Shadow Dance

Why Shadow Dance?

Some of my earliest spiritual experiences happened on the dance floor of illegal raves in the 1990’s. Dancing for hours in muddy fields or abandoned warehouses would alter my state of consciousness and give me access to information and experiences I had previously only had during dreams.  I had visions and intuitive flashes about things that were happening both in my personal world as well as the world outside of me. Perhaps surprisingly, this did not require the use of illicit substances or alcohol, just dancing. I later learned that dancing to repetitive beats has been used as a method for entering altered states of consciousness for thousands of years and is often referred to as Trance Dance. My personal spiritual practice evolved as I sought out teachers from a variety of different spiritual traditions and backgrounds. But I still love dancing to electronic music and the places it can take me if I allow myself to let go.

Trance dance, in one form or another, is practiced among indigenous people around the globe and is still represented in many religions in one form or another. In evolutionary terms, it wasn’t that long ago that our ancestors regularly participated in gatherings and rituals involving trance dance. The emphasis is on music with repetitive beats. Such rhythms can cause a change in our brainwave patterns and an altered state of consciousness. Our bodies remember what to do when we allow ourselves to surrender to these rhythms. With eyes softly focused or closed or wearing a blindfold if you wish we allow the rhythm of the drums to work through us. Participation in trance dancing has been shown to change the neurophysiological activity of the brain and promote brainwaves forms associated with meditation, lucid dreaming and a shift away from the everyday persona to access usually hidden insights and knowing.

People may experience both a heightened awareness of and release of stored physical discomfort and emotions. That is most welcome and the reason I call my offerings Shadow dance, rather than Trance dance, as we are dancing with previously unacknowledged and unseen parts of our psyche.This catharsis can give way to feelings of ecstasy and flashes of insight and inspiration. During my time as a psychiatrist working with people experiencing various significant problems with their mental health, I often felt that the opportunity to allow the body to express and process emotions in a safe and therapeutic way was completely overlooked.

During a shadow dance ceremony we might laugh, cry, shout...or just get lost in the rhythm and dance. All is welcome and all is perfect. The only important point is that you move your body, increase your heart rate in order to activate the endorphin system.

The music I use is a mixture of folk/world music and psy trance music...because that is what seems to work and is what I like. What I do not do is to try to emulate ceremonies from other cultures and practices to which I have no authentic connection.

Image: Rick Doble, 07 rave dancing motion blur experimental digital photography by Rick Doble, CC BY-SA 4.0