MOVEMENT MENU: Directory Highlights from Somatic to Ecstatic conscious winter 2010 issue #9 movement for a better world DANCER

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Muisi-kongo Malonga is artistic director of Fua Dia Congo, a family-run performing arts company dedicated to Congolese culture. 16 26 FEATURES 9 Creativity: Canvas the Floor mixes up pigment and practice. 16 Generations of Inspiration Dip into the latest blend of art and movement. Three family constellations pass along passion and purpose. Departments 11 WARMUPS • Letters to the Editor: Shareback A Malonga tradition, the clan, and the Salimpour • Chakras: Lively Up Yourself belly-dance matrilineage. • The Pulse with Aspen Madrone • Raising the Toast by mari thorn • Whip Up The Fun • Debbie Rosas: The Body’s Business • Bring Your Body (to the Conference) m /

o y.c 22 Gathering Potential 26 VITALITY: Chocolate Rapture ph ra Movement is the secret sauce that takes the chill off Rachel Trachten's heart melts in her mouthwatering journey to the center of the bean.

photog seasonal gatherings. Remember to pack your practice! by mark metz 28 SOUNDS: Sound and Beauty reaney

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o 42 RESULTS: Without dance who was I? Mary Lou Tromanhauser moves towards relief from Parkinsons, with the Feldenkrais Method. PHOTOS: cl f lickr.c o m/ photos / s wamibu / I ndi go / f lickr.c o m/ photos /xavierlelay Paul 28 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 5 CONSCIOU S ™ Subscribe! DANCER Your subscription supports the movement. movement for a better world

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ur newest team member, Sharon, When I dance, I feel my consciousness brings with her a knack for numbers, expand, as my mind quiets down and my Oa gift for research, and interestingly body awareness grows. When I dance, it's enough, a passion for the reality TV show easier to love and accept myself and others So You Think You Can Dance. I tossed my tele- too. I hope that similar things are happening vision way back in the '80s, when pop cul- to the millions of people who are getting a ture offered little to interest me. Now I'm taste of dance on the tube. pleasantly surprised to notice that the media Checking In I trust you'll enjoy our winter issue! landscape has evolved to a point where I'm It's about moving forward with love, an fascinated again. exploration of the big themes of the season: When I meet people, they sometimes ask, bring it into their lives or share it with others. acceptance, gratitude, and respect. And it’s "What kind of a dancer are you?" as if we're There's little doubt that movement is another chance for us to thank our many- only allowed one kind. For me, it's more like contagious. Have you ever seen strangers supporters, readers, and advertisers, who are being a foodie; I love and appreciate a huge encountering an outdoor dance party by ac- always thrilled to hear that you saw them in variety, and one way or another, it's all nour- cident? The young kids and the older folks Conscious Dancer. ishment. Which brings me back to these will start swinging and tapping their feet reality dance shows, a new type of dance to right away; sometimes the rest of the family nourish us. With their wild popularity, these even loosens up and joins in. In Movement shows are giving society permission to move I see the current dance explosion as a great in a big way. Obviously our mission is to thing for society. These shows are doing a inspire people to expand their ideas about great service by providing a touchstone for

P hoto : L C ir o lia movement and dance, and find more ways to people of different ages and stages. m a r k m e t z , Editor-in-Chief

STAFF CONTRIBUTORS

founders & publishers Mark Metz & Aspen Madrone Mariana Rose Thorn is a writer, dance performer, teacher, and lifelong Editor-in-Chief Mark Metz student. Trained in the Silvestre Technique and traditional Afro-Brazilian sacred Creative Director Aspen Madrone movement, she aims to communicate our human stories, through word or Quantum Communications Laura Cirolia gesture, offering techniques and inspiration for understanding our deep- executive assistant Deborah Meyer est nature. In this issue, she brings us the stories of three families passing Senior Editor Rachel Trachten copy Editor Jerod Allen traditions from one generation to the next. Mariana lives in the Bay Area, and Production Designer Melissa White collaborates with The Goddess Alchemy Project. [email protected]. Staff writers Laura Cirolia, Efrain Correal , Deborah Alan Tower’s passion for sound began with piano and led to 15 years Meyer, Mariana Thorn, Rachel Trachten composing for solo acoustic guitar. In 1991 a hand injury opened a door to Staff photographers Laura Cirolia & Tyler Blank Sales and marketing Aspen Madrone & Bryan Kravitz instruments of resonance—the huaca, hang, and didgeridoo—captured on 9 bookkeeping Sharon Ostreicher original CDs. Alan has collaborated with world music luminaries Stephen Kent, Webmaster Steve Shaw Mark Deutsch, Jai Uttal, and Matthew Montfort. He launched Green Music IT Luis Echeverria Network (501c3) in 2003, and his life work is culminating in the development of Licensing Efrain Correal a program called The Resonant Body Experience. www.alantower.net Printing American Web, Inc. Rachel Trachten is a writer and copy editor in Berkeley, California. Her Editorial [email protected] articles and essays cover topics ranging from to food and Ad Sales [email protected] nutrition. She’s written for the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Circulation [email protected] the East Bay Monthly, Edible East Bay, Conscious Dancer, and several antholo- Subscribe www.consciousdancer.com gies. Her story in this issue takes a delighted look at the many physical and

other Inquiries & submissions emotional rewards of indulging in dark chocolate. The research was pure [email protected] pleasure. You can contact Rachel at [email protected]. PO Box 2330, Berkeley, CA 94702 (510) 778-9131 Kyle Hailey has been photographing the West Coast “techno-tribal” dance Conscious Dancer is a quarterly active lifestyle magazine that celebrates transformative dance, mind-body fitness, and scene since 2003. In Hailey’s words, “Capturing the inner experience, those energy movement arts. Conscious Dancer does not endorse feelings, sometimes mystical or other worldly, has been my driving passion. any specific modality, practitioner, or product. Please consult a health professional before attempting any new movement I want to share images that point to a reality beyond words and beyond activities or health regimens. Conscious Dancer disclaims any liability for loss or injury in connection with activities portrayed images, a world that we only see hints of a few times in our lives.” Hailey was or advice given herein. Please send all editorial mail, manu- voted best fashion photographer in the 2009 San Francisco Fashion Awards. scripts, letters to the editor, and address changes via email or to our Conscious Dancer address listed above. He created the cover and images on pages 9 and 29. www.wetribe.com

© 2010 Moving Arts International. Printed in the USA with post consumer-waste content using soy-based inks. Please reuse COVER > The Dance Monks performing at the Hang Rhapsody Cave Concert. and recycle. All rights reserved. PHOTO > Fine art photo treatment by Kyle Hailey.

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 7

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8 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 warmupscreativity Canvas the Floor Let a rainbow move through you with the colors of inspiration. A new palette. In a delicious blurring of the lines between paint and dance, a new artistic form is emerging. The crossover brings spectacular re- sults and a sense of wonder. What could be next? As these worlds mingle, new modes of expression are springing up, both as performance and practice. “Lifting my brush, I am dancing,” says Tara Shorey, artistic director of HeART- istry in Motion. During live performances, Shorey creates on large-scale canvas in an experience that is both med- itative and charged with creative energy. Searching from within, she expresses her- self through movement, color, and line. In her own words, she is “Listening to hear the unspoken, the unheard, the unseen, and give it life.” For those who can’t wait to grab a brush and get started, Paint Dancing of- fers just that chance. “It’s a lovely mar- riage between two of the most common modalities on the planet,” says abstract painter Matt Jones, who was dancing and with a friend in his Seattle studio when inspiration hit. Jones purchased the URL paintdancing.com and opened his studio for Paint Dancing on New Year’s Eve, 2006. He’s had a full house ever since, and Paint Dancing has spread from Seattle to cities across the U.S. Some folks put brush to paper without missing a step; others alternate between palette and dance floor. Acid-free paper, a dazzling array of nontoxic paint, and assorted brushes are supplied, along with tunes from classical to Latin to hip-hop. The goal isn’t masterpieces so much as creativity and fun. Some paint solo, while others collaborate, building friend- ships and community in the process. Paint dancer Abbie Koss describes the experi- ence as “a stress reducer and a mood enhancer,” adding, “The right side of the brain takes over and there’s no thinking, just creating.” By Rachel TracHten P h oto:Kyl e Ha i l y Leading the Way to Shareback Awakening Kundalini Thank you for holding the center of an intricate web that connects and unites us in the dance. I just returned home from a sweet little Canadian island where SERVICES I danced and dived deep for eight days Financial Therapy with Leyolah Antara, creator of Kund- Understand your relationship to money alini Dance. Prior to this journey, I had Bookkeeping no experience with this visionary teacher Set Up and Training or this exquisite form of transformational Quicken and Quickbooks movement. However, in mid-October, I Financial Coaching sat at my grandmother’s hospital bed- Learning to use a budget side and read the Movement Menu from (Map of Intention) Conscious Dancer as she prepared for Tax Consulting & Filing open-heart surgery. Reading through multiple luscious dance-in-community * Individuals, Couples, Families opportunities scheduled all over the & Entrepreneurs 288 pages • $14.95 world feeling grateful for my health; joy- *Private Sessions & Tele Courses ful that we’re coming together to move and grow and enlighten our body/minds together. As I read about The Awaken- ing, a warm, liquid sensation filled my UPCOMING TELECOURSES body and a gentle buzz began. I felt Free Introductory TeleSeminars called to this dance. About to turn 40 Level I: Wake UP With Money and witnessing my grandmother’s heart Foundation Course failure stoked a fire, a deeper desire to Level II: Map of Intention Budget Course awaken in my body, to live on purpose, We offer a Free 1/2 Intake Session to step out boldly and embrace my life (visit our website to schedule) dance. So I did. And I am. Exactly two weeks later I boarded a plane from Dallas to Vancouver and entered the sanctuary of The Awakening with a burning desire to know myself, to be free, to dance my- self awake in this life, in this body, with 240 pages • $14.95 this breath. I’m grateful, so grateful.

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10 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Photos: Rose: Laura Cirolia / Soap: www.naiadsoaparts.com / Aspen: Rolf + Karina / Raindrop: flickr.com /photos/viamoi / Arms: flickr.com/photos/cobalt / Painting: Tara Shorey gage body and psyche. and body gage en- to way easy an is This use. everyday for soaps and lotions, oils, waters, • on yourmantelforembodiedinspiration. center or pocket, your author,into water,beloved it bath a tuck bookmark purpose on a piece of tree bark or a colorful leaf. Float it in your sea-salted • meditative momenttoawakenyourintuition. a take nostrils, your hits first scent the When today?” wellness me bring will oil chakra “Which yourself, asking by oil chakra a selecting suggests practice. intuitive an as oils essential with balancing chakra describes Aromatherapist Try afewofthesefresh andeasywaystoshore upyourfoundation. in otherareas ofourlife. up spiraling for base solid a creating thus health, and survival physical our ensuresconnection earthy an Maintaining increases. directions all in ment move- easy,graceful for potential and rhythmic, naturally are you bones, andlegs, feet, your through vibrating energy life of pulse the With nature. amp up physical endurance, enhance rhythm, and live, strengthen to connection will toyour enliven can chakra first the on Focusing here. be to right your feel really and you, support to power earth's the in trust your Solidify moment. present the into portal powerful a is smell of sense Your grounding fragrancesofcedar, cypress, cloves,rosemary, andvanilla. ness between the physical and spiritual planes, you can discover and inhaleaware - your heightening of intention the with life everyday your through stroll a taking simply By smell. is spine the of base the at located vortex TRUST BasiC Chakra: First blissful waystoshore upyourfoundation. of theseearthy, creative, powerful,loving,intuitive,and sniffing outnature’s livelyandfragrantpalette.Try afew smell. to sensing your overallwell-beingbyshiftingtheweightof W created a unique and thoughtful series of aromatherapy mists to comple to mists aromatherapy of series thoughtful and unique a created peutic cleaners. Chakra-tivity. Soak–Rub–Mist–Sip–Clean ant more stability?Promote embodimentandsupport Chakras Lively upyourself Take the chill off with lizabeth Golden, founder of founder Golden, Elizabeth rt a affirmation an Write E nergize yourself from root to crown by by crown to root from yourself nergize njoy cleaning up with up cleaning Enjoy By LauraCiroli a r h mmn weee yu el ie it. like feel you whenever moment the or to peels citrus or roses, aromatherapy, live From mint. or sage, flowers, of bouquet a give or spritzer the Pass others. with ories mem- fragrant create to opportunity potent a is this so events with scents connect We exploring onadailybasis. perfumed healing tools. The entire set is worth are that sprays balancing create blends oil tial ment chakras 1-7. chakras ment ah ece Remedy, Rescue Bach trl secs r esl ifsd into infused easily are essences Natural The sensory function of this of function sensory The Have” “I Zhena's ht eoae wt yu ga or goal your with resonates that organic teas. Golden A Mrs. Meyers Mrs. yuravedic-inspired essen- yuravedic-inspired arth Chakra Earth it h room the mist And aromathera- Aveda has Oils, She

