Chiang Mai Conscious Dance Meetup Group

Conscious Dance is the practice of first cultivating awareness and acceptance of what is present AND then giving this our authentic, full-embodied expression through movement!
This Meetup Group is an umbrella in Chiang Mai for the full spectrum of forms this can take! 🎶👣💚👣🎶
Currently I host 2 sessions each week (as well as other events from time-to-time):

• ~ DANCEmandala - EVERY Saturday 6-8pm at Chiang Mai Holistic
• ~ Ecstatic Dance CNX - EVERY Sunday 12-2pm at Vivid Dance Studios

Folks often ask what the difference is between the two...
Both fall under the larger umbrella of free-form Conscious Dance, which has been defined as “intentionally non-evaluative mindful movement for purposes of authentic self-expression, self-discovery, interpersonal connectedness, and personal healing or growth" - basically embodied awareness and cultivating feeling at home in one's spirit and soul! Both sessions last about 90 minutes, with a brief ritual circle to begin and end. There are no prescribed steps and so dancers can improvise as they desire. Both are barefoot dances, free from talking or intoxicants, and provide an opportunity to self-reflect and process things in one’s life. The music in each can be quite similar and loosely follows a “Wave” beautifully articulated by Gabrielle Roth as 5Rhythms. Both include a wide range of music that moves from slow & spacious, to fast & intense, then settles back to end in relaxation & rest. In DANCEmandala the high-energy phase is roughly 1/3rd, with a short pause between each track to refocus; in Ecstatic Dance the high-energy phase is about 2/3rds and the music is continuous. Both offer each dancer a journey towards WHOLENESS, with time and space to have their own unique experience.

• DANCEmandala is structured as MEDITATION, with gentle GUIDANCE throughout intended to deepen mindfulness and self-awareness – it’s an inner journey we take together mostly with eyes closed and without much direct partnering.
• Ecstatic Dance is not guided and encourages social engagement and partnering, but in which each person is still free to dance completely by themselves.

DANCEmandala happen Saturday nights (Yin) and is more introspective, while Ecstatic Dance on Sunday mornings (Yang) allows for more interaction…Basically, I love both these practices and how they complement and enrich one another! ☯️
**To learn more, visit https://dancemandala.com/ & Https://ecstaticdance.org/**
If you're interested, do join us or get in touch with me to learn more! 🙏