Ecstatic Dance is both a specific and general term. In the recent past Ecstatic Dance has spread from Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay area, supported by bass-centered downtempo electronic dance music played on capable sound systems. People have been dancing forever, so it is perhaps the music and the culture that perhaps best define Ecstatic Dance. Like dance and music culture of hip-hop, there is no one person or organization creating or regulating it.
Consent and sovereignty are central to Ecstatic Dance: Nobody owes anybody else a dance or other interaction. Dancing on your own or with others, your body and your space will be respected. Talking is discouraged, as is the use of substances. At the dances I hold there is no expectation that you arrive at the beginning or stay until the end. There are brief sharing circles at the beginning and end of the dance, and many participants enjoy being there for both. I like to serve chocolate at the opening circle!
Contact Improvisation (CI) has become a prominent form at many ecstatic dances, and is common at the ones I hold. CI began in the 1970’s in the dance art scene as an experiment that continues today: What happens if we touch with no particular requirements or steps for how we relate? CI can encompass a tremendous range of qualities of interaction, from meditative presence with another to athletic/acrobatic lifts. Sometimes group dances form where many people are touching each other at once. At its core CI relies on participants being able to feel their bodies and to move from their ability to sense. It relies on the rules of physics and the impossibility of knowing what another person will do.
CI classes are useful, but the form is truly learned through play and experience. Newcomers will do well to observe a bit and then will likely be swept in if they desire. A good rule for beginners is to never grasp on to another person physically or otherwise. So long as we let others move without restriction it is unlikely that anybody will be injured or offended. The intentional touch of sexual organs and kissing are not welcome in the space. As with Ecstatic Dance overall, each individual is responsible for their own well-being, coming and going from a dance as they please.
The musical journey will include bass electronica, world music, acoustic songs, and the occasional peppering of hip-hop, classical, jazz, or even live contributions. Tempos, styles, and intensities have an arc to keep us engaged, generally starting slowly, building in intensity a few times, and then easing into a gentle conclusion.