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horizon is some aloha at Please keep the invitations coming! On the focus on the interconnections and support. and conditioning, my shift to me Youinspire play. than important more is work that pattern on the dance community to help me shift my lean can Fortunately,I balance. and play more response made meThis realize that mine wants ward with together love. growing and movinggrowing for Nia teacher said,"through breath!" And in New York for the Parade. divine energy. the shape to others with collaborating and me, through moves creativity as artist solo a as gifts that my creativity is twofold; recognizing my Lately, learned I've action.) into passion her turning is she how about more share we nine page love. (On self of act an as creativity her expressing was She light. and shadow between soul her of oscillation the and color, necting with waii, and I'm looking forward to con - accepted accepted Paint splashed near my foot, as the canvas to relate I And too! Me herself. know to effort intentional an makes Ross Shelly founder present moment awareness. and wonder with touch in get they how friends Facebook We our asked interaction. ing the elements and inviting by embody performance Nature this in her Faces of the pulse aspenmadrone Michelle Dubreuil Macek, It is exciting to be be to exciting is It Tara Shorey's Gabrielle Roth Rosangelas Silvestre D body what it needs." Reader year old. Then, year old. Then, five her with trucks by wonder as she plays teacher who is touched ance ance expression of dance, dance, of expression - - Kalani while Nicole Miller, a Biodanza Biodanza a said, "Ask your your "Ask said, in Ha - achieved achieved M K aria aria ijo ijo

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Raising the Toast Xbou!up!ebodf!mjlf! “To our future ...full of ofwfs!cfgpsf@ health, happiness, and truly Xbou!up!dmfbs!vq! loving connections...” Raise a glass and spread the cheer, set an intention for an amazing pme!jokvsjft@ new year. ‘Tis the season of goodwill, and raising a glass in honor of giving and receiving is a moving metaphor the world ‘round. Xbou!mjgf!up!njssps!! Connect with a clink and a wink, pay respect to tradition, offer zpvs!ebodf@ gratitude, and feel the love. If you prefer your fizz sans alcohol, you can still be the life of the party—just show up with one of our Hfu!dpoofdufe/ tasty and refreshing picks. We’ve been choosy, sampling bubbly that won’t make you woozy. Uʈ} Ê-ivÊՈ`>˜ViÊ a sip of bubbly for all UÊ ˆÀiVÌÊ œ`ÞÊ7ˆÃ`œ“ Perfection > Golden Star Jasmine Sparkling Tea > $12.95 / 730ml. UÊ7"7Ê*ÀœViÃȘ} We're impressed! The and artistry of winemaking meet the taste and UÊŽ>à ˆVÊ,iVœÀ`à tradition of tea. Effervescent from light fermentation and made from only the finest jasmine silver needle tea with a hint of raw sugarcane juice. Salud! UÊ*iÀi>˜`À>ÊÊ Digestive aperitif > GT's Kombucha > $2.99 / 480ml. ÊÊʏœÜiÀÊ ÃÃi˜ViÃ] A booze-free buzz. We can assure you, this tangy, raw living beverage kicks the life ÊÊÊ >ÌÕÀiÊ7œÀŽ] force into gear. The organisms in the kombucha culture turn sugar into a host of ÊÊÊ œ`Þ-œÕÊÕȜ˜ healthy nutrients, B-vitamins, enzymes, polyphenols, and probiotics. And every one of the flavors we've tried so far is delicious. To your health! Ê Mpvjtb!B/!Ezfs Culinary Classic > Twelve > $7.95 / 750ml. For the foodies on your list. Looks good, toasts well, tastes amazing! Serious thought HOLISTIC COUNSELING and intention went into the selection and blending of the herbs, spices, and teas that WOW PROCESSING go into a bottle of Twelve. Bon appetit! gps!Qpxfs- Viti cultural > Chateau de Fleur > $5.95 / 750ml. Pop your cork! This bubbly has a feel and flavor to vie with the finest vintages from Qsftfodf!' the valleys, yet not a drop of alcohol to be found. Put on some champagne music and Wjubmjuz raise a glass to the memory of Lawrence Welk. A one and a two...! Refreshing > R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling > $2.99 / 750ml. )939*769.2391 Pick up a case! You can never have too many sparkling juices on hand, and now you in person and telephone sessions can get them in organic flavors too. Just the right ratio of juice to sparkling spring

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12 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Whip up the fun… Giving gifts when you are a dancer seems somehow ironic when what you most want to share is the gift of movement. Why not bring home the goodies to whip up some fun, and get the whole family involved in the action? Depending on the particu- lars of the group involved, this could be as simple as a made-to-order mix burned from your laptop's playlist to a full-scale one-for-every-size Raising the Toast hula-hoop-making party. The idea is to connect Poi Party The beauty of poi is that Hoop-de-whoop Hula-hooping is it's super easy to do the basic moves, easy to learn and challenging to master. and not that hard to get creative and For less than you might spend on a adapt them for all ages. Poi synchro- professional hoop, you can buy enough nizes right and left brain, and one-year- tubing and tape to make several. Since olds are known to do it. You can even you'll be helping everyone make their test-spin tennis balls in nylon stockings own hoops to order, there wont be to get the hang of it, or with the right worries about color or size. The perfect materials make beautiful sets that will antidote to too much turkey! Learn how be meaningful keepsakes for everyone. to make hoops for your family at Get the inside info on making poi at www.jasonunbound.com/hoops www.playpoi.com Mixtape Mashup Add a twist to Juggling Playshop Bring a batch the gift of music and let your playlist TamalpaMovement Based Expressive Institute Arts of bean bags or weighted balls to get shuffle with a notebook and a pen things popping. It's a good idea to at nearby. Encourage folks to jot down least know the basics before trying to their favorites and then burn everyone teach, but if you're all going to learn a "best-of" CD before they head home. together, start with two balls on one Let the other music lovers in on the iۜŽˆ˜}ÊÌ iÊ hand. Juggling is sort of like riding a game before arrival and create a musical ܈Ã`œ“Ê bike in that it's tricky to get started, swap meet. Trade up with your distant œvÊLœ`ÞÊEÊ but once you do you'll never forget. relatives — go home with some ˆ“>}ˆ˜>̈œ˜

Plus it's a good way to test your party new local flavor! If you don't photo: Rick Chapman ©2005 guests, hand-eye coordination before have a big collection to letting them drive home! Great juggling start with, there's always resources are found at www.juggle.org www.iTunes.com around an easy project, and get every- one moving almost by accident. The benefits are endless: it's age appropri- ate, it models sharing and creativity, and you get to make instead of buy. You'll be remembered as the one Public workshops and training programs in

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Featured in the Fall 2009 issue of Conscious Dancer 707-987-2477 www.harbin.org/cd www.taketina.com

14 consciousConscious dancer | WDancerINTER 2010 1/6 pg. Horizonal: 2.333x4.85 contact: [email protected] the body’s business by Debbie Rosas The Power of Play

If you’re like me, you’re driven to move and dance for the rush. Maybe it’s the exhilarating feeling of being alive, of connecting your body to space, or the experience of unconditional Invite play into freedom. Regardless of what motivates you, we movers love “the your day. rush.” Few things can tap us into an instant rush like the energy of Start and end play. Watch children and you will understand why play is so powerful: your day with this it mobilizes the body to move as a whole. Without thinking, without mantra: The ultimate consciously intending to make “something” happen, a child naturally expression of the sets the body’s 75 trillion cells in motion through play. Every cell in human spirit is one the body reacts to the simple command, “Let’s play!” of joy. I live to play at living my life. The body is a dancer’s business. We can use the power of When the sensation play to turn our work, our dance, and our entire life into a healthy of “this is hard; this and pleasurable experience. By re-learning how to play, you can create is work” occurs, the perfect environment to stimulate your body’s cells, turning each stop and shift your day of your life, each step of your dance, into a magical, joyful, and perception, turning what appears to be transformational experience. work into a sensation Seek the sensation of play all day. A daily practice of play of play. prepares us to deal with life’s stresses. Play strengthens the body, Play frees you of enlivens the emotions, motivates the spirit, and calms the mind to imagined limitations. enhance everything you do. Recognize play as the sensation of “fun, To bring play to your day, swish your hips personal satisfaction; no thinking, no concern,” and as rhythmical, when you walk. Make unrestricted freedom in your body’s joints and tissues. silly sounds to release How I do it. I make play a priority each day by consciously tension. Turn your maintaining a relationship with the sensation of play, inviting it mind off—and turn play on! into my life.

Debbie Rosas is cofounder of the Nia Technique. Bring your body to the conference You can pack your laptop, notepad, tape recorder, and camera, but wait: Did you forget your body? Not if you were at the Science and Nonduality Conference in October. Conscious Dancer hosted the first ever “Experiential Room” featuring a full complement of body-based movement sessions. After sampling TaKeTiNa, one person said, “My body now understands what my brain has been trying to learn all weekend. The embodiment room uplifted and connected me to everything I was taught today.” We believe that the mind can only take a certain amount of information before the heart needs to open and embody the wisdom. Look for more opportunities to connect mind and body at upcoming conferences. Go for a head full of knowledge, and return with a body of wisdom!

Above: A public display of Nia at the New Living Expo in San Francisco. Below: Our editor at one with Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, hosts of

P hoto : J o y Co akley / L aura C ir lia the Science and Nonduality Conference in San Rafael, CA.

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 15 generations of inspiration

Meet three families who are passing rituals of movement and music through the generations: The Malongas bridge the worlds of the Congo and California with drumbeats of service and community. 5Rhythms’ Gabrielle Roth is witnessing son Jonathan Horan’s global ascension. And belly dancer Suhaila Salimpour is passing on an embellished fusion to her daughter. BY MARIANA ROSE THORN generations of inspiration

For each child that’s born a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are... nd who we are is a cosmic blend of past, present, and fusion. Our past informs the present moment, where a body of matter and the life force fuse to embody spirit in the here-and-now. Our DNA livesA not just inside, but externally as well, where creations and traditions transcend space and time. We chose three stories that illustrate the of this kind of meta-DNA. The Malonga fam- ily is dedicated to bringing ancient traditions across the globe, breathing more life into them with each generation. The groundbreaking practice 5Rhythms evolves in the present day as Jonathan Horan works with his (Top left) mother Gabrielle Roth to call forth awareness Malonga Casquelourd, top, embraces his and transformation in society. And an up-to- four children (left to right): Boueta Mbongo date fusion of past and present is happening Malonga, Kiazi Tsiakelo in the life of belly dancer Suhaila Salimpour, Malonga, Muisi-kongo Malonga, and Lungusu- as she molds her mother’s traditions into a Matondo Malonga. new form of dance and community with her The family runs a dance center in Oakland, CA. daughter.

