Trance Dance
The short answer to “what is trance dance” would be, a shamanic practice using music, movement, and breath-work to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Trance dance is in essence a meditational method, being an active meditation the music and movement are used as a focus to clear the mind of conscious thought allowing the trance state to happen.
Shamanic Trance Dance is an hour of dancing blindfolded. The blindfold helps block out visual distraction, and some psychological distraction. Since everyone is blindfolded the dancer can relax, and not worry about being watched or judged. The dance isn’t about looking good or cool. It is about feeling the music, feeling the movement and being in the moment. That kind of freedom, just dancing for the pure joy of moving, is a powerful experience in itself. That kind of a release, the moving, being in the moment, pausing the conscious thought, induces a trance state.
At the end of the hour all the participants are asked to lie down for ten minutes. For some these last ten are the most powerful part of the evening. Being physically tired from dancing and mentally relaxed allows for the subconscious to surface, and the spiritual journey or dreamtime to be easily achieved and vividly experienced.
My personal experiences with trance dance started in the mid 90s. I regularly attended Gothic/Industrial nightclubs. At these venues it is common for people to dance alone, there are exceptions but most people don’t dance with partners at these clubs. I didn’t know what a trance dance was, or that anyone would use it as a spiritual practice. It took me a while of going to clubs and dancing before I got comfortable with dancing in public. At some point I stopped being as worried about how it looked, or what people thought. I got to be very comfortable dancing, to where I wasn’t thinking about how I was moving, as much as I was moving how it felt good. Not having to think about how to move, I was able to just focus on the music and enjoy moving.
One night while dancing I kind of “woke up” while dancing. I realized then that I had been in a trance state, not asleep exactly, but not fully conscious either. I began playing with that and intentionally trancing at nightclubs while dancing. I fully loved it.
Eventually I began having knee problems. When dancing they would start hurting and I’d have to stop. They got worse until I had to stop dancing. I miss it still, six years or so later. I still get out there once in a while and trance out to one song. I’ll pay for it in pain later but the joy of ecstatic dance is too great to never participate.
Several years ago my wife Jenny started participating in Shamanic Trance dance events. During her priestess training with the facilitator she began assisting at these events. One dance in particular they wanted to have live music for the free dance portion, this is the time before the blindfolded portion when people are arriving and warming up for the main event. I drummed for that free dance, and then sat blindfolded for the following portion of the evening. While I wanted to be dancing, it was better not to for my knees. Later Jenny started her own trance dance event, and it has been an interesting journey getting to where we are now. At first I would help setup and breakdown, and sit in a corner blindfolded enjoying the music.
Later I began facilitating for the dance itself. I love the fact that I now get to share with others what I so loved doing. I feel good about helping other people feel safe enough to really let go and have that kind of freeing experience.
Shamanic Trance Dance is an hour of dancing blindfolded. The blindfold helps block out visual distraction, and some psychological distraction. Since everyone is blindfolded the dancer can relax, and not worry about being watched or judged. The dance isn’t about looking good or cool. It is about feeling the music, feeling the movement and being in the moment. That kind of freedom, just dancing for the pure joy of moving, is a powerful experience in itself. That kind of a release, the moving, being in the moment, pausing the conscious thought, induces a trance state.
At the end of the hour all the participants are asked to lie down for ten minutes. For some these last ten are the most powerful part of the evening. Being physically tired from dancing and mentally relaxed allows for the subconscious to surface, and the spiritual journey or dreamtime to be easily achieved and vividly experienced.
My personal experiences with trance dance started in the mid 90s. I regularly attended Gothic/Industrial nightclubs. At these venues it is common for people to dance alone, there are exceptions but most people don’t dance with partners at these clubs. I didn’t know what a trance dance was, or that anyone would use it as a spiritual practice. It took me a while of going to clubs and dancing before I got comfortable with dancing in public. At some point I stopped being as worried about how it looked, or what people thought. I got to be very comfortable dancing, to where I wasn’t thinking about how I was moving, as much as I was moving how it felt good. Not having to think about how to move, I was able to just focus on the music and enjoy moving.
One night while dancing I kind of “woke up” while dancing. I realized then that I had been in a trance state, not asleep exactly, but not fully conscious either. I began playing with that and intentionally trancing at nightclubs while dancing. I fully loved it.
Eventually I began having knee problems. When dancing they would start hurting and I’d have to stop. They got worse until I had to stop dancing. I miss it still, six years or so later. I still get out there once in a while and trance out to one song. I’ll pay for it in pain later but the joy of ecstatic dance is too great to never participate.
Several years ago my wife Jenny started participating in Shamanic Trance dance events. During her priestess training with the facilitator she began assisting at these events. One dance in particular they wanted to have live music for the free dance portion, this is the time before the blindfolded portion when people are arriving and warming up for the main event. I drummed for that free dance, and then sat blindfolded for the following portion of the evening. While I wanted to be dancing, it was better not to for my knees. Later Jenny started her own trance dance event, and it has been an interesting journey getting to where we are now. At first I would help setup and breakdown, and sit in a corner blindfolded enjoying the music.
Later I began facilitating for the dance itself. I love the fact that I now get to share with others what I so loved doing. I feel good about helping other people feel safe enough to really let go and have that kind of freeing experience.