Ecstatic Dancers

This non-form of dance is abuzz by many different names, but the idea behind it is fundamentally simple—move your body to the music you hear, in the space you are in. The concepts of this dance are similar to those in yoga or other mindful practices: no judgment or comparison to others, honor your body’s abilities/inabilities, breathe and be in the moment rather than your busy mind. There are no fancy moves to master. No partner whose feet you have to avoid. Your only goals are movement and breathing.
Sessions here are facilitated by trained leaders, who deejay music. The arrangement of the music allows people to warm up, get an aerobic workout and cool down. To allow for this the sounds usually move from flowing to staccato to chaos to lyrical to still. And the intensity of movement lies in each dancer (most people burn between 300 and 500 calories with an hour of dancing, an added bonus)! There is virtually no type of music that this kind of dance is limited to. It is possible to move to Beethoven, AC/DC, Outkast, Buddha Bar and The Dining Rooms all in one, one hour session.
The beauty of this kind of dance is that is truly without right or wrong. No experience or training is required. There are no age restrictions. Come out and give this dance a try, you might just meet yourself for the first time!

Check out the Facebook Ecstatic Dancers group for more information or email wellness@linfield.edu!