(Top right) Lineage stories are full of heart and mean- Jamaila Salimpour ing. We think there is something valuable to (center) has passed her love of learn here, especially this time of year. These to daughter Suhaila stories are about moving forward with love. (below), and grand- daughter Isabella. We are our grandmothers’ prayers. (Left) Gabrielle Roth and son We are our grandfathers’ dreamings. Jonathan Horan share a vision for spreading the We are the breath of our ancestors... powerful energy of the – song lyrics by Sweet Honey in The Rock 5Rhythms. H 18 Now 5Rhythmscomesofage. Roth’s sonbacktoherwork. tragedy brought G Jonathan Horan’s the chance to teach a workshop. workshop. a teach to chance the him offered She up with. he grown had grace the for back give could he how mother his asked Jonathan leg, healing a and gratitude with.” up grown had I that all realized I way. different a in people to relating began I says. “And he pieces,” a billion into exploded heart process.“My rehabilitation long a and amputation of speak doctors his heard than After a serious snowboarding accident, Jonacalling. - true his for quest a on home left he career, acting his with dissatisfied 20s, early his today. In is he that carrier lineage and organizer, teacher, 5Rhythms the become to it.”fight against reason no was “There admiration. with states he up,” lined “They lived. with she what said mother his what measure to nity fulfilling.” intimately a is and that humans between conversation meeting a is There else. thing any or age of reflects,Jonathan “regardless “wave”The is a metaphor for life itself. being. of realm each stillness—in and lyrical, rience the rhythms—flowing, staccato, chaos, spiritual, and physical. During a practice, dancers expe emotional, humanness—mental, of realms our of each exposes and touches 5Rhythms.” the effect of and tribal-ness, community energy, thartic ca Jonathan. says“Asvital the saw I child, a community,” our in on going was what ing and not dogma.”was rooted in energy seeing that it was apleasure to share away of and dreams; and disappointments, hurts, his says,“through life,” she his through son] [my ganic to use the 5Rhythms as a prism to guide arts center on the California coast. “It was or innovative an Institute, Esalen the and City York New of worlds the between together evolved three The 20s. her in was she when boy baby a and modality 5Rhythms the both birthed Gabrielle beginning.” the from side my at him with nursing, and pregnant ing, conscious dancer| I hwd p evu, sy Jonathan. says nervous,” up showed “I humble year, with his 24th of In the winter would he that know didn’t always Jonathan opportu the had Jonathan teenager, a As equal,” is everyone floor, dance the “On is 5Rhythms that a and practice dance form “I was exposed to a actually life process of 5Rhythms. “Iwas dancing and teach- and dancing “Iwas 5Rhythms. brielleher son’sRoth of connection to e grew up in theit,” womb says of Ga- WINTER 2010 abrielle abrielle

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------dancing in people all over the world.” is spirit mother’s “My given. been he’s all of in their children.” nurtureto born are parentswhat is this And gifts. true our toward us driving divine a intelligence always is “There says, she folded, un- all has it how at Looking son. her with generation.” next the of task is the lovingly. and This cally authenti interact howto learn and body the of heart the into first step haveto westep.Now the was body the into back “Stepping trek. personal Youa can’t the skills.” just learn that’s and us of each says into way,” own their have to be integrated teachings “as in Gabrielle, it do they path, to create balance.”try I Then balance. of out are we whether and where we are to bring in try an awareness of “I says. he practice,” physical our into work centering of lot a instilled “I’ve practice: thethrough feminine and masculine balance to efforts his of and 5Rhythms in engaging men of numbers increased the of speaks He more than an his imitation mother’sof work. h ero never walking again. the fear of through him nurtured practice the moment, that In naturally.” came all It presence. full in was and song first the on put I “Then Jonathan honors the import and beauty and import the honors Jonathan her life’s to be She’swork sharing delighted future. and past the into peers Gabrielle our continue children our when “Even Jonathan’smuch5Rhythmsis to approach

- by example. lead to is parents as do can we thing Suhaila: Jonathan: 5Rhythms. and the effect of tribal-ness, nity energy, commu cathartic vital the saw I child, The best best The a As

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Photo: integrity, tradition, creativity, and love— that has left a lasting impression. Malonga raised four of his own children and countless others into the Congolese tra- ditions of music and dance in the context of Oakland, California. They grew up in dance classes, drumming classes, youth companies, and ensembles. As small children they spent endless hours watching footage of company choreogra- phy, innocently beginning their independent graduate studies in dance and drumming before they could even write. In Malonga’s household, education was respected, just as community was revered, as the most empow- ering tools for furthering one’s life. Growing up, each child was given the space to find his or her own way and unique re- lationship to the art forms. Muisi-kongo re- flects that it was the youth company that en- gaged and raised her in so many ways. “There is beautiful integration that happens when young people can build community with their . peers, and dance, and work together. In the youth company we learned how to support each other. There was a force field because Muisi-kongo: we grew, matured, and sharpened our crafts He instilled in together. It was a venue for us to express our own artistry, create, learn, and interpret.” us the belief that Malonga Casquelourd’s None of the four are parents yet, but they mission was to bridge worlds know that the legacy will continue with their we are here to with rhythm. His family carries own young ones. Already, younger relatives make the world on the vision of love, culture, are participating as Malonga’s children once did in the youth company, classes, camps, a better place. and community. and productions. “When Malonga passed, we alonga Casquelourd wrote, “Wa made a conscious decision,” says Muisi-kon- Dia Fua Yika Dio… What you in- go. “We chose to keep his name alive, to con- Mherit you must add value to.” This tinue the legacy. The seed had already been was the great teaching behind his roles as planted in such a way that I am sure that my teacher, parent, and human being. children will be a part of it. I will do this in When Malonga traveled from the Congo the same way that my father did. By creating to the U.S., he brought not only the gift of a place for children to learn, experiment, and rhythm, but the intention to create bridges discover their artistic voice. I will stress edu- between the two worlds. A global politi- cation, and that there is value in their culture. cal activist, he used music and sound as his Culture is the key to making a difference.” platform. Teacher, choreographer, and com- The glue, agree Muisi-kongo and Kiazi, is munity leader, Malonga founded the first the community. Seeing all of the lives that camp, the Congolese Dance their father touched, they knew that it was & Drum Workshop, and the dance and mu- their role to continue. sic ensemble Fua Dia Congo (of Congolese “He instilled in us the belief that we are heritage). He was influential in solidifying here to make the world a better place,” says the legitimacy of ethnic dance as a viable art Muisi-kongo. “A lot of what we all want to form at many educational institutions, in- do is driven by social consciousness, a desire cluding San Francisco State University, Stan- to impact the world, Oakland, the Congo, ford University, San Diego State University, and the connection between the two.” New York State University, and Hunter Col- Kiazi adds, “We are finding a balance be- lege, and taught at both private and public tween what we do, and keeping what he had Suhaila LastName institutions. Beyond what he did, it was the alive. To stop would be like turning my back way Malonga lived his life—with joy, deep on the mirror.” : P hoto : I had to prove

myself as a dancer conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 19 and a teacher. It was Suhaila Salimpour was forbidden to belly dance growing up. But her mother Jamaila taught her the art in secret. Now her daughter Isabella carries the torch. hrough belly dance, Suhaila Salim- pour teaches women about the pow- T er of their bodies. Starting with an ancient tradition that prepared women for childbirth, Suhaila and her mother Jamaila have transformed the practice into a form of modern community building. Jamaila was a celebrated belly dancer who had joined the circus at age 16. “I was a Greek and Sicilian girl,” she says, “living with an Armenian family and travel- ing with Ringling Brothers.” Drawn to its ar- tistic counterculture, she moved from South- ern California to San Francisco in the early ’60s. “I was making jewelry for Jimi Hendrix, practicing on the same stage as Janis Joplin, hanging out with Lenny Bruce,” she says. She became the first woman to own an Arabic dance club, although her strict Islamic father disapproved. She performed, taught, and eventually revolutionized the dance form by creating a new format for learning the folk tradition of belly dance. When Suhaila was born, her father forbade her mother to ever dance again. Threatened by the sensual power of the art form, he swore he would break her legs if she ever set foot upon a dance floor, or taught their young daughter the tradition. Jamaila was

able to convince him that teaching and per- forming for Western people was different Transform your Life from dancing in their own culture. She was tt 2009 forced to turn over her earnings, though, and Richard Bartlett, DC, ND, teaches Matrix Energetics©, a resorted to sneaking her young daughter out consciousness technology for insight, healing, spiritual growth—and living a life unbound by the limits we have of the house so she could watch Jamaila’s been trained to believe in. Teachable & transferable, Matrix dance classes. “She learned in the old way, Energetics© is accessible to everyone, from a ten-year-old child through osmosis,” says Jamaila. “She was to a medical professional. During this life-changing weekend, only happy when she was dancing because we will learn the art of rewriting any rule of your reality our home environment was so oppressive.”

—about your health, your happiness, or even your t i o nal / Roth and H ran: © Julie Skarra understanding of what is physically possible. By adolescence, Suhaila’s experience with dance had imbued her with a strong sense of UPCOMING SEMINARS: pride and self worth. Suhaila has passed this j a N ik o la / H ran: M ic h ael Julian B erz T i s sp read: f lickr.c m/ p e op le/63857459@ 00 o m / Su h aila: Tan t i g reaney photog ra ph y.c sense of pride to her own daughter, Isabel- Austin Jan 15-18, Levels 1&2 Phoenix Feb 27-Mar 1, Level 3 Whizardʼs Training la, now 11. “She has no idea what the word Albuquerque Jan 29-Feb 1, Levels 1&2 with Special Guest Speaker, Dr. Hector Garcia shame means,” says Suhaila.

Fort Lauderdale Feb 12-15, Levels 1&2 Philadelphia March 5-8, Levels 1&2 After the birth of her daughter, Suahaila www.ka t i Greaney, transitioned from performance into more Fort Lauderdale Feb 17-18, Level 3 Seattle March 20-21, Level 3 teaching. The popularity of belly dance was Check our website for our seminar schedule, growing in the West, and women were ready early registration discounts and streaming video. to rediscover their bodies and their power. www.matrixenergetics.com 800.269.9513 Suhaila started to incorporate Western mus-

cular learning into her training program and P hoto : Fir st sp read: M al o n g a: Bo nnie K amin, Su h aila I t erna Sec o nd sp read: M al n g a: K a

20 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 created an education system that has become a foundation for the tradition’s most success- ful dancers and their students. Today, the world of American belly dance is a flourish- ing microculture. The legacy began with her mother, but did not come easily. “I had to work for it,” she recalls, “…it was a lot of pressure. I couldn’t just show up and say that I was Jamaila’s daughter. I had to prove myself as a dancer and a teacher. It was a lot to live up to. Yet it seems impossible to imagine not carrying on this lineage.” Suahaila’s young daughter is already teach- ing and performing. Isabella was born into the legacy, but she will have to strive to find .the path that resonates for her. “As a mom,” Suhaila: It was a lot to live up to. Yet it seems impossible to imagine not carrying on this lineage.

says Suhaila, “it is my job to create a sup- portive environment for my daughter to be safe to evolve and be what she wants to be… It is up to us to show our children how to have healthy relationships in all directions— with parents, teachers, community, in our intimate relationships, and with ourselves. The belly dance community creates this kind of support network and offers women the power to dance for ourselves. The best thing that we can do as parents,” she adds, “is to lead by example.”

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 21 Gathering

Potential Gathering Spice up your holidays with the secret sauce of the season. Movement is the magic ingredient that brings love and levity to your gatherings. By Mark Metz

eneva turns her head to- merged for them through movement just as it does for us today. wards the music and starts to Geneva’s family tree leads back to cattle ranchers and mountain wiggle. A huge grin on her people. The only times I saw my parents on the dance floor was a face, she twirls around with a period of square dancing, which came with a full complement of wobble and jumps a full two outfits and country music. Their dancing days have now clearly inches off the ground, hands passed, but their love for the soundtrack lives on. When we visit in the air. “I did it!” she with Geneva I give them a laugh by attempting a twirl and a do- squeals, radiating love and si-do around the living room with Aspen, and the old-fashioned joy from every pore in her country music I record for them gets their toes tapping. It’s a

C ir o lia / Frank Fremerey / body. She runs forward and touchstone we can enjoy and move to, while they watch, remem-

L aura hugs me around the knees, ber, and reconnect. reaching up to grab my finger and pull me down to her level. “I When the other side of Geneva’s family gets together, it calls

B renizer / show you!” she hollers, and demonstrates her best downward- for a feast. The movement begins in the kitchen with chopping, yan yan R dog-style frog jump, insisting that I hop right along with her. At stirring, kneading, rolling, and dodging guests. Next, noses be- 21 months, her spirit comes through loud and clear, and my wife gin to sing as the smells of pies baking, veggies marinating, and al g inn / ve anyumyum.c o m L aura C ir lia G Aspen and I learn from her every day. She has love, joy, and pres- sauces boiling fill the air. Chairs are moved and tables are set. ent moment awareness pouring out of her, qualities I would like The action builds to a crescendo until the moment we are all almerand so n s .ca / to bring a bigger helping of wherever I find myself during the seated and the final dish is served. To me, it’s the moment when holidays. Perhaps movement is the magic ingredient that we can the out-breath of holiday preparations becomes the in-breath of f lickr.c o m/ photos /naminami/3069374690 / o m mic h ael f le t c er photog ra ph y.c / use to expand our gatherings and get back on Geneva’s level. gratitude and connection. I like the thought of in and out-breath p N ik www. Palmer,

: Ideally, we return from the holidays nourished from the loving as a metaphor for much of what through our lives. Giv- B renizer / connections we experience. But as the great poet once ing and receiving, loving and being loved, connecting with others yan yan R said, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your or reaching inside, all duets in the dance of polarities that define

C ir o lia / parents.” Warm fuzzy holidays are a great ideal, but what can we our oneness. Dance is a good metaphor to keep in mind when we st t e s y of V ivid E xi st ence / f lickr.c o m/ photos /cry f r o m b otto m le ft do to make sure they don’t turn into cold prickly ones? meet with our family of origin. There’s a familiarity about com- L aura Start with a look at your ancestors. There were probably danc- ing home, even if things have changed. We don’t get to choose C l o ckwi s e

I ndi go / ers somewhere along the line, and the physical and spiritual our families, but we can bring levity to our differences. Paul Paul L aura C ir o lia / Co ur P hoto :

