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throughout the space, and finally surrendered to the loving caress of hands on my feet. I stared into the eyes of a woman whose gaze smiled such kindness that a tear rolled down my cheek. When we finished the journey, I was instructed not to talk about my experience, but rather to let it settle into my body. I came back the next week, and the next, and for the following three years heeded my calling to become a Biodanza facilitator, completing the training in Colombia and Brazil. The explorations I had in Biodanza classes could not have better supported my experiences living in a new culture. Out of my regular routine and lacking sufficient words to express myself and define my identity, I discovered new parts of my being. As my mental and verbal chatter quieted, I found stillness in my body and from that place of stillness arose an emotion, a voice deeper, stronger, and more truthful to the expression of my essential self. Creativity that never before had the language to express itself began to flourish through explorations in movement, music, and emotion. I became attuned to a different cultural frequency and a different me. I discovered how to communicate with my heart, allowing the emotion of the moment to be included in my interactions. I expanded the tools I have to express myself in the world by honoring my body’s wisdom as equally important to my mind’s knowledge. Today, in a room full of people, it feels more natural to express myself through dance than through spoken words. Within moments I arrive at the heart of what I want to share, and it is not only intellectually understood by others, but felt. I am able to express what exists in the space before words. – LAuRA CAmNER, California
THANKS FROm STOCKHOLm I am a 5Rhythms dancer, and this magazine has filled in the picture of the map around 5R, what its relations are in the world of movement modalities. These weeks of course are bittersweet, remembering and reflecting over Gabrielle Roth’s work, and then over Sandy devastating the coast where all my family lives! Something else I get from CD is being jealous of all the “dance-goodies” available in California, which are so clearly communicated in CD. Slowly but surely the dance community grows here in Sweden too. Also appreciate that CD explains how to attend workshops, what to eat to dance, what 10
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to wear to dance etc. because I come to the movement world from being an over-intellectual computer nerd for the first 44 years of my life and knew nothing of these skills/abilities/ tips for getting the most out of movement experiences. I have given back issues to friends here in Stockholm to spread the word, and it is really like giving a delicious treat to give a CD magazine. Thank you to you and your staff for what I imagine is a lot of hard work on this publication! Reading on in Sweden, – SuE COHEN, Stockholm
AmBASSADOR OF LOvE Reading your first articles and images gave me a sense of belonging and shared understanding. You affirmed to me that there are many of us out there with the same knowing, same passion, same heart and soul calling! In my jubilation and desire to support your birth and longevity, I immediately responded to your call for “Ambassadors” and I became your first ambassador in Toronto, proudly. My story goes back to the 1920s when my grandmother was a young teenager in Poland, living in a strict Jewish Orthodox family where dancing was forbidden. She was sure that God would strike her dead for dancing. Seriously! At the end of one year, finding herself still alive, she sensed that God might actually be okay with her dancing, and continued to dance for the rest of her life. When she moved to Canada she passed the love of dance on to her daughters. I started off my dance life in Russian ballet as a child, but left it to travel the world and live a bohemian life of adventure and flow. My first encounter with ecstatic dance, not that I had a name for it then, was when I was 19 years old in 1973, living on a beach in Goa, India, dancing to drums, the ocean, and around crackling fires. For over 30 years, I have travelled the world exploring a variety of modalities. In 2001, I co-founded, with my friend Nan Keyser, a beautiful women’s dance practice, Dance Our Way Home (DOWH), which recently won a national dance award for bringing wellness to communities through dance. I co-founded and regularly DJ at Toronto’s largest ecstatic dance community, The Move. I am grateful to you, dear Conscious Dancer magazine, for continuing to blossom and bring conscious dance into the awareness of these shifting times. In gratitude and love, – ERICA ROSS, Toronto CORRECTION: On p.21 of our last issue, we mistakenly
referred to Genia Zilberstein as a woman. Our apologies.