What is Dreamweaver Dance Like? and Why the name?
A Dance Experience:
I open the door and walk into the space, it is softly lit and their is quiet music playing.
I look around and see a circle of cushions on the floor with a small alter with a candle lit in the center.
I smell the faint aroma of a woody scent in the air that I can't quite place, but it reminds me of ceremonial spaces....
in India perhaps?
I see other people quietly stretching so after paying I go to do the same.
I feel nervous but excited as I am not really sure what to expect as this definitely doesn't feel like "just a dance class".
When it is time we are asked to sit in the circle (if we have not already done so) and invited to close our eyes to receive a chant that Gwynneth likes to share to create the atmosphere for the journey...
Her voice and the energy of the sounds wash over me, cleansing and powerful. When she finishes I sit wondering if I should open my eyes, but I still want to bask in the stillness “of the moment”, which now hangs in the air.
Gwynneth invites anyone who has not already opened their eyes to gently do so...and so it begins....
The circle is a mixture of people sharing their name, what drew them to this class or sharing a little about previous experience if they have been before...
I share my name and simply state it sounded interesting, different...
When we have each briefly shared Gwynneth explains stuff about the history of the dance and trance as a practice, the movement, the breath technique used, the importance of intention in life and the power of closing our eyes etc etc You can tell she has been sharing this process for a long time and is very passionate about the practice.
There is a lot to take in, but I am enjoying the space and Gwynneth has a very calming presence and she assures us we don't need to remember everything as she will guide us through the process as needed.
Tonight’s intention, is "I choose gratitude"...I find my mind wandering thinking about what I am grateful for, do I choose gratitude or do I focus on other things?....
I am brought back to the space as Gwynneth asks if there are any questions.....no? okay then lets dance...
There is a quick toilet break, the cushions are removed and we are asked to spread out on the dance floor.
We close our eyes and are guided again to connect inward and down into the earths energy, we do the breath and shoot our intention out into the universe and dance....
I find it hard to move at first, not sure where everyone is, I notice how strange it is to see from inside myself, watching my minds games and feeling stiff and mechanical in my body.
The music is everywhere, I am in an ocean, a wave that flows all around me. Some of the music I like it makes my heart want to explode with joy and some I don't like and these feel like they go on forever, but it all moves me in different ways, offering different "medicine" so I just go with it. Shaking, wobbling, spinning, grooving, walking, standing still, letting my body guide me.
Then the "ommmmmmmm" is back and we are asked to lie down with our eyes closed.
A pillow is gently offered and placed under my head and the jumper I removed in the dance is placed at my side....I pull on my jumper and return to lying on the floor .
My mind is wandering, dreaming, I feel very deep, it is hard to explain, entranced I guess...it reminds me of the half state between sleeping and waking or being in a deep meditation, I let my mind go....I am on a path in a deep jungle everything is alive, there are fire flies and glowing insects, it is magical....
I become aware of people moving and realize the class has ended. I reluctantly leave the jungle and pull myself back to this time and space sitting up; I see Gwynneth, smiling gently in my direction.
I recall her saying you may want to go home and continue the journey in your sleep after class. I wonder if the magical jungle will be weaving in my dreams tonight.
I give my thanks and leave this sacred space. The cool night air greets me and I enjoy being present to the sensation of it on my skin, more present than I have felt in a long time, feeling content I breath in the freshness smiling quietly to myself".
Why the name Dreamweaver Dance?
I call the journey's "Dreamweaver" for many reasons.…
People can experience dream like states (as mentioned here) both after the dance and during. For people that recall their dreams they may find these journeys continue and deepen in their sleep, often sharing insight(s) from their inner knowing with their "conscious” self.
People also usually find that doing the dance, focusing their energy on different intentions, can transform their life in mysterious and unexpected ways, almost without their awareness they will just notices they are: thinking more positively, or they are responding differently to stressful triggers or they generally feel happier or more relaxed in life.
It is kind of like it happened "in a dream" as it may have occurred very easily and as if "like magic" as we have connected to our inner self through the body, which brought our own wisdom to a more accessible place and created the change(s) we wished for.
The dance's magic is weaving through the life.
In the words of Henry David Thoreau "our truest life is when we are in dreams awake"