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 23 The simple act of asking someone to dance is a gift in itself, and one that can create memories and heal rifts at the same time. My friend Vinn Marti, founder of Soul Motion, puts it this way: “A dance with your aged Aunt Lilly from out of town can pro- vide just the icebreaker needed for all those many years of not calling. The music selec- tion, preferably from her generation, the touch of your embrace as you support her and move as one. Instant family unity!” holiday connection self-support with community Jump right in! Expand your social sphere with forms • Dances of What if we’re part of a group where of dance that encourage and facilitate connection Universal Peace dancing is out of the question, or we’re of each person to everyone else in the group. • TaKeTiNa going to be a total stranger at a holiday gath- Many are done in circles, with alternating pairs of • Casino de Rueda ering? The trick is to bolster self-love first, • Biodanza partners, or steps that lead each person to another. and prevent feeling like a fish out of water. • Contra dancing Ask “What can I do for myself that will make me feel great?” and then allow it to unfold. with partners Be first in line when it comes to receiving Interact one-to-one. Mirror energy horizontally and • Salsa love from yourself, and it will be much easier practice balanced giving and receiving with another • Ballroom and step • Contact Improv to be nice to everyone else. “Take care of person. Sharing of energy is key to this style of interaction, whether it be weight, learning of steps, • yourself along the way,” says Toni Bergins, • Interplay the live wire behind JourneyDance. “Singing or a specific alternation of movements. and dancing for release is such a powerful tool; bring along your favorite ‘chair-dancing’ with self music for the drive, or a singer who inspires Connnect vertically with spirit. Look for activities • Blindfolded Trance you to belt out the lyrics and just go for it. where boundaries and individual are • Ecstatic Dance Then you can arrive already processed and respected. Can be found in large groups where • 5Rhythms ready to engage joyfully. Whatever happens, the emphasis is on sharing the energetic field as • Authentic Movement • Butoh you know you can sing and dance your way a whole, or in any number of solo, witnessed, or • Labyrinth walking home.” interpretive practices. It also helps to consider the holidays as a time to reflect more deeply upon the lessons learned through dance: How to listen, and enthusiast from Alameda, CA, about the home. Dance generates a sense of family.” not direct; how to shift with the collective allure of the Rueda. “It breaks down the bar- Things happen when you travel—some- energy; and how to hold on to your personal riers and makes everyone comfortable with how it opens the door for serendipity to ap- space when you need to. “When we come each other. I like how it’s intergenerational pear, clouds in personal vision to clear, and home to ourselves and community, we’re in and builds community.” goals to crystallize. Trust your gut. If the communion with everybody,” says Danc- feeling is that your normal holiday rut is go- ing Freedom founder Samantha Sweetwa- fly away ing to leave you with a flat tire in the new tsh ire ter. “Transcending our differences makes Maybe you’re one of the folks who spells year, switch it up with something personal holidays holy days.” holiday e-s-c-a-p-e? Sometimes the best and rejuvenating. Bringing movement into Sometimes what is needed for self-support choice is to be far removed from routine and the holidays might mean physically moving th erin g : K yer W il is a change in perspective. Trying some- culture, learning something new or going your body somewhere far away before you thing new is a way to sharpen our internal deeper into a practice, immersing in foreign can relax and inhabit it. Aikido—moving towards and through what culture, or simply relaxing in paradise. Tak- is. Not long ago, I stepped out of my ec- ing really good care of yourself with well- invitation t er: G o vinda K ai / Ga static dance routine and found myself in intentioned travel is a great way to meet your It’s helpful to have a few tricks up our a Rueda de Casino style salsa class at the needs for rest and relaxation, and charge up sleeve to bring the magic of movement into ODC Dance Commons in San Francisco. In your spiritual batteries. As much as we love the mix. I’ve often been an instigator, even this class, I love how the group dances in a and care for our families of origin, our fam- though some of my attempts to start the circle and exchanges partners in time with ily of affinity is where we can often express dance have fallen flat. Remembering peoples’ the steps. Afro-Cuban salsa is serious foot- our true self more authentically. basic needs is important, especially if you work for me, but really exciting. It reminds Sweetwater of Dancing Freedom says, “I hope to get them moving. Lisa Michaels, the me of other circle dances where every per- plan to spend my holidays dancing.” She author of Natural Rhythms has this to share:

son dances with every other member of the often leads dance retreats and workshops “When people are not used to moving, it in- t ner D ancer s : Jake Julian / Saman th a Swee wa group, mirroring one another and matching in far-flung locations, and puts it this way. creases emotional safety to turn the lights way

energy. I asked Steven Friedman, a long-time “When you move your body, you come down, and if possible get them to close their P hotos : Par

24 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 eyes and take a deep breath to center.” nection is key to warming up the winter and What we’re doing when we approach fam- reminding ourselves that we are not alone. ily gatherings with movement practices in I’ve found that looking for ways to connect mind is stewarding the relationships of the helps me be more thankful. family as a dance. No matter what the dy- A lonely holiday in Denver turned into a namic may be, the give-and-take of dance is rewarding one when I found myself drawn a helpful metaphor to keep in mind. to an annual free turkey feast thrown by an It’s never hard to convince the youngest urban philanthropist. This generous barbecue members of a group to take the lead; in fact, owner blocked off a street and fed upwards holiday connection it’s almost impossible to stop them. From the of a thousand people a full dinner with all the time Geneva could take her first wobbling trimmings. I filled myself up, and then accept- steps, she’s been a living, loving invitation ed an invitation to scoop mashed potatoes. It that’s irresistible. But what if you find your- was like having pure gratitude for dessert! self at a gathering surrounded by grownups who have forgotten how to play? Cynthia willingness Winton-Henry, cofounder of InterPlay, has Hokey Pokey or not, bringing love into moving home been lightening up gatherings with move- the holidays is “what it’s all about.” Dancing is a playful and nonjudge- ment most of her life. “One of my favorite Giving outside the gift box lights up the sea- mental way to raise consciousness tricks is to have people stand in a circle. I son with meaning. We can only imagine what at family gatherings. Here are some instruct them to look down, find their right goes on inside other people, but we can be easy tricks to have up your sleeve foot and give it a shake. Then I instruct them willing to find love inside and be tender with to lighten things up with levity and to step with it to the right, turn around, and our own less-than-loving inner children. Self- movement. then back to the left. Once we are doing the love is like a protective amulet to polish and • Check beforehand to make sure there is a ste- side-step dance, we can say or sing words wear when we gather, and using the ingredi- reo or bring a boombox or an iPod loaded with over the rhythm of our feet. The feeling of ents of movement and dance to stay in touch a good variety of tunes. success that comes from a simple way of with it is a recipe for a fulfilling season. moving together is a relief and a joy.” My New Year’s resolution is to find more • Check with the other guests to see if there are ways to bring love and movement into my life. any musicians with instruments coming who reciprocate I think it’s about time for me to learn some could help encourage the group to move. The give and take of dancing is a great square-dance steps and get in touch with my • Be the guest that asks the host about moving metaphor to keep in mind during “the sea- two left feet, so that next year’s visit will warm the table and chairs to make room for a little son of sharing.” Especially if we are spend- my folks up and give Geneva something to dance floor. ing the holiday season alone, human con- tell her kids about. • Playfully challenge everyone with a non- competitive game or class that will get people on their feet. Musical chairs, Twister, or the Limbo, anyone?

• Pack some movement toys (or give them as gifts) like hoops, poi, or juggling balls to spark some action and get the ball rolling.

• Get the kids moving first with some literal and connecting dances like the Hokey Pokey.

• Be a cultural anthropologist into your family’s musical tastes. What was popular when they were in their teens and twenties is likely to move them today.

• Once the elders and kids are in motion, include the other adults with something more recognizable, upbeat, and funky.

• Teens, who are sometimes reluctant, will feel included if you ask them to add songs to the mix, and may take over entirely for the late set.

Samantha Sweetwater facilitates at the Hawaiian Sanctuary Retreat: ”No matter how far you travel, when you arrive on the dance floor you come home

P hoto : to soul family.”

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 25 vitality 26 prisingly good for you. In his new book, blissful taste and heady buzz, this food is sur the heart—beyond take chocolate, to drawn but wonder when the sampling will begin. can’thelp chocolate.I raw anddates, , nectar agave vanilla, milk, almond of concoction exquisite an sauce, dark-chocolate making She’s Gratitude. Café Area’s Bay the for sor supervi bakery Chaya-Ryvka, chef raw-food tually rising from inside a blender. ac is scent this stove,although the on gently bubbling cocoa hot creamy rich, of pot a ine T b y RachelTrahten conscious dancer| If you’re one of the millions irresistibly irresistibly millions the of one you’re If of courtesy comes demo chocolate This closer to the sensuous aroma. I imag I aroma. sensuous the to closer toward me, and I lean forward, inching antalizing dark waftschocolate of float Chocolate Rapture WINTER 2010

Naked - - - - from Peru. lysine, bee pollen, and maca, a powdered root acid amino the extract, corn purple spirulina, powder, superfoods—mesquite powerful of assortment rich a include drink cacao warm a supplements he offers up as enhancements to of array alchemy. The perfect the devise to ingredients specific recommends Wolfe and chocolate, the of benefits the potentiate to opportunity an creates superfoods other with combination in cacao Using nutrients. packed with and nature by fashioned medicine, powerful energy-enhancing, as cacao views Wolfe superfood.” fantastic most “nature’s chocolate) all of source (the bean cacao raw Chocolate hy-yk’ sue al fr several for calls sauce Chaya-Ryvka’s , nutrition guru David Wolfe guru nutrition , the calls body needs. may be just what your Y our favorite dessert

when we feel happy. released lipid a is love, in fall anandamide and is a substance released by our brains when we “the bliss chemical.” PEA (phenylethylamine) and chemical” love “the dubbed colloquially chocolate, in found chemicals a two is of result ecstasy chocolate that speculate Some millions. of cravings the with argue to hard between it’s but mystery, a remain love and chocolate connections The Chaya-Ryvka. chef receive,”says to all for palate and heart the stimulates joyfully and listen, who those doesn’t increase blood cholesterol. butter— chocolate—cocoa in fat the news: good more still And antioxidant. an as acts that substance the flavonoids, in be to likely it’s higher the chocolate, the darker the that And darker is better. MayoThe Clinic reports Service. Research Agricultural USDA the to ries,artichokes, walnuts,pecans, according or blueber wine, red than capacity antioxidant greater a has chocolate dark fact, In illnesses. protect against heart disease, cancer, and other to believed widely antioxidants the of levels high contains and pressure blood lowers late choco- dark that showing studies by cheered been have worldwide Chocoholics bean. the of power the affirms science modern as circle full come has chocolate aphrodisiac, for his romantic prepare encounters. to beans the on feast to known was tezuma - Mon emperor Aztec bedroom—the the to extended also prowess Its asthma. relieving and snakebite, of effects the countering sion, depres easing fever, childbirth ers—curing wascacaoadded, revered powhealingits for were cinnamon honey,vanilla,and like sugar, notes sweet before Even another. to vessel one fromliquid bythe foampouring of head a creating then and allspice, or peppers chili with them flavoring water, with beans cacao ground roasted, mixing by made drink frothy prepared by the Mayans and Aztecs as a bitter, (meaning the food the of gods), chocolate was joy, and healing. From the tree adulterated,”says. be he to meant never was “Chocolate making. chocolate al tradition- in used processing and heating the through diminished is power nutritional its that believes and cacao organic raw, vocates the raw nibs. Wolfeis cold-pressed out of ad natural fat or oil. To make the powder, the oil bean’s the is butter cacao and nibs, becomes bean cacao the pieces, tiny into Broken tree. cacao tropical the of fruit melon-shaped the insidebeans whichfrom come powder,of all and butter, chocolate—nibs, of incarnations “The living voice of chocolate speaks to to speaks chocolate of voice living “The and remedy ancient an as origins its From But raw or roasted, chocolate evokes magic, Theobroma cacao Theobroma - - - -

Photos: Roberto Alvares, www.flickr.com/photos/virtualais / Casey Meshbesher, The Chocolate Note http://chocolatenote.blogspot.com My own chocolate cravings were fully sat- 75 percent cacao flavored with ginger; a isfied after spending some time with choco- crunchy, smoky bar made with fire-roasted latier Panos Panagos of Alegio Chocolate. cacao nibs; a 75 percent bar whose orange At his tiny, elegant shop in Berkeley, Califor- flavor hit at the very end; and a finale of pep- nia, the tasting process became a conscious percorns covered in dark chocolate— a pop- ritual, an experience of staying present to ular choice for adding zing to a green salad. taste, smell, and savor each distinct flavor. Panos and his business partner Robbin Cleansing the palate is essential according Everson believe that chocolate is on the to Panos, so we sipped water between tiny verge of revolution, poised to rise up and bites. He advised a progression that started seize its rightful place alongside fine wine with the darkest bar, 100 percent cacao with and coffee. His passion for chocolate suffus- nothing added, a powerful and bitter flavor. es his language with phrases like “undeniably From there we moved to an 80 percent bar, mystical and irresistible,” possessing a “silky and I followed his suggestion: smell it first, texture, deep dark elegant color, sweet rich Fair Trade & then drop it into your mouth and let the fla- flavor, tantalizing aroma.” vor slowly take its course. Rich and delicious, All the more reason to feel good about Organic Certified this chocolate left tiny crystals of unrefined my chocolate habit. Before leaving Alegio, sugar on my tongue, offering a surprising I studied the possibilities, contemplating the sweetness after the 100 percent bar. thrill of zesty bits of lemon wrapped in dark Tasting also means looking and listen- chocolate versus the delight of chocolate- ing. “Chocolate should have a shine and a covered pumpkin seeds. After all, it was al- deep brownish color; it should snap or crack most time for dinner, a meal that invariably cleanly when cut,” Panos explained. From the leaves me with an intense craving for rich, 80 percent bar, life just kept getting better: dark chocolate.

