I got back into ecstatic dance last year, and it’s become a weekly ritual. After three years of focused inner work, this dance practice helps me release old conditioning and embody new beliefs.
People show up at ecstatic dance venues for many different reasons, i.e., healing, exercise, creativity, community, etc. At opening circles, people voice intentions like peace, love, joy, playfulness, or randomness.
Tyler Blank, the founder of Ecstatic Dance Bay Area, often tells dancers: “Everyone is here working through their stuff.”
The practice originates from ancient Greeks who practiced dance rituals for spiritual worship and trance-like experiences. Gabrielle Roth, a world-famous dancer, brought the term “ecstatic dance” back into popularity in the 1970s. Roth studied Shamanism and wrote the popular book: “Sweat Your Tears: The Five Rhythms of the Soul.”
Roth considered dancing a path for personal exploration: “If you don’t do your dance, who will?”
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My ecstatic dance journey
Ecstatic dance feels like a powerful embodiment practice that helps me move through challenges in a more physical and emotional way. All types of insecurities showed up early on when I began; I feel like it’s been easier for me to address those fears more directly.
In 2020 I began inner work and took a long break from partner dancing. During quarantine and my shadow work journey, I dove into pole dancing at a women-only studio. I wanted to fully embrace my sexuality in a self-honoring way and feel comfortable dancing solo.
Returning with a fresh perspective, I appreciate so much of the structure in ecstatic dance circles. Consent culture, in particular, feels important for me and many other women. Ecstatic dance also normalizes solo dancing and teaches listening skills during pre-dance contact improv sessions.
When I returned to co-ed dancing, I focused on strengthening my boundaries practice. I danced mostly solo at events, simply enjoying my body and noticing how I felt about interactions. I explored what feels good and doesn’t in my body and ways to navigate boundaries within shared dances.
I find reflection time, space to get into your body, and connection with other dancers really helps.
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More ecstatic dance benefits
In addition to a spiritual experience, ecstatic dance has many other perks. Because it’s such a fluid, free-form movement, I’ve felt more able to connect authentically.
“When you dance, you come into your body, into a full state of presence, which allows more joy and bliss. It lowers cortisol and releases tension. You release feel-good hormones, and the longer you can go into it, the more you’ll fall into a state of flow,” said Yarixa Ferrao, founder of Unleash Movement.
Though it takes time for me to warm up, I consistently get into a more embodied state where I’m not worrying about how I look or what others think.
“Stress is the number one thing that creates disease in the body,” says Ferrao. “When there’s tension, it’s hard for blood to circulate. When you release it, blood flows. I really believe that breath, movement, and dance, release stress. When we utilize our own bodies, we don’t need outside sources. It’s all here.”
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Traditional ecstatic dance rules include no drugs or alcohol, no shoes, no talking on the dance floor, no judgments, and no phones. Many spaces include an altar for prayer and reflection.
“To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, and pearls of liquid that release your past, anointing all your parts in a baptism by fire. Sweat burns karma, purifying body and soul. Sweat is an ancient and universal form of self-healing. I do it on the dance floor,” writes Roth.
To get involved with Ecstatic Dance, search for venues near you. The movement is growing and becoming more internationally available. For San Francisco, May 28th marks the 15-year anniversary of Ecstatic Dance Bay Area. Blank plans to DJ and host an after-party for dancers.
Photo Credit: Unsplash, Levi Guzman
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