Dance, the Hidden Language of the Soul

My incredibly talented niece, Erica Loper, in a duet with a friend.

Dear Friends, 

Years ago I was dancing at a wedding reception when I thought, "I love this! I've always loved this. So why do I wait til someone gets married to do what I love?!" 

I had never done the bar scene, and although I had gone to my fair share of rock concerts as a teenager, it had been decades since I really did much dancing. But soon after that wedding, I discovered what's been called Ecstatic Dance or Trance Dance. Wikipedia describes it like this:

"Ecstatic dance is a form of dance in which the dancers, without the need to follow specific steps, release themselves to the rhythm and move freely as the music takes them, leading to trance and a feeling of ecstasy." 

Ecstasy, yes. Bliss from the music, endorphins, the fun and community feeling. But really, to me, this form is more like an untrance dance.

Because when you're deeply listening and allowing your body to move freely to the evocative music, the trance state of the chattering mind is broken. There's a waking up into a more aware, spontaneous, embodied and connected presence. Memories, moods, dreams and emotions arise spontaneously and can be expressed with no words needed. In this way, the dance is cathartic, healing and inspirational. Also, as Martha Graham reminds us, through dance, one can tune in and hear the hidden language of the soul.

With affection and blessing,
Elizabeth