We learned how to sample chocolate • Clear your palate • Start with the highest % of cacao • Savor aroma, feel texture, and enjoy beginning, middle, and finish • No more than 5 in one sitting The love bean dear to our heart From the darkest bars to those with spice, nuts, or mint, we sampled an array of organic or fair-trade dark and raw chocolates. Share our top tastes with the ones you love!

Askinosie pure dark / 77% cacao Fine and Raw BonBon / 78% cacao This We can’t get enough of the rich, earthy fudge-like raw cacao bar scores with its flavor and smooth, warm texture of this smooth feel and deep and complex flavor. exceptional single-origin bar. Seeds of Change with mango and Theo spicy chile / 70% cacao This one cashew / 61% cacao This remarkable bar tingles our tongues with its unique spicy brings pure pleasure, an addictive and orange flavor; refreshing, with a definite satisfying mix of fruit, nuts, and chocolate. hint of chiles. Endangered Species mint / 72% cacao Divine / 70% cacao We love the This bar feels like the answer to a craving transitions from one earthy flavor to the for childhood treats, and saves the animals next, a journey through hay, oat, grass, we’ve loved since we were kids too. and a taste reminiscent of nuts. xoxox ginger / 65% cacao We love the Equal Exchange with cacao nibs / 68% invigorating ginger notes that linger; this cacao We relish the long-lasting fruity one is tantalizing, starting out sweet with 1-800-448-0803 • GypsyTea.com taste and creamy, rich texture of this bar. a spicy finish.

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 27 sounds

Hang players (L-R) Aharon Bolsta, Laura Inserra, Evan Fraser, and Yogi Hedlin rhapsodize with the rare instrument that can only be obtained through personal connection with the inventors.

Opposite: A member of the Dance Monks is caught in a blur of color and motion at the Cave Concert in Marin County, CA, in this composition created by artist/ photographer Kyle Hailey. Sound and Beauty New forms take shape deep in the earth with the Dance Monks and the resonant hang. BY alan tower he hang (pronounced hung) had emptiness, a quiet place to breathe. It trans- to “It’s a prayer,” and ending at “It’s a new me from the very first note. This is ports us into a place where time feels sus- form of love.” Ta common experience around the pended and there is spaciousness to dance As a simple folk instrument, the hang is world. Emerging from the inventors’ experi- and be alive.” Listening to the hang in a cave very accessible to beginning players, while in ence with building steel pan instruments, the concert, deep within a candle-lit tunnel, en- the hands of a master musician there is an hang showed up on the world music stage in hances the magical sense of timelessness. almost limitless rhythmic and tonal expres- 2001. It is generally played in the lap, with Felix Rohner and Sabina Scherer are vi- sion available. The inventors of the hang the hands instead of mallets, and looks like sionary musical metalworkers handcrafting shifted from building steel pan instruments a metal flying saucer. The instrument initially the hang one by one with musicians in mind. to be played in large orchestras for a sharp, attracted drummers and percussionists with For them the instrument is not meant as a powerful sound to making an instrument de- its sound floating somewhere amidst steel commodity, but is more like a sound paint- signed initially for a solo meditative sound pan, gong, and gamelan. ing. Currently the demand is so high that experience. The hang has found its way with I started off composing for solo acoustic the only way to obtain a hang is to write the street musicians, attracting audiences with its guitar in the late ’70s, leading to five CDs makers in Switzerland and let them know unusual look and sound, to concert hall set- of original music, until a hand injury in 1991 what has attracted you to the instrument, and tings with other musicians. propelled me into the world of unusual what your plans might include for engaging In 2004 I asked Felix to custom design an evolutionary instruments. Since then I have it in the world. I remember visiting them for instrument for me with a low D3 ding (the worked with inventors to expand the sound the second time in 2007. Over their favorite dome in the center). At the time he was not and compositional capabilities of their in- wine on the patio, just above the Aare river, sure it would work, feeling it would put extra struments—the huaca, a three-chambered we began to investigate the question “What pressure on the two shells that go together clay flute with split mouthpiece, the didgeri- is it about this instrument that touches peo- creating the acoustic chamber, but it did. doo, the hang, and a modified shruti box, a ple so deeply?” They seemed just as amazed Over time it has come to pass that all hang- small, hand-pumped wooden instrument. as everyone else at how the sound has cap- hang (plural of hang) are now made with this “The hang… asks the player to listen in tivated musicians and audiences around the low D central note. At that time there were a particular way,” says Mirah Moriarty of world. It was a fascinating dialogue. Felix generally nine total notes and around 45 dif-

Dance Monks. “ As dancers, it offers us an started with “It’s a call to creativity,” moving ferent tunings. There are now eight notes M arc o Sanc h ez.ne t P hoto : www.

28 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 and one basic tuning, and three primary gen- (most often set in a particular family of tones erations of instruments to date. around D), other instruments generally play My visual and body memory are still fresh to it. It’s wonderful solo, and in duos and ® with the first piece I composed, “A Sweet trios, which can help produce an even more Situation,” the day my first hang arrived. sensual sound. The physics behind the cre- There I was, like many others since, with a ation of the hang and its resonating sound new world of sound available at my finger- chamber is astonishingly complex. tips. Playing the hang is truly like a dance The evolution of this instrument has been with the hands, its name translating as hand remarkably fast, from the first generation in the Bernese (Swiss-German) language. (2001), which had a high-end shimmer and The hang is often played improvisation- at times edgier tone, to the silky rich, some- ally, as if entering a river, with the focus on what dark tone of the current integral hang. a stream of rhythmic sound that flows along The orientation of the note depressions in with different colors and changes shifting the nitrogen-fixed metal have been shifted so the flow over time. In this way it is akin to they are now tilted more towards each other Artisana how the didgeridoo is most often played in in a community of relationship, whereas in Niu kinolau Ku the West, and this style can work beautifully the earlier generations each was oriented Kalpa Vriksha with dance. Dancers are increasingly aware more to the central ding. (Coconut The Tree Of life) of the potential for this instrument to cata- The makers take off each year to the Swiss lyze and integrate with movement. Alps for a few months to free their minds Dancer Karen Attix of the Merce Cun- for developing the next stage in the instru- ningham Company recently attended one ment’s evolution. No one has ever been able of my solo concerts focusing on the hang. to predict what Felix and Sabina will do next, “The sound of your hanghang and so those of us in the com- compositions have a poetic “It’s a call to munity of hang always wait in logic,” she says, “like a particle anticipation for the next phase Evolutionary Organic Creation and a wave, both predictable of this new instrument of the creativity. crust: and unpredictable at the same millennium, which continues 1c each almond our and ax our. (grind separately in a time. Transcends and includes to captivate audiences and vitamix or coffee grinder) It’s a prayer. try dark and light ax for taste preference duality. Takes you on a limbic musicians around the world. 1/3 c. date paste (soak fresh dates a few minutes in water if need be, pit, and press rmly into measuring cup) journey—back to the dinosaur It’s a new Laura Inserra, director of ¼ c. Artisana coconut butter (not oil!) brain and forward to Thomas the recent Green Music Net- 1 c. raisins (mannuka or red ame. Look for raisins not coated with oils, ie saf ower oil) Berry’s noetic consciousness. form of love.” work’s Cave Concert, believes ½ tsp. cinnamon And for dancers, it moves reserve ½ c. raisins. Blend all ingredients in food processor through space.” until well combined (about 1 minute). Add the reserved The hang can also be played with more of raisins and blend for about 3-5 seconds so chunks remain. a focus on melody and chords with distinct Coconut cream: sections, as if moving through a changing 1 c. “fresh” macs (must be white and sweet! Not yellow, landscape (woods to lake to mountains). rancid and bitter!) ¼ c. Artisana coconut butter (not oil!) Early on, I developed a stand that holds 1 ½ c. ltered water three hanghang for playing together. Solo ¼ c. date paste 1 whole vanilla bean (the whole pod, not just the seeds) pieces written for these three hanghang are likely the first to explore changing tonal cen- blend in a high powered blender (ie vitamix) until creamy smooth, but don’t let it get too warm. Makes about 2 cups. ters within this landscape style. Upon invitation in 2005, eighty of us Fruit: 4 spotted ripe large bananas, coarse sliced and then chopped. around the world descended on the Hangbau 1 ½ c. blueberries (frozen is ne) studio in Bern, Switzerland, where the mak- to assemble pie: ers work their magic. We all were amazed press crust into pie plate. Use spatula to add banana layer, at the variety of different playing styles we working the banana until all air pockets are gone and the banana forms a gel like smooth solid surface. Next, spatula witnessed at this gathering within the two about 1 ½ cups of the vanilla cream across the banana layer, general forms mentioned earlier: from the or more if you like. Finally, place a nearly solid layer of blueberries onto the cream. That’s it! Enjoy! You can place it meditative approach of Argentinean Leo that in the sound of the hang we can hear in the freezer for a couple hours to help rm it up before Trincabelli, who played only with his thumbs, the essence of strings, flutes, marimbas, serving. It also freezes very well for longer storage.

to Marcos, a wild Italian who was intent on and brass. “I think the sound of the hang is Thank you to Christian Mastor of Sebastapol for this Awesome creating the most splintering metal crashing compelling because it has such a wide range Recipe! sound possible, even using a violin bow at of frequencies in one instrument,” she says. Premier Organics t ribe.c o m t i o n: K yle Hailey www.we times to activate the center ding. It was here “As a result the sound reminds us of the dif- for the first time I saw how the hang has a ferent families of instruments all in one.” www.premierorganics.org certain resonance for dance. (866) 237-8688 For more info please visit www.hangrhapsody.com and

P hoto illu st ra Because the hang is a fixed pitch instrument www.dancemonks.com

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 29

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30 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 31 Education 38 Book Reviews 31 Events and Performances 40 CD and DVD Reviews 33 Festivals 40 MixMasters Top 10 33 Retreats and Workshops 42 Results Movement Menu

Visit www.ConsciousDancer.com for the global directory, and sign up for the monthly eZine! w i n t e r h i g h l i g h t s

