My love of dance started when I used to go to Saturday morning disco with my best friend, around the age of 9. We learned a routine to Fame and ate fizzy cola bottles. This progressed to an under 18 club in Bournemouth called Galaxy where we used to have dance offs to what we would now called old school hip hop. Before I knew it I was 16 going to my first rave club and proclaiming “I am going to do this for the rest of my life!”.
Dancing gave me freedom to get lost in the music for a while, to not think about anything else other than moving to the rhythm. Even if I was upset about something this would soon pass when I heard a song I loved, bringing me to tears and letting it all flow away. It still does this to this day.
I confess I was a complete raver and all that involved, finding new found confidence in ecstasy. However when it came to the point where I didn’t want to continue down that path I knew I still loved to dance. I explored different types of sober dance meditations such as Biodanza, 5 Rhythms, Shamanic Dances, Dancitation, Morning Gloryville, Ecstatic Dance………after the initial discomfort of dancing completely sober I realised I didn’t need a prop, the music would take me to the place I always used to go to. A natural high, A natural release. A natural freedom.
I believe dancing like this has massively helped my self confidence to just be me. To not worry about what I look like, to express myself how ever I am and to know I don’t need to find escapism at the bottom of a bottle.
Through lockdown in 2020 it was dance that supported me to release all the waves of emotion of that crazy year. My step daughter and I would dress up and dance around the lounge to online Morning Gloryville raves and we even set up a playlist and danced with the neighbours on the other side of the fence!
Life since Covid has continued to be a rollercoaster, the state of the World is heartbreaking and we all have our own personal ups and downs. Yet there can be moments of release, moments of peace and beauty. Like walks in nature, sunsets, hug and dancing like no one is watching.
In July last year before my birthday I was doing my usual morning ritual of connecting with myself before the day begins. I was thinking about the fab female DJs I have met recently, the ecstatic dances I have loved going to in Brighton and felt a twang of regret, why did I never follow my dream of being a DJ. I even had decks in my 20s and have hundreds of 90s records. It was then it became clear, it’s never too late. This is where Freedom Dance was born. For my birthday I received the equipment I needed and a course in ecstatic dance.
I ran my first Freedom Dance in December in Worthing and having been running them monthly since. What can you expect?
We begin in a short meditation, connection to how you are, what you need, your body and your breath. Then we start to move. There is no talking on the dancefloor unless you are singing to the top of your voice to a tune you love, to encourage you to really go inwards and feel the music in your body. A moving meditation. The music builds slowly to ease into the body to disco to banging house, to shake out any fear, frustrations, upset, to heart opening vocals all the way down to super chilled until you are laying down on the ground. I finish with a relaxing crystal bowl sound bath. We end in a circle as we began to share and complete the dance.
In Chinese medicine the Liver Qi is about having a healthy flow or energy, emotions, through the body. The emotion primarily associated with the Liver is Anger and all the feeling surrounding that like frustration, resentment, irritation, impatience, feeling stuck which can lead to depression. No emotion is bad or wrong but it becomes damaging when we hold it in. Apparently the Liver Qi loves Rhythm, so dancing is a great way to move that energy around and through. People often report feeling at peace and grounded by the end of the dance.
According to Nas the Neuroscientist, on instagram @nasneuro, dancing involves several brain functions at once; body movement, decision making, musical awareness and emotional state making it a full body and brain workout. Neuroscience research has shown that listening to music triggers dophamine which is mood boosting, especially when a tune reaches it peak….we have lots of that on the dance floor!
If you are interested in coming along I run Freedom Dance at Salt Water Studios once a month, this weeks is full but the next one is 28th June. I am also closing the Brighton Yoga Festival on 15th June at 6-7pm, you can buy tickets here.
I plan in 2025 to run a retreat with Yoga, Sound Healing and Dance….watch this space!
See you on the dance floor! xx
ps You can find the playlist to my May Freedom Dance Here
