

What
is “Ecstatic Dance”?
Ecstatic Dance is the
oldest form of healing and spiritual
practice. It dates back over 30,000 years, to ancient traditions of
shamanism. Ecstatic Dance is a form of active meditation or prayer,
where rhythm and music are used to move the mind into non-ordinary
states of awareness, commonly associated with deep relaxation,
meditative, and highly creative states. It’s also a way to
travel
between the worlds, and journey into the deeper realms of the psyche as
the shaman does.
Source : http://www.x-static-dance.com/History.htmlDance
in Ancient Times
Across time and culture, dance has long been revered for its power to
heal body, mind, and soul, strengthen the bonds of community, and to
commune with spirit and nature allowing us to discover deeper aspects
of who we are as human beings. Dance was also used as a form of
worship, celebration, story-telling and myth-making, and to commemorate
important rites of passage. We can glean some of the significance dance
held in ancient tribal life, for next to hunting, it is the second most
common activity shown in cave paintings.
For our ancestors and for many
hunting & gathering tribes today,
dance is:
A community activity. It
brings together the
young and the old for a joined purpose and it strengthens friendships
and fosters bonds of all. Everyone participates in dance, and it is
accepted as a natural part of life, just as walking or breathing
are.
A celebration. There
are wedding dances, birth
dances, and harvest dances. There are dances for the full moon, the
changing of seasons, the coming of a feast.
A personal expression. There
are dances for grief
after the death of a community member or other tragic
occurrences.
A way to connect with and
release emotions, release
stress/tensions, connect with one’s friends and neighbors –
and ultimately is a way to more deeply connect with spirituality and
yourself.

