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.