Walking with the dogs through the beautiful hills, valleys and woods of the Cotswolds, this morning, I tried to find words for what ecstatic dance has brought to me. I could feel the wind, hear the sounds of nature, smell the earth and realised I was trying to express something so elemental that I couldn’t find the words. Something joyful, wild, like a showery, blustery April morning on a hilltop, all seasons in one day!
Ecstatic Awakening Dance has made me feel alive and connected to something deep within. During a class it is just me and the music linked through movement for a precious hour and a half.
My approach to teaching in the class is meditative, one of mindful awareness, encouraging people to feel and explore their different joints during the warm-up, the interconnectedness of different body parts and the feeling of movement in the moment. The shake is an opportunity for surprise, everything is jumbled up enabling new concepts to arise, breaking old patterns in terms of posture, self-perception and creating opportunities for fresh insights. The main dance is a magic space where we can lose ourselves in our personal response to the music, blending mood, emotion, feelings in a private world. The final stage of meditation enables rest, to set a fresh start as we prepare to emerge into the every day, once again.
I look forward to sharing EAD with the community, hoping to encourage those who might not usually go to such a class to take the first step and just experience the benefits for themselves. My youngest children are now 17, and as the nest empties I feel it is the ideal moment to reflect and explore new opportunities, and EAD supports me in this.
At the moment I teach at Rodborough Community Centre, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, at 2pm on Tuesdays, but plan to run an online class as well, eventually. My website is called freedomindance.com, and is soon to go public. Watch this space!