THE
PRACTICE...
Enter an open space and with bare feet explore the exhilarating feeling of moving your body freely.
You are invited to move, play, connect, sweat, stretch, sound, unwind, renew, release, contact dance, improvise, transform.
Be true to yourself, while respecting others in the sacred space we create together. Tribal Dance is a safe and respectful
environment that embraces 'all ways'. It is a practice that supports the free expression of emotions and inner space
through movement and music...as well as the option of playing with your voice by making sounds and theatrical expression by
using the props in the blue trunk. Our intention is self-exploration, connection, healing, expanding human potential and community
building through freestyle ecstatic dance. There is no talking until.
PRACTICE SPECIFICS...
7:30pm
- 7:55pm
Warm-up: arrive, stretch, move/dance, reflect to a gentle sound wave.
7:55pm
- 8:00pm
Opening Circle: facilitator will set an intention or guide a prayer for the dance.
8:00pm -
9:25pm
The Practice: freestyle dancing to a large sound wave; no guidance provided; we let the music,
the community and our own inner space direct our steps, our movements, our expression, our journey.
9:25pm
- 9:30pm
Closing Circle: OM'ing, group sound making, silence and/or breathing.
9:30pm -
10:00pm
Tribal Social: share food, drink, chat!
WHAT TO EXPECT...
Participants are encouraged
to let their body speak as inspired by a wide spectrum of world sounds, rhythms and beats. You may see people rolling around
on the floor, standing still, swaying back and forth, twirling around like children, sound making, or in wig/costume role
playing with others. Some come to dance for the love of dance! Some come to release stress and exercise. Some come because
self guided dance is the best bodywork known to man kind! Others
engage in contact dance with one person or form a group dance to tell their story. Others
come to process stuck points presented in their dreams or process work. You may see people getting lost and found in the masks,
costumes and objects found in the trunk. Every night is different because every Tribal Dance we come together to share
our unique story through dance. What participants regularly experience at Tribal Dance ranges from feeling good, grounded,
balanced and whole to life insights and visions to healing to feelings of release, freedom and deeper connection to Self as
well as lots of fun and laughter. Overtime, these experiences may lead to a natural state of joy and passion which extends
into other facets of life.
THE MUSIC...
Is diverse, is rich, is daring, is eclectic! Cultures all
over the world have relied on music to awaken the Soul. We now have access to music from all over the globe. Music embodies
love, wisdom, spirit, knowledge and has been used in rituals for every turning point in life from initiation, burial, fertility,
weddings, harvest to the daily celebrations of life.
Occasionally talented local musicians will improvise live
sounds with the intention to inspire and heal because their music becomes powerful medicine for everybody.
The
intention is to present recorded music not heard on commercial radio stations which includes African, Celtic, Instrumental,
Middle Eastern, Gospel, Gypsy, Latin, Soul, as well as Ambient, Hip Hop, House, Reggae, Rock, World Fusion... The wide spectrum
of musical genres is designed to evoke a wide range of emotions, taking the participant through various journeys that are
transformative, sensual, powerful, uplifting and playful.
The music itself is shaped based on the sine wave; the
wave pattern which often occurs in nature, including ocean waves, sounds waves and light waves. Nature created this structure
for us and so experience has shown the sound wave best supports an integrated, ecstatic dance experience.
THE
SPACE...
This is a non verbal space which means we leave behind the ordinary daily chatter in order to consciously
create and engage in an extraordinary space. Children are welcome as long as they abide by this non-speaking agreement. Parents
need to be responsible of children so that the event can unfold smoothly. Dress for comfort, wear your pyjamas or wear your
festive attire because it supports your dance experience. Wear clothes that express your creative, beautiful, wild nature.
Dress as you wish.
In this space we shape our lives and dare to live our dreams.
Julia Ray
Rhythm
lies at the heart of play, and thus various rhythmic actions are the primordial forms of delight-bird songs, the chirping
of crickets, the beating of hearts, the pulsation of laughter; the ecstatic loss of self in drumming and dancing.
Alan
Watts
Many Afro-Latin music forms propel and ignite the lower body; the hips, the butt, the pelvis, etc.; by letting
the downbeat float. By de-emphasizing the first beat of each measure, a rhythm becomes more sensual and ethereal; one floats
outside of the time and space of earthly existence. Repetition creates a timeless, communal otherworld, a cycle that is both
rooted in biological rhythms and in the beyond or the meta-biological.
Any activation of the hips-sex-butt-pelvis
relates to the source of all life, the womb. This kind of music is definitely a respectful prayer in honor of the sweet, the
feminine, the great mother-the sensuous life-giving aspects of ourselves and our lives-and to the Earth, the mother of us
all. To shake your rump is to be environmentally aware!
David Byrne, Composer and lead singer of the group Talking
Heads
Ecstasy is a sensation which is encountered in our hearts. It is seeing and hearing with the heart rather
than just with eyes and ears. It is also a flame which springs up in the heart out of longing, to see and to become one with
its truth.
Hi-Ah Park, Korean mudang (shaman) who specializes in the art of ritual dance.