"The ecstatic dance is one of the highlights of my week. The ceaseless chatter of my mind stops, my body
moves as it chooses, and my heart soars. I
feel renewed and revitalized after dancing."
"The loving support of the circle has
helped me move through a tremendous range of emotions and mental states. I love the
community that is building between the dancers.
At times I need to dance alone, at other times the touch, movement of dancing with
another transports me. I have met many
wonderful people, and I love getting to know
people I might otherwise not get the opportunity to meet."
"It's a wonderful safe space to dance
through the pressures of the world and emerge into loving ecstatic expansiveness."
-- Cynthia
"Ecstatic Dance has given me the opportunity ... to feel
the energy beneath my feet, to experience it rising and filling my body til mind
disappears and there is nothing other than oneness between me, the earth, and spirit
itself. This is the ultimate church for me."
-- Franklin
"I started going to Ecstatic Dance
just as I was undergoing a painful break-up with my partner. What I found was an amazing environment where my
grief could be freely expressed and where I could quickly move through it to reconnect
with my inner joy of being alive. The
participants and facilitator created a safe place where my heart could re-open and receive
the warm gift of community. I can’t say
enough about the magic and healing that can happen in such a beautiful and supportive
setting."
-- Hugo
"Ecstatic Dance has become my primary
form of exercise, emotional release, fun, and connection. I love the safe
environment to express in any way that feels right at the time. Every dance is
different. There are often some of the same people and some new people and always a
different mix with different energies that keeps it fresh and invigorating. Mary
holds it all together by opening her heart and being herself, which continues to attract
wonderful people to the dance and keeps them coming back."
-- Jerry
"The dance is my favorite freedom
portal...my weekly confluence with freed-up and vibrant people. I am completely
rejuvenated there and I get to connect with my community and PLAY!"
-- Ted
"Esctatic Dance has changed my life.
It is like a long prayer that gets me in touch with my body and emotions and spirit.
I breathe. I sink in. I realize where I am holding or resisting. Full
natural expression comes forth. The space is so loving and safe, and community within
oneself and with others is shared."
-- Lara
"Experiencing Ecstatic Dance was so
liberating. I forgot how many ways my body could move! The dance is a refreshing outlet
away from the “rigidness” of everyday life. It makes me feel like I’m
getting back to my roots. The best part about the dance is that I could do it when I was
pregnant! And Mary Anderson’s style of facilitating is so gentle and welcoming.
There are no judgments placed on anyone. It is true freedom!"
-- Gina
"Ecstatic Dance is one of the safest
healing environments I've ever been in. What that means to me is that I can trust my
own body/mind/dance/process when I go. I always have the experience of being
healed, or opened up, or integrated when I move among and with others who are fully
expressing themselves. I go there because I am confident that I'll find just what I need.
Mary Anderson creates an extraordinary space that transcends "body
movement" and allows for the Divine to be experienced."
-- John J.
"If I ever miss this dance, what I
miss so much is the feeling of dancing in the arms of a warm loving vibrant family. There
are so many people at this dance I share this feeling with that it is amazing. I gain a
sense of grounding and connection through participating with this wave of dance
experience, from quiet ... to intense ... to stillness, that I don't gain in any other
dance experience. It is sharing this experience with this group of people that makes so
much difference in my life. I share it collectively even when I dance alone, personally
when I partner with the friends I have discovered there, and impulsively when groups of
dancers spontaneously join together. Frequently I am surprised at the depth of experience
and joy that touches my whole being when I dance with this group of people, and at how
quickly new dancers blossom and join the family. My life began a sudden shift for the
better when I started dancing with this group of people."
-- Roger
"I felt like I had finally found a way
to celebrate my spirituality, by allowing my body to move and express the feelings of my
soul."
-- Anaria
"I have been coming to Estatic Dance
every week, often twice a week, for the past nine months. I now realize that this
experience is so much more to me than just 'dancing.' I feel a part of something much
larger than myself. We are a community, a group of friends, a tribe. We don't use words to
communicate when dancing. I may not know anything else about someone other than his/her
name, and we connect through dance, and become ancient friends. It's beautiful. I am an
American woman, born of a mixture of light-skinned European ethnicity. I've always wanted
to belong to a culture, a tradition, a tribe, an extended family. I now have that
experience. Last week I was greeted by another dancer with a hug and a whisper in my ear,
'Welcome home.' This feels like what I've always wanted 'family' to feel like."
-- Kathryn