Toward a Science of Consciousness e d u c a t i o n APR 13-17 Tuscon, AZ The Tucson conferences are known for rigorous, inter- Authentic Leadership: The Art of Making disciplinary approaches to conscious experience. As in a True Move previous conferences, the program will include plenary June 6-12 Shambhala Summer Institute, Halifax, and keynote talks, concurrent talks, poster presenta- Nova Scotia, Canada tions, experiential demos and exhibits, pre-conference Authentic leadership begins with an integrated workshops, side trips, and social events. A major focus relationship between body, mind, and environment. for the conference will be the interrelated topics of This leadership development program combines skill- stimulus-independent thought, brain default networks, building modules, creative process workshops, and mind wandering, and unconscious processing. meditation. Bring together your love of movement www.consciousness.arizona.edu with your growth as a leader in your work and life. Inte- Winter Music Conference grate your understanding of embodied presence and Dancing Freedom Facilitator Training - pg. 36 improvisation with the skills of social innovation and MAR 23-27 Miami, FL organizational change. Whether you are a business Winter Music Conference, in its 25th year, is regarded leader, entrepreneur, middle manager, or front-line as the singular networking event in the dance music worker in government, health, business, community, or industry, attracting professionals from over 70 different education, please join us for the 10th annual Summer countries. With its high concentration of top interna- Institute. www.aliainstitute.org tional artists, DJs, and industry professionals, WMC permeates the international press and is thereby one Body-Mind-Spirit Educational Conference of the most publicized events in the business. Every APR 14-18 Santa Clara, CA aspect of the industry is represented including the top An education conference for teachers of the mind- technological innovators, artists, DJs, producers, radio body movement. As teachers, it is a goal to help and video programmers, retailers, distributors, audio clients make the connection between the mind, body, manufacturers, and many more. There are countless and spirit. This is also the intention of the conference. reasons why people from all over the world return year To create inspiration in your daily teaching skills and after year for this event, the most outstanding one be- to help you connect with yourself and others. ing that there is nothing else in the world like it. www.bodymindexpo.com The Art of Making a True Move - pg. 31 www.wintermusicconference.com Sila Djiguiba – African Dance Conference APR 1-4 New York, NY Maimouna Keita School of African Dance proudly e v e n t s & performances presents 2010's conference with an amazing lineup of teachers. Experience four days of traditional African 1/2 Life dance, drum, and history workshops from Senegal, JAN 28-30 Minneapolis, MN

t e s y Jaquelin L evin / Jan Do u g la Guinea, Mali, Haiti, and the USA. Each season, the an- This evening-length work at the Walker Arts Center nual conference presents a concert with the Maimouna investigates the survival of the body amidst a world of Keita Senior Dance Company, Junior Dance Company, scientific research, data, and control. The performance and a variety of guest artists and musicians who pres- hovers geographically at the edges of the Pacific ent an electrifying stage performance. Ocean — connecting nuclear superpower USA, www.maimounakeita.com atomic survivor Japan, and nuclear free New Zealand. sh i / Co ur t er / Haya Performers from these three countries team up with Psychedelic Science Conference a physicist to pursue experiments in objectification, APR 15-18 San Jose, CA Biodanza: The AbunDance of Life - pg. 35 understand the physics of nuclear power through Psychedelic Science will showcase contemporary psy- interpretive dance, build contemporary folk dances, chedelic research and psychedelic psychotherapy. Pro- translate data into movement, and distill reality into a gramming includes issues relevant to health care and series of marks on a chalkboard.

t e s y Saman th a Swee wa mental health professionals, as well as social, cultural, www.bodycartography.org and psychological issues surrounding the therapeutic and spiritual uses of psychedelics. Presentations by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater integrative medicine proponent Andrew Weil, M.D.; APR 15-18 Boston, MA cofounder of , The genius of Alvin Ailey changed forever the percep- M.D.; consciousness researcher and psychotherapist tion of American dance. Judith Jamison’s remarkable Ralph Metzner, Ph.D.; visionary artists Alex and Allyson vision has preserved and extended Ailey’s legacy. Join Grey, founders of Erowid.org Earth and Fire Erowid; this extraordinary dance company at Wang Center pharmacologist and chemist Alexander “Sasha” for the Performing Arts as they celebrate Judith Shulgin; and many more! Open to the general public; Jamison on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as continuing medical education credits are available for artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. medical doctors and other health-care professionals. With Ailey, beauty, spirit, hope, and passion know no

ward Hambur g / Co ur photos : Fr o m T op H ward www.maps.org/conference MELT Somatic and Improvisation Intensive - pg. 37 bounds. www.celebrityseries.org

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 31 Let Your Yoga Dance ® Grace in Motion teacher trainings | workshops | retreats | classes

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Feb 7-20, 2010 (for yoga teachers only) ™ Nosara yoga Institute, CoSta rICa www.letyouryogadance.com kripalu YogaDance Teacher Training October 4 thru 9 lEvEl 1 ® Let Your Yoga Dance with the Sun & Sea! December 6 thru 11 lEvEl 2 March 19-21, 2010 a joyous weekend for all levels Kripalu Center, Stockbridge, Ma Discovery yoga, St augustine, Florida www.discoveryyoga.com Let Your Yoga Dance® Teacher Training kripalu YogaDance™ Teacher Training in a Jungle Paradise–for yoga teachers only March 28- April 2 Part 1 Feb 7-20, 2010 June 6 - 11 Part 2 Nosara yoga Institute, Guanacaste, Costa rica Kripalu Center, Stockbridge, Ma www.letyouryogadance.com Let Your Yoga Dance® with Sun & Sea! www.letyouryogadance.com March 19-21 Discovery yoga, St augustine, Florida Reach New Heights of Energy!

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32 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Los Angeles Improv Dance Festival e v e n t s & performances JAN 6-11 Venice, CA Featuring an all-male cast this year, with special guest Dance Parade New York artists Scott Wells & Dancers, Charlie Morrissey, and JAN 31 Call for Registration Rudy Perez. A week of movement workshops, per- Dance Parade New York seeks 10,000 dancers in its formances, and jams in sunny Venice, California. The Fourth Annual Parade and Festival on May 22, 2010. 6th annual festival is an exploration and celebration Be a STAR and dance down Broadway! Go online, of improvisational movement styles and alternative today, to register and promote your , dance techniques, featuring Contact Improvisation, school, club, or community organization. The Dance performance structure, ensemble movement, and Parade celebrates the and is followed integrating sound, voice, and sets into performance. by DanceFest in the park. Register by January 31, www.idfest.org 2010 for an opportunity to dance on stage or teach workshops at DanceFest after the parade. For more Pasadena Dance Festival about the parade, scholarships, floats, and festival FEB 20 Pasadena, CA information go to www.danceparade.org The Pasadena Dance Festival is dedicated to building community through dance in Pasadena, greater Los Defy Gravity With Caroline Myss Angeles, and beyond. Showcasing excellence in all JAN 16 Unity Village, MO forms of dance from the student level through the Caroline uncovers the missing factor in the holistic finest professional companies in LosA ngeles, the healing model: understanding the nature of mystical Festival seeks to embrace the transformational power consciousness and transcending the limitations of or- of dance for participants and audience alike. The dinary thinking. Profound and lasting healings are, ulti- 3rd annual all-day event will offer an array of dance mately, mystical experiences that cannot be generated classes and workshops for all ages from novice through by the power of reason. These mystical experiences advanced levels, a variety of showcase performances, are spontaneous occurrences of a highly Divine nature and a professional performance on the main stage with that originate within the soul, and as explained in this Lineage Dance and invited guest dance companies. one-day workshop, it is that source that also contains www.lineagedance.org the capacity to heal illness. The event includes healing exercises and learning how to channel grace. Rainbow Serpent Festival JAN 22-25 Beaufort, Victoria, Australia www.myss.com For many of the 7,000 plus people that attend each The Butterfly Effect and Other Beautiful year, Rainbow has become an institution and annual Catastrophes reunion, a marker in the year that’s looked forward to JAN 15 Fort Worth, TX for months in advance. For others it’s a fresh discovery A collaboration between Austin composer William of opportunity and escapism, a chance to connect with H. Meadows and choreographer Kerry Kreiman with like-minded individuals and to celebrate nature, com- members of the CD/FW company, this work uses inter- munity, and harmony. Perhaps the continued success active technology to transform dancers' movements of Rainbow can be accredited to the broad experi- and gestures into sound using Nintendo WiiMotes. ences and opportunities on offer. No longer just an Meadows will use a variety of programs he has con- electronic music festival: you can expect to experience structed using Kyma DSP software to exploit the but- a unique combination of music, art, dance, perfor- tons and accelerometers on the WiiMotes, which have mance, spiritual education, relaxation, and healing. been configured for real time control of IL VE software. www.rainbowserpent.net The blending of technology with the raw physicality of River Moon Festival dance will highlight the unusual interplay of the physi- JAN 24-FEB 1 PachaMama, Costa Rica cal and virtual worlds within daily life in our current Nature, love, and rock ‘n’ roll. The River Festival is a culture. Utilizing ideas from chaos and catastrophe tribal musical gathering that combines world music, theory as part of a chance structure, each performance live chanting, singing circles, and rock music, and ends is a unique event. www.cdfw.org with a Goa-style trance party with DJ Tyohar. The Festi- Yoga on the Dance Floor Tour Kickoff val is held on the riverbanks of a magical pristine forest JAN 24 Santa Monica, CA in the valley. During the festival the PachaMama village closes down to move undisturbed into this jewel of Ekayani and the Tom Glide Space, a Brooklyn-based nature, melting into it and celebrating with it. singer and European DJ and house music producer www.pachamama.com have created a top-selling album, Yoga on the Dance Floor and Sanskrit Mantras, that combines world class electronic dance music with Bengali and Sanskrit chants. Released at the Amsterdam Dance Event and r e t r e a t s & w o r k s h o p s rated four stars (Time Out), the act bridges the gap between trad Asian culture and nightlife. Part guided A Visionary Soul Motion Weekend with Vinn meditation, concert and dance party, their reggae dub and Brazilian flavored tour begins January 24, Marti MAR. 19-21 Haiku, HI 2010 at the Bhakti Yoga Shala. This disco for yogis brings grooves to the Shree Yoga Taos and Body of Visionaries simply imagine what does not yet exist. We Santa Fe on Feburary 5-6, then arrives in Austin for a glimpse into a possible future. Soul Motion provides a Valentine's lovers weekend. vehicle for gazing toward each moment as movement. Our practice is unrehearsed and unknown, while being www.EkayaniandtheTomGlideSpace.com approachable and accessible. Each time we immerse in the Conscious Dance Practice of Soul Motion, with a backward step of experiencing the experience as it un- f e s t i v a l s folds, we manifest our intentional vision. This practice is for you, come and experience your next movement Bali Spirit Festival moment as Souls in Motion. MAR 31-APR 4 Bali www.thestudiomaui.com Fusing the personal transformative process of a American Dance Festival January Intensive spiritual retreat with the ecstatic communal energy of DEC 28-JAN 7 NY, New York a world music and dance fest, the Bali Spirit Festival This nine-day workshop is designed for students offers an exultation of the sacredness of Being. The interested in learning about New York's dance scene festival opens with a day-long offering of SILENCE, from the artists who are creating it. The design of fasting, and prayer. From the warmth of sacred silence, the Intensive is artist centered. This allows students a participants INHALE and enter a transformative retreat broad range of explorations, study, and inquiry into intensive. Emerging centered and whole, participants the profession of dance. If you have ever consid- then join together in an EXHALE of love and profound ered making your dance home, this gratitude with celebratory days of yoga, dance, music, workshop is a great way to experience more and ask drumming, and meditation workshops, as well as questions in an environment that supports the shaping nightly concerts, kirtans, and dance gatherings. of young artists. www.americandancefestival.org www.balispiritfestival.com

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 33 Deep in the heart of

HOUSTON DALLAS AUSTIN Visit www.Moving Arts Network.com for events in your area Texas HUNTSVILLE

LOCATIONS SCHEDULE EVENTS Ecstatic Dance Houston MONDAY MONTHLY DALLAS EVENTS: at Planet Funk 7:30 - 8:30pm Nia (Heather) PureWellness ALL-AGES BAREFOOT BOOGIE 5731 Logan Ln, Houston 7:45 - 9:45pm Dancing Together Austin Yoga & HEALTHY POTLUCK www.ecstaticdancehouston.com 7:45 - 9:45pm Body Choir Galaxy Studios Unity Church on Greenville Ave. Dallas (281)748-8080 Hope Stone TUESDAY CONSCIOUS DANCE EVENT Chi Yoga with Leslie Scates 6:00pm Nia (Donna) NiaSpace Check website for dates/details 1210 West Clay #26 6:00 - 7:30pm Partner Yoga / Contact Improv www.drumdancesingsilence.com Houston, Texas Crazywood

at www.ConsciousDancer.com www.hopestoneinc.org 8:00 - 10:00pm Contact Improv Austin Yoga DANCE SLUMBER PARTY (713) 824-1197 WEDNESDAY Last Fridays at Crazywood Austin Yoga School Dance Slumber Party: Arrive Friday 1122-C S Lamar Blvd., 9:30 - 10:30am Nia (Heather) Studio B evening after 6 pm. Depart Saturday by Austin, Texas 7:45 - 9:45pm Dancing Together Austin Yoga 6pm. Pot luck buffet, overnight, and spa. www.dancingtogether.org 7:45 - 9:45pm Body Choir Galaxy Studios (512) 923-4643 5RHYTHMS® WORKSHOP THURSDAY Write of Passage w/ Lori Saltzman Crazywood Dance Spa 6:00pm Nia (Donna) NiaSpace 1416 Sam Houston Ave February 26-28, 2010 6:30 - 7:30pm 5 Stages (Heather) PureWellness Huntsville, Texas Lisa DeLand (512) 444-0443 www.crazywood.org 7:00pm Women’s Ecstatic Dance [email protected] (936) 662-5250 NiaSpace www.dancingfi relizards.com 7:30 - 8:45pm Conscious Dance PureWellness Clear Spring Studio 5Rhythms Classes (Heather) Galaxy Dance Studios 605 Copeland, Austin, Texas 78704 7:30 - 9:30pm 5Rhythms® Galaxy Studios www.dancingfi relizards.com [email protected] FRIDAY ECSTATIC DANCE HOUSTON (512) 444-0443 Starting in November, Sunshine will 7:45 - 9:45pm Body Choir Galaxy Studios begin teaching a loosely guided form of Body Choir 7:45 - 9:45pm Dancing Together Austin Yoga Galaxy Dance Studios ecstatic dance called JourneyDance™. 1700 S. Lamar #338 SATURDAY This instructor has just received her Austin, Texas 10:00am - 12pm 5Rhythms® Galaxy Studios certifi cation for this dance form and www.bodychoir.org (beginning January 3, 2010) invites you to join her for a life altering (512) 680-4212 10:40am Nia (Donna) NiaSpace dance experience. Heather Spiller-Gream 10:00 - 12pm 5Rhythms® Call or email for info: (281) 748-8080 MA, CEAP Sweat Your Prayers Galaxy Studios [email protected]. Crazywood is a yoga Various Locations in Dallas (First Saturday of the month) and dance spa available for www.drumdancesingsilence.com TRANCEDANCE AT NIASPACE workshops and retreats.Located [email protected] SUNDAY First and Third Friday’s in December in Huntsville, Texas, one hour (817) 229-6134 10:00am - 12pm Body Choir Galaxy Studios Second and Fourth Friday’s in January north of Houston, 2.5 hours East

CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & EVENTS WORKSHOPS CLASSES, NiaSpace 10:00am - 12pm Dancing Together Austin Yoga and February. Friday 7:30-9:45 of Austin. The facility includes 3212 South Congress 10:00am - 12pm Ecstatic Dance Houston 2500 sq ft.fl oated maple dance Austin, TX 78704 with SunShine at Planet Funk fl oor. Indoor and outdoor ® In the heart of dance: www.niaspace.com 1:00 - 3:00pm 5Rhythms Galaxy Studios eventscommunitymusicandyou! showers and a cold plunge area. (512) 443-3013 (until December 27th, 2009) Indoor soaking tub and 1000 Galaxy Studios 6:00 - 8:00pm Contact Improv Hope Stone BRAZIL Houston cubic ft.steam room. Kitchen 1700 S. Lamar (see website for details) DAILY JUICE Austin facilities and camping area. Austin, TX 78704 4:30 - 6:00pm Contact Improv Austin Yoga DANCING CHEF CATERING Hotel accommodations nearby. [email protected] PC GURU Austin r e t r e a t s & w o r k s h o p s RUDOLF STEINER COLLEGE Aqua NIA JAN 30 Eugene, OR Facilitated by Nia White Belt Katie Strong, this work- ;KHOJ>CO shop offers the joy, freedom, and support of dancing in the water. Aqua Nia uses inspiring music, diverse Cki_YWdZMehZ_dCel[c[dj rhythms, and the nine movement forms from Classic Nia to deliver a fun, safe, and creative workout. In this workshop you will be introduced to Classic Nia moves 9bWii[iWdZ on land, before we play together in the water. Adapt- able and safe for any ability and fitness level, Aqua Mehai^efi Nia allows participants to guide their own practice 7lW_bWXb[ through awareness of sensation, intention, and modi- fication. Aqua Nia develops flexibility, agility, mobility, strength, and stability by activating each of the body’s

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 35 r e t r e a t s & w o r k s h o p s

Body Tales Spring Retreat MAR 26-28 Santa Cruz, CA Three days of Body Tales, beauty in nature, hot-tub- bing, rest, camaraderie, creativity, and healing. Body Tales retreats offer participants powerful opportunities to restore and strengthen their core relationship with body, self, and world. Retreat sessions are held primar- ily in beautiful indoor movement spaces — sometimes spilling out onto outdoor decks or secluded meadows. This creative time brings us into powerful and rich relationship with the earth and with primary sources of inspiration and belonging. www.bodytales.com Brain Dance JAN 21-MAR 18 Olympia, WA In this 8-week class, learn fluid brain-based develop- ment movement sequences that enrich soma and psyche, and underlie all movement activities. These movement practices strengthen neural pathways that support whole brain function, movement efficiency, and psycho-social well-being. Learning the fundamen- tal movement patterns will help you to re-pattern inef- ficient movement habits, access whole brain function, improve postural alignment, and contribute to pleasur- able, well-coordinated movement expression. Develop your kinesthetic intelligence and become a more coordinated, graceful, dynamic mover. These practices are especially beneficial to those with coordination challenges, attention deficit issues, head injuries, and learning disabilities. www.wildgracearts.com Breakthrough Breath and Dance JAN 27-29 Pune, India Access a deep awareness of your authentic flow from within. Led by Rohi Custage-Elliott. Experience BioDynamic Breath Therapy, bio-energetic exercises, and a variety of dance techniques to explore the space of meditation through movement. You will dance until you lose yourself in an ecstatic flow.S ome dance techniques will be familiar; most will be unique and unexpected. You will process, express, and transform what comes up for you in the breath work by accessing and celebrating your authentic self. www.energyofbreath.com Core Energetics: Sexual Awakening FEB 5-7 Snellville, GA Sexual energy and life force energy are the same. When we experience ourselves as fully developed sexual beings, alive with vibrant energy, we feel more connected, creative, and better able to discover our gifts and bring them to the world. Core Energetics uses body-based techniques to help us feel our resis- tance to pleasure, understand the wounds that caused it, and learn to trust. Techniques are taught to free up energy, so that you may access more pleasure and fulfillment.www.core-energetics-south.com Dancing Freedom Facilitator Training FEB 15-23 Mount Shasta, CA Calling all Movement Masters! Come co-create our growing Dancing Freedom Community. Gain self-understanding, core resilience skills, clear vision, internalized wisdom, and expanded capacity as an Embodied Leader. In the MASTERY module, we learn masterful, practical tools for soul-empowered manifestation of our dreams, vision, and purpose. And we learn to map our lives, our relationships, and the universe through the lucid navigation of the five Fields of Consciousness: Instinct, Emotion, Empathy, Psychic, and Intuition. www.dancingfreedom.com International InterPlay Trip JAN 3-22 Southern India Share InterPlay in four cities over two weeks: Banga- lore, Chennai, Pune, and Mumbai. Be an InterPlay “ambassador” and play a significant role in com- munity building. By traveling with InterPlay leaders to India and providing body-to-body support in various groups, you’ll increase the "yes" factor in the experience; listening at the heart and the edges of the group, and sharing personal experiences using InterPlay forms. The gift of people-to-people intimacy accelerates friendship and understanding between our different cultural contexts. What a powerful way to experience another country! www.interplay.org

36 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Let Your Yoga Dance with the Sun and Sea MAR 19-21 St. Augustine, FL This annual chakra fusion celebration is a favorite get- away for people all over. Open to all levels, shapes, ® Make Love sizes, and abilities, Let Your Yoga Dance is a great way for people to discover their own unique dance of sacred, funky, healthful, joy-power! Prepare for three days of inspiration, renewal, grace in motion, and to Life sunshine. There will be daily classes in Let Your Yoga Dance along with time outside, dancing on the beach! www.letyouryogadance.com Medicine Dance with Jonathan Horan MAR 6-13 Nosara, Costa Rica The 5Rhythms® are a contemporary medicine wheel and Medicine Dance is a journey through the primary maps of the wheel — Waves, Heartbeat, and Cycles — nourishing the warrior-healer that is alive in each of us. Dancing for oneself, for each other, for our families, and for our communities is powerful medicine, a way to create a loving ripple effect in this world. This is a 5Rhythms workshop for both advanced and beginning students. www.gabrielleroth.com Purification & Healing Retreat JAN 13-23 Kauai, HI workshops, retreats,

Join dynamic spiritual educator and healer Karen Ko- & tools to re-connect you, ISBN 978-0-9715994-3 rona, M.S., on a journey of purification rituals, and heal- ing techniques, yoga, dance, and meditation. Karen will nature, sense and soul teach spiritual practices to open the innate wisdom of the body and the soul, transcend karmic patterns, and Join us on the awaken Divine Consciousness. She will reveal ancient east and west coast, yogic, meditation, and Shamanistic healing techniques from the Master teachers of . Choose a 7-day Mexico & Hawaii or 10-day program. Beautiful ocean view accommoda- tions and two daily Ayurvedic meals. Contact Lorrie: 970-729-1783 [email protected] Sacred Sensual Splendor Retreat Written by a teacher of , expressive, MAR 6-13 Troncones, Mexico and , Lisa Michaels. www.VividlyWoman.com Calling all divine goddesses! At this retreat, allow lay- Claim 4 free gifts NOW when you ers of armor to melt away and reveal the hidden jewel www.VividExistence.com of sacred sensual splendor that dances within you. visit www.naturalrhythms.org. Sacred dance, yoga, nature's loving embrace, soulful ritual, and a circling community of the sensually sacred feminine will seduce your spirit, profoundly awaken your sensuality, and invite the creative essence of your Where Body Meets Soul being to soar. Warm sand, gentle breeze, lapping waves, a sensually loving expression of the divine femi- nine abounding all around you, reflecting your very essence, you will not be able to resist her flirtatious ® charms. www.vividexistence.com TRIBAL-HULA–FUSION: Belly Dance Retreat ...A Once In a Blue Moon New Years WATERDANCE APR 2-9 Kalani Oceanside Retreat, HI This is an opportunity to study the impressive Unmata at the Historic Santa Cruz Vets Hall fusion style of belly dance as well as Egyptian, Folk- 8:00 pm loric, Power Belly, and a bit of Hula. Delilah will be Watsu teaching Power Belly with musician Erik Brown and Thursday December 31, 2009 then sharing each day with two award-winning artists, Dahlia Moon and Amy Sigil of Unmata fame. Sacred Space Boogie www.kalani.com Kundalini Dance & Invocation Live Hors D’ouevres Reception Wassa Dances with Aloha MAR 20-27 Big Island, HI Sound Healing Jam Merge with the vibrations of Aloha, the power of Tantric Healing Ring earth-based rhythms, and sink into your essential be- Gong Moving Meditation ing in this weeklong 10th anniversary dance intensive with facilitator Lara McIntosh. Each morning, meet for an extended and deep immersion in dance, metaphor, music, and guided movement meditation. Dancing will be inspired by some of the planet's newest earth, an Relax…Release…Surrender… active volcano, the oceanside, rainbows, a lush tropi- A quiet world of healing and transformation cal setting, and movement crafted from the heart of rhythm. The soundscape will include the ever-present to this nurturing ambient tones of the tropical environment along with Interactive Art Altar massage reat yourself in a pool of warm water in the music scores derived from Lara’s extensive African and Late Night Chocolate Offerings World Music library. www.wassadance.com tranquil hills of San Anselmo. Free from Midnight Aerial Prayerformance T Winter MELT 2010 Kung Fu Tea Service the effects of gravity, your body can JAN 4-22 New York, NY unwind in new and unexpected ways. MELT Intensives are a series of daily workshops in Your ticket includes technique, somatics, improvisation, composition, and $50 entry to New Years Dance other areas.Taught by Movement Research’s interna- Timbavati.info noon - 2, 1/1/10 BOOK THE EXPERIENCE tionally recognized faculty as well as acclaimed guest artists, these workshops provide students with the [email protected] Davida Taurek: 415-455-8981 unique opportunity to engage with some of the most for tickets and more information [email protected] highly regarded and innovative artists in the field of accommodations available www.davidadance.com dance today. www.movementresearch.org

conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 37 menu > favorites REVIEWS BOOKS

Dance: The Sacred Art The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice by Cynthia Winton-Henry The idea of dance as a spiritual tool is nothing new, but InterPlay cofounder Cynthia Winton-Henry offers an unusually thorough and articulate exploration of the topic in her new book. Affirmative and inviting, this volume embraces movement in a way that is captivating and accessible for readers with any level of knowledge about dance. Starting from a solid background in theology and dance, and complement- ing the book’s many stories and personal anecdotes with 46 simple step-by- step movement practices, Winton-Henry illuminates our world with ideas that bring us closer to spirit regardless of belief or background. She shows us that the pathway to spirit starts deep in our bodies; her gift and her calling is to share playful tools of movement to light our way. Finding spiritual direction is not always easy for people in today’s world, yet by following the paths set forth here we can discover doorways to the divine in practices as simple as a hand dance. Movement as a spiritual practice allows us to get in touch with our emotions and unify body and mind, encourages us to deepen our relationships and strengthen our communities, and gently offers us ways to work through trauma or crisis and restore spiritual well-being. Like a reassuring touch from a trusted friend, this volume reminds us that we don’t need to be coordinated, graceful, or in shape to get in touch with our essence. “Dancing helps us embrace all this humanity. Dance connects us to the holy of life.” With chapters covering wide-ranging topics such as dance for healing, dance for spiritual direction, and dance as peacemaking, this book drills down into all levels of human experience with remarkable parables, practical examples, and precautionary tales. InterPlay, the modality that Winton-Henry founded 20 years ago with Phil Porter, is just one of the practices reflecting the wisdom of the body described in this gem of a book. As one who has spent her life bringing movement into unlikely environments such as the church and political arenas, Winton-Henry has unique perspectives and lessons to share. Since we are all spiritual beings living the human experience, we can welcome and celebrate the arrival of a down-to-earth manual on “the art of spiritual living.” www.skylightpaths.com

