Anchored by Phoenix Sunday Dance, which is facilitated by Nina Smith and deeply inspired by Gabrielle Roth's teachings of the 5Rhythms - Arizona Ecstatic Dance is a growing Community of conscious beings who regularly meet to experience one of the oldest movement practices on the planet. Letting go of self judgement we breathe and move consciously to music that is curated to guide our journey within.
Each event is a different journey to allow deeper exploration of new vibrations and patterns of movement. It's about being present, discovering our expressive creative movement and authentically connecting to an amazing community of people.
For many of us, this has been a life-changing EXPERIENCE. All that is required is an open heart, curiosity, and willingness to become more of yourself.
Every Monday • 7:00–9:00 PM • Celtic Steps, Chandler
What happens when an ecstatic dance becomes an improvisation? Monday Improvisations explores the territory where ecstatic dance, contact improvisation, DJing, and live music meet.
The journey begins with a relatively quick ascent in BPM—an invitation to leave the verbal mind behind and arrive fully in the body.
After the first climb, the music descends.
The BPM slows. The bass deepens. The sound gets stranger.
We enter a darker, more intimate landscape designed to create room for contact improvisation, connection, experimentation, and play.
This middle territory is the heart of Monday nights.
The DJ isn’t simply playing for the room. Live musicians enter the soundscape and improvise with the DJ. Dancers respond to them. Musicians respond to the dancers. The DJ responds again.
What emerges is something nobody completely controls.
As the journey continues, the musical boundaries open: deep bass, electronic textures, unusual rhythms, percussion, global music, jazz, classical music, acoustic instruments, voice, and live improvisation can all enter the same landscape.
## Consent Is Part of the Dance
Contact improvisation is always opt-in.
You don’t need a partner. You don’t need to touch anyone. And coming to Monday Improvisations never constitutes consent to being touched.
We invite dancers to practice consent as another form of embodied listening. Invite rather than assume.
Offer a hand. Make eye contact. Ask.
Leave room for the other person’s body to say yes—or no.
A yes to a dance isn’t necessarily a yes to close contact, lifts, weight sharing, intimate touch, or whatever comes next. Consent remains alive throughout an interaction and can change at any moment.
We also invite everyone to practice communicating their own boundaries.
Move away. Shake your head. Say “no.” Say “stop.” Say “not that.” Say “yes.”
No explanation is required.
And when someone gives you a no, receive it gracefully. A no isn’t a failed interaction. It is successful communication. You have given this person the gift of maintaining their boundary…feel good about that.
Your responsibility for communicating your own boundaries never excuses someone else from seeking and respecting consent.
We want a room where people can become adventurous precisely because boundaries are welcome. Clear no. Wholehearted yes.
## The Monday Experiment
Ecstatic Dance DJ Set Improvised Live Music Contact Improvisation Remember Magic Primal • Transformative
Come alone or with friends. Dance independently or connect. Follow the musical journey or disappear into your own.
No previous dance or contact-improv experience is necessary. Move. Feel. Connect. Surrender. Mondays • 7:00–9:00 PM Celtic Steps
5955 W Ray Rd #5
Chandler, AZ 85226 All are welcome. Come as you are.
