotional transformation. Through breath, sweat, and expression, participants gain a palpable experience of themselves as pure powerful energy. We dance without speaking, without structured steps or choreography, and without mirrors to release judgment of ourselves and others.
Conscious Dance is not about following and mimicking. It’s about revealing, recovering, and rediscovering our natural intuitive movement. We activate the imagination and utilize diverse forms of freestyle improvisational dance to a playlist of skillfully organized, inspiring, and diverse music creating a barefoot ecstatic celebration of the human spirit.
I have been a dancer my whole life! I started taking ballet classes at the age of ten, continued through high school, obtained a university degree in dance, and then went on to dance professionally in Hamilton, Toronto, and Peterborough for many years. I've designed and taught dance courses for the Ontario Secondary School Board and offered conscious/ecstatic dance events for over 25 years. I trained with many different skilled teachers including Zoe Ryan, Vin Marti- Soul Motion, and Toni Bergins- Journey Dance.
Presently, I lead conscious dance events in Guelph once a month at 42 Quebec Street (a beautiful dance studio).
My next Conscious Dance Event is on Saturday, January 20th, 7:30-9:00 pm.
My version of the Conscious Dance Flow is as follows:
-
GROUNDING
We get out of our minds and drop into our heavy bodies. We connect our total surface area with the floor. as we surrender to gravity. We release, surrender to the earth, and feel supported as we drop deep, trust, and ground ourselves in the movement, breath, and floor.
-
AWAKENING
We delve into our watery, sensual bodies, awakening the spine and enlivening the fluid body. We discover internal space and enjoy the pleasure of sensation.
-
IMMERSION
We dance with our bones in a choppy, angular way as we explore the space around us. We carve out floor patterns and explore changes in direction. We move confidently and directly to the steady pulse of the music. Sometimes we might playfully engage with other dancers on the dance floor.
-
CHAOTIC
We dive into the fire element and access our power through release, purge, and sweat. We clear our minds of negative self-talk and completely surrender to the upheaval of the wild and percussive music. We ultimately let go of everything that doesn't serve us and give ourselves permission to fall apart, be unpredictable, scream and shout, and dance with wild abandonment.
-
CELEBRATION
After burning in the fire and doing the hard work, we are free to joyful celebrate. We twirl, skip, sway, and play. We let go & let loose, We allow ourselves to see & be seen!
-
SENSUAL
We feel the lusciousness of our bodies and manifest it through movement. We bring our desires down into the body with intention, becoming creatively sensual and flowing with total freedom.
-
OPEN HEART/EVOCATIVE
We take time to listen to our heart's mystery, to express what is held back. We shift deeper into listening, witnessing the heart's whispers, and telling our stories to the dance floor. We come into alignment with our true essence through expressive movement.
-
PRAYER
You are the prayer, your body, your movement, your breath. We give our attention to the soul's Source presence. We become the moving prayer in connection to self, others, and Divine love. We are open to oneness.
-
BLISS
We descend back into the support of the earth, melting into rest and rejuvenation. We settle into a state of expanded awareness, connection, and open intuition.
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche