Dancing Our Sacred Space

Sacred Circle Dance is something that can be experienced and enjoyed on many different levels. At one level, it is a chance for us "grown-ups" to kick up our heals, celebrate, be foolish and silly, and play in the way that children play- freely and without self consciousness. At another level, it is a way for us to physically and spiritually connect with each other, hand to hand and heart to heart. When we come together in a circle, when the circle is closed, there is a palpable energy that circulates around the circle. Very often we dance ancient traditional dances to celebrate the season at hand, whether it be the greening of the earth at springtime, the rich abundance of harvest time, or the death of the old year and the renewal of the Light at the Winter Solstice. In this way we connect deeply with the earth and with the spinning cycles all around us. At the same time we connect with the traditions of our ancestors and with the alive and vibrant cultures of other countries and societies. At the deepest level, in a form called the LongDance, we connect with Spirit, the Source of all light and energy that moves through us. In this connection we remember and experience that we are part of something much greater than ourselves, dancers in a dance of Light and Life.

Sacred Circle Dance includes many of the same dances enjoyed within the international folk dance community, but the focus tends to be different. It is my experience that there is a dancer inside each one of us, and Circle Dance invites that dancer to come out, play, and express itself. Circle Dance is a very accessible and accepting form of dance. The emphasis is not on 'getting it right' or on preserving an 'authentic' version of the dance, but simply on creating a space where people can experience the dance for themselves and interpret the dance however they choose. There is a saying that has circulated widely in the Circle Dance community: "In Circle Dance, there are no mistakes, only interpretations."    

This current form called Sacred Circle Dance was created by a Bavarian Dance Master named Bernard Wosien. Professor Wosien traveled widely around Europe, collecting and writing down hundreds of the oldest dances from each culture that he could find. In 1976 he visited the Findhorn Community, an intentional spiritual community in northern Scotland, where he started teaching some of these dances. This dance form rung a deep chord in many who experienced it at Findhorn. In response to the thirst for this kind of experience, dance books were written and dance tapes made, and teachers were trained. Over time Circle Dance spread out across the UK, then Europe, then the US, and now it is accessible in many countries around the world.

More recently Shaker, a mystic, yoga teacher, and co-founder of Touchstone Farm in Easthampton, MA, has evolved a form of the dance called the LongDance. This may be thought of as a prayer dance, a moving meditation, or moving yoga. It is connected to many ancient forms of prayer dance, including the zikr or 'Remembrance' dance of the Sufi's and the spirituality of Rumi. Through the use of long, simple dances framed by deeply beautiful and powerful music, it is possible to 'part the veils' and experience the soul's connection to the Oneness of the universe.

On Rumi's tomb are carved the words "Come, come, whoever you are, this caravan is not of despair." Whoever you are, whatever you wish to experience or express, there is a place for you in the Dance.  

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Kevin *heartfire* Meyer has facilitated Sacred Circle Dance for more than six years at dancecamps and workshops in the US, Canada, the UK, France, and Greece. He facilitates one dance circle each month in Knoxville and one in Oak Ridge. For information call him at 865/694-3906 or visit www.inthedance.com.