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Dance has been one of humanity’s most powerful forms of expression. For centuries, people have moved their bodies in rhythm and celebration. Across cultures and centuries, dance has served as a powerful way to connect people and heal.
Today, a growing number of people are dancing their way back to this primal form of movement — not for performance, but for presence. Ecstatic dance, a form of freeform dance, has gained popularity across the world as a kind of movement meditation, a powerful practice that combines music, presence, and inner transformation, according to verywell mind.
Ecstatic Dance: A Space for Freedom and Flow
An ecstatic dance floor looks different from your average dance activity. While many traditional dance classes involve choreography, ecstatic dance workshops allow people to move freely and according to their intuition.
Participants are usually asked to adhere to certain guidelines, including keeping phones away, staying sober, and respecting others’ personal space. Some workshops begin with an exercise or meditation, or include music designed to help participants enter a state of flow. These steps help to create a space where dancers feel present and safe.
The beauty of ecstatic dance is that it can often bring about feelings of ecstasy and emotional release through movement. “When one is dancing in an ecstatic manner, fully enacted in personhood, it is an entirely different experience than dancing in a room or club with friends. We are no longer looked at or looking, subject to judgment—we are simply in a state of being,” Dr. Elizabeth Newman, a psychological associate and dance movement therapist, told verywell mind.
A Global Movement With Spiritual Roots
Though ecstatic dancing is a modern phenomenon, it has been practiced throughout time. Ecstatic dancing has taken place for centuries, often for spiritual purposes, Stylist reports. It was popular among the ancient Greeks and the Sufis. It’s also been a part of indigenous shamanistic practices, where both rhythmic drumming and ecstatic dance helps shamans connect with the spiritual world.
Healing Through the Medicine of Movement
Ecstatic dance is also a powerful therapeutic tool, which can relieve stress and anxiety, and allow for emotional release. Dance movement psychotherapy is also known to have the ability to help with emotional issues and self-esteem.
In fact, a study in The British Medical Journal, found that dance topped the list of exercises for lowering depression among those analyzed, suggesting it may be the most effective form of movement-based therapy.
Those who have practiced ecstatic dance attest to the therapeutic power of the movement. “Through dance I managed to find healing and medicine and get back in touch with my body,” one participant told the BBC.
Beyond individual healing, ecstatic dance has the potential to unite people. “I think ecstatic dance is born out of a desperate need for communities to come back together again,” said Sophie Sofree, an ecstatic dance DJ. With each movement on the dance floor, ecstatic dance may have the power to heal individuals and the world — one dance step at a time.
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