Mett ler Studios’ Winter Workshop In Tucson, Arizona The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of We’Moon 2010: Gaia Rhythms for Your Energetic Anatomy–by Cyndi Dale Women–Reinvent the Wheel If you are interested in the Begun 29 years ago by a group body’s energetic systems, this is of women living in a community the encyclopedia you’ve been in Denmark, We’Moon (we waiting for. This comprehensive of the moon) is an empower- collection brings together many ing artistic anthology and different disciplines includ- calendar that offers a perfect ing the chakras, acupuncture, way to chronicle your year. This ayurveda, reflexology, energy datebook is an expression of meridians, color and sound women’s spirituality as well as healing, shiatsu, and more. Created for healing pro- a useful guide to lunar rhythms fessionals, but accessible to everyday readers, The and astrological cycles. Contributions come from Subtle Body is a fascinating resource filled with qual- women all over the world, based on an annual theme CREATIVE DANCE ity illustrations, useful facts, and scientific research. selected by the We’Moon publishers. This year’s Largely based upon the premise that our world is theme, Reinvent the Wheel, is expressed by artists for Adults constructed from energies that are imperceptible to and writers offering hopeful images of next steps for our five senses, and that “all of reality is created from 2010. Described by its creators as a “wake-up call,” Individual & Group organized and changeable systems of subtle en- the theme embraces ideas such as personal healing ergy,” this volume connects the worlds of allopathic and restoring planetary balance. IMPROVISATION Western medicine and integrative Eastern healing The book is arranged according to lunar cycles, at the Tucson Creati ve Dance Center techniques with another component of full-spectrum which means the first day of the calendar is Dec. 16, January 4-8, 2010 health care—subtle energy medicine. 2009, the first moon and beginning of the astrologi- Tuiti on: $300 Dale takes an approach that satisfies skeptics, cal sign of Capricorn. The dates, days, and months (fi nancial aid available) covering the latest developments in the field where all follow the traditional solar calendar, and each day history meets research to yield proof. Each section shows the positions of the moon and planets. Astro- Dancers and dance educators on all of the book emphasizes the scientific evidence sub- logical information also includes a description of the levels and professionals in the fi elds of stantiating the existence of subtle energy structures. influence of the sun and moon in different signs. educati on, recreati on, and therapy are Dale also addresses the morals that healers should Especially exciting are the contributions that unfold encouraged to take part. No previous pay attention to in order to be of the highest service, as each page reveals the original paintings, pho- experience is necessary. including boundaries, intuition, and ethics. Fostering tographs, poems, quotes, stories, or articles from For Informati on or to register contact: Griff Goehring understanding of the physical, energetic, and spiri- We’Moon’s international group of contributors. It is For informati on or to register contact: Mary Ann Brehm [email protected] tual elements of human health is the goal of this new these beautiful and thought-provoking selections 802.380.0068 [email protected] encyclopedia; using this knowledge intentionally has that make this datebook one you will want to pur- 817-677-3661 the potential to distinguish good healers from great chase and keep as a beautiful chronicle of each year. ones. www.soundstrue.com www.wemoon.ws

38 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Dance your Life Alive!

10 - 15 January 2010 at The Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California Biodanza �- The AbunDance� of Life is an integrative movement system of human potential NEW IN L.A. aimed at organic renovation, re-education in love and a relearning of the original functions of life through music, voice, movement and encounters within a safe group setting. INTUITIVE For 5 days at Esalen explore the primordial meaning fi rst session FREE NEW IN L.A. life together by unfurling the essence of our needs, with this ad who we want to experience this Earth dance with and Biodanza Biodanza with Jaquelin MOVEMENT JAM what is our life’s work and purpose. the dance of life www.biodanzaUSA.com Biodanza � creates community and consciousness by Every Monday Night at 7pm building sustainable lives, relationship and a capacity Dance your Life Alive! for adaptability and fl ow. January 10 –15, 2010 at The Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA Everyone is welcome. jp_biz(o).indd 1 8/11/09 11:10:27 AM Jaquelin Levin invites you to Experience theWith fullness a hybrid of being, of toDJʼd surrender WWW NET experience the fullness of being, to the music, the human community, the .IMJAM. to surrender to the music, the human community, the music accentuated with live 568 E. Mount Curve Ave, Altadena, CA cosmos and become the AbunDance�. cosmos and become the AbunDance. Bookings through www.esalen.org 831-667-3005 Facebook & Twitter: MovementJam Bookings through www.esalen.org 831-667-3005 percussion and fl ute. In the Biodanza with Jaquelin - beautiful old Davies Theatre Building at the base of the %DPERR

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conscious dancer | winter 2010 39 menu > favorites REVIEWS CDs DVDs

Yoga on the Gotta Dance: Dance Floor: The movie Ekayani and the Proving that dreams can come Tom Glide Space true no matter how old you are, “Yoga parties are replac- Gotta Dance is a delightful doc- ing discos!” Ekayani and umentary that captures passion Tom Glide proclaim on for movement in a real-life sce- their blog. Indeed, if they nario. Thirteen very diverse and have their way, yogis at every studio on the planet charming seniors are selected will be dancing soon. The New York singer and the through a rigorous process to Paris composer teamed up to create a new crossover become the “NETsationals,” the first over-60 hip-hop sound in dance music grounded in chunky house dance team for the New Jersey Nets basketball with world flavors, with evocative vocals from Ekayani team. This heartwarming look at the transformation bringing the bhakti. Hot yoga takes on new mean- experienced by this group of role models is inspiring ing with this duo making the yoga circuit on their and touching. Witness the joys and triumphs as this upcoming U.S. tour. Dance your downward dog! unlikely crew demonstrates the adage “you’re never www.ekayaniandthetomglidespace.com too old.” www.gottadancethemovie.com

Way of the Bellyfit: Mystic: Tulku Earth “We are joined by the Until now, the union of fitness transformative power of with music,” says Jim Wilson, was an inspired idea waiting the Grammy-winning to happen. It’s found its form producer behind the New in BellyfitEarth, an appealing Age sound of Tulku. Wil- fitness video with Eastern-in- son’s passion for bringing together gifted musicians fluenced music, costumes, and from different cultures translates into a spectacular embellishments. Skilled facilitator Alice Bracegirdle and lush musical journey that takes the listener demonstrates an impressive awareness of the body around the world. Way of the Mystic features the and of proper alignment as she instructs the aerobic, devotional vocals of kirtan maestro Jai Uttal, ancient core development, and flexibility sections of this Aztec flute melodies from Mazatl Galindo, and per- workout. The clear instruction accompanied by cussion from Pops Mohamed. These tracks transcend melodic background of tablas, sitar, and harmoniums Bringing the boundaries between ancient tribal wisdom and makes this DVD a marvelous addition to any home Forth modern technology. www.newearthrecords.com dance-fitness collection.www.bellyfit.ca the Magic of the MIXER MIX MASTERS SPOTLIGHT Muse DJ Zoë – Top Ten Retreat Programs & Events DJ Zoë t r a c k t i t l e / a r t i s t Wild Dolphin Muse Adventures 1. Safri Duo Live Music Nonstop in New England for over 18 years. - Crazy Benny Drum & Dance With an ear to the ground for the grooviest 2. Equitorial Retreats in Costa Rica sounds, Zoë’s servin’ up more—there’s - Dub Tribe Alchemuse Fire Ceremony no room on the floor. She’s made such a 3. Ya Rayah scene it’s the girlies who scream; when she Specializing in Women’s Programs -Dahmane El lays down the grooves, the boys bust their moves. Nobody stands still ’cuz she’s GOT 4. Morenita BUY THE IT, for real; she’s all about melody, rhythm, - Cubismo BOOK! and class—you’re gonna dance hard, and 5. Funky Nawaari you’re gonna dance fast. Be it oldies or - Jeff Stott Muse hip-hop or songs from today; and yeah, Power she’s been lettin’ her hair go all gray—she’s 6. African Drug - Bob Holroyd How Recreational Music Making the first grandma DJ! She’s loud and she’s Heals us From Depression and the proud! The great DJ Zoë can sure please a crowd. Experience taught her 7. Trika Technology Symptoms of Modern Culture much musical wisdom, the joy of her daughters helps her to listen, all of - Krafty Kuts her sons keep her smiling with glee, we’re all her dance children, dancin’ Available online: 8. Chaiyya Chaiyya at Spree. The Big Apple knows her, and Boston, and France: Find DJ Zoë if www.cherishanti.com/products.html - Bollywood you really... want... to... dance. —poetic tribute by DJ Root.

9. Paper Planes (DFA Remix) a ss erman The DJs for the Dance New England collective are trained and mentored, - M.I.A. www.cherishanti.com and receive peer reviews. Nancy Farber (aka DJ Zoë) is part of a long tradi- 720-234-0921 tion of musical selectors for the barefoot-freestyle dance jams of the East 10. Starry Eyed Surprise

Coast. www.dancespree.org, www.dne.org - Paul Oakenfold P hoto : Je ss ie W

40 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 Experience TaKeTiNa

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conscious dancer | winter 2010 41 menu > results RESULTS

I lie comfortably on a low table. Using her hands, Julie guides The Feldenkrais Method enables my right leg through a gentle reality check, asking with each sub- new choices by sequent movement for one more piece—hip, pelvis, vertebra—to supporting the participate. Free of the need to activate on its own, my nervous sys- mind, body, and tem relearns the possibility of easy motion. Julie and I continue our spirit connection. exploration, searching for the place where movement originates freely, absent of the Parkinsonian tremors. Parkinson’s has exacted a physical and an emotional toll. I’d been a lifelong dancer, and fluid movement was not only a way of life, but at the core of my very self-image. Without dance who was I? I struggled with the demands of the disease, and eventually turned to friend, mentor, and Feldenkrais® teacher Julie Francis for both moral and physical support. Together we en- tered into a pas de deux that would lead us both on a remarkable journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. Julie came to the Method because her daughter has cerebral palsy. “Like Mary Lou, I had struggled with the emotional discomfort of wanting ‘perfection’ where A Feldenkrais it wasn’t likely,” she noted. “The Feldenkrais Method practitioner taught me to instead hold perfection not as a goal but as in action. a potential that informs individual exploration.” Julie set out to help me reach that state of acceptance from which anything is possible. She saw me as a dancer even when I felt Free Shipping I wasn’t.“Dance is Mary Lou’s essence,” Julie adds. “I encouraged & Free GiftBag!* her to move for movement’s sake, to revel in fluidity within a small Without range of motion, and to become her own choreographer using her Patent# D591937 limitations as creative opportunities.” dance who I had flirted with the Feldenkrais Method for years, curious about its focus on movement as part of the healing process. Little was I? did I know how profoundly it would impact my life. Prior to my di- agnosis, I went to Julie for Feldenkrais lessons for pain I was experi- encing in my right hip. I wanted her to “fix” me. When she couldn’t, I became angry. But she didn’t give up on me. Instead, she suggested I enroll in a Feldenkrais training so I could learn for myself how to explore my own possibilities for healing. It was an aggravation and a gift. I thought of myself as open-minded, but now realize I blocked some learning because I saw things as all black or white, good or bad. When even the training didn’t cure my hip pain, I chose surgery. Mary Lou Determined to dance again, I reached out to Julie for help. When I Tromanhauser received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s, I hit bottom. Retired dance teacher and studio owner. “I know how difficult it is to see dreams crumble,” Julie says. “We Westchester, Illinois. all want the big, the grand. But it’s focusing on the small that opens Increase Age: 74 the door to possibility, even elegance.” and foot health Activities: Evocateur That lesson has made all the difference for me. I’m no longer flexibility of women's dance concerned with trying to be the dancer I was. Instead, I stay focused YogaSandals.com circles and a student on becoming the dancer I am. I’ve realized that my essence is the joy toll free of Chicago Parkinson's of movement. Recognizing that, I am now more alive to the larger 877.866.7660 dance class and dance we call life. I no longer think of myself as needing to be fixed, Feldenkrais. but instead dance with possibility.

®

Julie Francis is a Feldenkrais practitioner in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. os alie o c nn r.c m P hotos : www.r

42 conscious dancer | WINTER 2010

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conscious dancer | WINTER 2010 43 closing circle

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