The Power of Dance! (Unlocking Our Superpowers)
Neither of my parents were big dancers growing up, so I never really cultivated a passion for dancing. In middle school, it was “uncool” to dance in certain ways so I steered clear of truly expressing myself through this fabulous art form. The only times I really let my body groove was at school dances, where I was either “grinding” with a girl, slow dancing, or doing the Electric Slide.
It wasn’t until my senior year of high school, when I began to break out of my overly self-conscious shell, that I began to let my body vibe with the music. I was invited to a Bluegrass Concert at a big outdoor pavilion. I wore my one and only Tie-Dye shirt, which was my permission slip to be a “free-spirit.” I let go of worrying what others would think and just let my shoulders sway, hips twirl and legs bounce around. It felt like I was shaking out of the shackles that I had placed on myself!
As I continued on my path, for a number of years I still felt self-critical when dancing. This all changed when I began to go to “Ecstatic Dance,” which is usually a big ballroom full of 50-100 people of all ages dancing however the Efff they want! There’s a wide variety of music from Tribal to Electronic to Pop, to soothing. It’s so freaking awesome! When I moved to Asheville, North Carolina, I began going to “Dance Church,” which is a huge Ecstatic Dance event every single Sunday morning. Here are 2 posts I made that were inspired my experience there :
August 31st, 2014 @ 3:20pm :
Movement is so key for every type of healing. After one week of laying low, meditating, and barely walking or interacting with people, today I felt inspired to go to Ecstatic Dance. I let my body flow and groove in a massive dance hall with 100 other beings. The evocative music activated ancient aspects of my true self. I felt tremendous breakthroughs in the various energy blocks I've been working through.
I feel that the rest and movement are two sides of the same coin. Both are crucial for holistic health.
September 14th, 2014 @ 9:47am :
Today at Church I plan to get really sweaty and bounce around like a baboon. Everyone in our church walks into service barefoot. We pray and give praise to Life through Ecstatic Dance.
From the STATIC of the mind to the ECSTATIC of the Body. The best way to get high is to get down!
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I have a dream that within the next 5 years, Ecstatic Dance will become popular on a mass scale. Every day, people of all ages and backgrounds all across the globe are realizing the profound healing benefits of this Movement Practice. I pray that we can all spread the word about the awesomeness of Ecstatic Dance! I invite you to find or start a weekly / monthly Ecstatic Dance gathering in your town. Check out www.5rhythms.com and www.Ecstaticdance.org for more information.
3 Questions on Dancing :
1. Do you have any regular dancing practice?
2. What are some of your favorite ways to move your body?
3. What type of music inspires you to dance in new ways?
