What is Ecstatic Dance?
Ecstatic Dance has evolved from the conscious dance movement meditations, yoga & somatic therapies in the west coast of the United States and Hawaii. It flowered as a free-form dance playground where participants could gather to dance to their favorite music without the need of following the instructions of a leader. In Ecstatic Dance the music is the leader and participants are free to weave their way through the different soundscapes.
Ecstatic Dance is a free-form, not structured dance space: In its most elemental definition it's a free-form dance movement inspired and led by carefully crafted music with the intention of creating a healing journey. No dance experience or partner is necessary or needed. On one hand it's a perfect outlet for those who think they "can't dance" because they were taught that to "know" how to dance is to move in a certain way. On the other hand is a luscious playground for experienced dancers alike craving for a free space where they can let loose with their peers.
Ecstatic Dance is an environment without observers, judgements, posturing, attitudes, conversations, shoes, alcohol, fragrances or smoke. A space where everyone can feel spontaneously safe to try new things and push their edges. This is the dance you dance when nobody is watching. Allowing your body to move freely without judgments or concerns for the "grace" or beauty of the dance, just getting lost in the dance into a space of no-mind. Don't worry, we have a social/vending area where you can catch up with your friends while you take a breath from the dance floor.
Ecstatic Dance is an inner/outer journey, an authentic moving meditation where true Presence is experienced. It creates a direct body-mind-spirit connection, allowing our body and inner guide to be our own teachers. It's about being fully present, transparent and real with oneself and others, discovering our own true dance, using this movement and energetic experience to release stuck patterns in our bodies, emotions and mind and being able to experience true union with the divine as One.
Ultimately Ecstatic Dance is a spiritual practice. A safe space to explore healing through communion, individually and with our community/tribe, with the divine through dancing, without the iterations of the mind while talking & drinking, common in the nightclub seen. At Ecstatic Dance you have no one to impress, our attention is focused in ourselves not in others so you can be utterly yourself, getting down, letting loose, allowing your emotions, dreams and prayers to dance themselves, freeing your mind and body while connecting with yourSelf, others & Spirit in a safe and healthy way.
Ecstatic Dance empowers people of all shapes, ages, sizes and backgrounds to freely express themselves; the liberating atmosphere creates a melting pot of acceptance and the fearlessness with which others move gives permission and courage to dance without inhibition. So everyone is welcomed.
Finally, the experience of Ecstatic Dance is what you make of it. At Ecstatic Dance Miami our intention is to hold it as a sacred free-form Playground for Embodiment of Spirit where: dance blossoms, Spirit awakens, boundaries melt, boredom dissolves, creativity breaks out, playfulness comes alive, hope emerges, prayers are heard, beauty flows, communities collaborate, ritual is reinvented and harmony resonates as the beat deepens within an electronic tapestry of world rhythms, weaving us together as One greater family.