Virtually There | Sacred Dance Festival

A Sacred Dance Experience..

Our first ONLINE Festival! What an amazing journey we have been on over these past 62 years! We might wonder what those bold and forward-thinking folks – who sat around a table in New Hampshire back in 1958 manifesting their dreams into reality by beginning the Sacred Dance Guild – would be thinking now! I suspect they would be bowing deeply that their inspiration continues and that the Sacred Dance Guild continues to reinvent itself to be present and relevant for the times! See the Festival Highlights video and the Festival Concert “Way of the Phoenix” both on the SDG Youtube channel.

This first ONLINE Festival followed many of the beloved traditions of our “in person” events – Participant Sharing, Social Times, an “auction” (only not so silent!), a Festival Concert and amazing workshops and presentations by amazing leaders! This Festival also boldly danced forward with new choreographies – a time schedule that allowed dancers (participants and faculty) the globe over to participate in their own space and time; the addition of a mini “Film Festival” and a Living Legacy Interview.

We are thrilled to have opened our screen doors to 100 participants from all over the world! As this was our FIRST online Festival experience, we limited registration to 100 dancing bodies as we “tested” the process and the technology in reaching out around the globe! AND – it all worked beautifully! Only a few “glitches” here and there as sometimes we ended up in the wrong room (like we do at in person events!) and a few folks with Internet connection issues from time to time (like missed flights or travel challenges at in person events!) however, over the 39 “events” happening over 3.5 days everyone seemed to arrive where they were meant to be!

Participants did NOT have to register for any individual workshops, presentations or activities. ALL were open to ALL participants to come and go to any or all sessions as has been the tradition at in person SDG Festivals!

In the words of Ted Shawn – who was the “director” of the first three Sacred Dance Guild summer festivals at “Jacob’s Pillow” – DANCE WE MUST! And DANCE we did!

FESTIVAL 2020 INFORMATION BELOW:

JULY 22, 2020 – UPDATE – Information for Registered Participants – CLICK HERE!

Program

Workshops

Film Festival/Video Showings/Presentations

Sponsors/Donations

Technical Notes

Contacts

Program

This sacred dance festival will offer you 3 full days of inspiration and movement experiences. Along with countless opportunities to meet and move with fellow sacred dancers, the festival schedule will include the following.

PLEASE NOTE – ALL TIMES SHOWING ARE IN EDT!! If you are NOT in EDT, please check your local time! https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

FRIDAY, JULY 31

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Pre-Opening Workshop – Way of the Phoenix with Marilyn Green – Open to all
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Special Event – Opening Celebration
9:30 pm – 10:30 pm – Workshop – Cry of the Dove – with Carla De Sola

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020

6:00 am – 7:00 am – Workshop – “Fragrant Blessings of Bali” – Tricia mary Lee & Maria Sangiorgi
7:30 am – 8:30 am – Workshop – “Journey of the Spiritual Dancing Body” – Tebby W. T. Ramasikie
9:00 am – 10:00 am – Workshop – “The Moving Prayer” – Jessica Abejar
10:30 am – 11:30 am – Workshop – “Dancing Nonduality” – Carla Stalling Walter
12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Workshop – “Qi Gong” – Stella Matsuda

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Workshop – “Living Art: Wondering Hands” Claire Elizabeth Barratt (see Sunday Session at 12:00 noon)
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Workshop – “Soul Improv” Cherie Hill (see Sunday session at 12:00 noon)

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Workshop – “Gentle Hula Meditation” – Karyne Daniels
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Workshop – “Introduction to Dance as a Spiritual Practice” – Leslie Zehr

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Sharing

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Workshop – “Walking Like Trees – A Labyrinth Odyssey” – Barrie Gibby- (downloadable copy is HERE)
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Workshop – “The Gurdjieff Sacred Movements” – David Taylor

9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Special Event – Social Time/Not so Silent Auction – Hostesses – Betsy O’Neill & Dawn Harris

10:30 pm – 11:30 pm – Workshop – “Bring Your Lungs – Dancing from our Breath” – Debbie Danbrook

NOTE: See Sunday for Workshop starting at 12:00 AM EDT!!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2020

12:00 am – 1:00 am – Workshop – “BrainDance – Life is the Dancer, You are the Dance” – Pulelehua Quirk
7:30 am – 8:30 am – Workshop – “NIA” – Hiie Saumaa
9:00 am – 10:00 am – Workshop – “Vital Movement – Reaching Towards the Light” – Judith Rose
9:00 am – 10:00 am – Workshop – “Introduction to Dance as a Spiritual Practice” – Leslie Zehr (see Saturday session at 3:00 pm)
10:30 am – 11:30 am – Workshop – “Virtually Dancing in Step with the Past into the Future” – John West
12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Workshop – “Living Art: Wondering Hands” Claire Elizabeth Barratt (see Saturday Session at 1:30 pm)
12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Workshop – “Soul Improv” Cherie Hill (see Saturday session at 1:30 pm)

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Workshop – “Tuning Movement Meditation” – Helena Froehlich
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Workshop – “A Sip of Sacred Anatomy” – Marylee Hardenbergh

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Concert Rehearsal – “The Way of the Phoenix” Marilyn Green (Trinity Movement Choir and those from the Friday Workshop joining for the concert)
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Workshop – “Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Honoring All Seven Directions” – Carolynn Hine-Johnson

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Special Event – Living Legacy Interview with Banafsheh Sayyad (Open to participants and other guests)

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Sharing
7:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Concert – The Way of the Phoenix
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Post Concert Celebration & Social Time

MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020 (Open to Participants and Other Registered Guests)

10:00 am – 11:00 am – Video of Living Legacy Interview with Laura Shannon (from June 28, 2020)
11:30 am – 12:30 pm – “Moving Into the Infinite” – Film clips with Intro and Talkback with Dancer/Filmmaker Paramjyoti Carola Stieber

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – “Waterway” and “Call of Kairos” – Film clips with Intro and Talkback with Dancer/Choreograph Helena Froehlich (30 Minutes) – with
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – “54 Dancers, 54 Capitals” – Video Showing with Intro and Talkback with Dancer/Creator Marylee Hardenbergh (30 Minutes)

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm – “Reconnection” and “Black Lives Matter” Film clips from Dancin’ Africa with Intro and Talkback with SDG Board Member Jennifer Payne (30 Minutes) – with
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm – “This Bitter Earth” – Video Showing with Intro and Talkback with Dancers Judith Rose and Igor S (30 Minutes)

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – “Blessed is she who Dances for Justice and Peace” – Presentation by Martha Ann Kirk about Carla DeSola (with video clips)

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Special Event – Festival Closing

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Special Event – SDG Annual General Gathering – Open to all Sacred Dance Guild Members and other guests.

Please note, all times, classes and activities are subject to change

Workshops

Workshops will be offered all day Saturday and Sunday with two happening on the Friday – a “pre” Opening workshop offered by Marilyn Green (see below for details) and a “post” Opening by Carla De Sola (see below for details).

PLEASE NOTE: All times are showing in EDT! If you are not in EDT, please check times in your local area! https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

To the extent possible we have tried to “schedule” workshops to fit the time zone of the presenter and the time zones of the participants! Not an easy task! We compared it to trying to solve the Rubik’s Cube!

Some workshops and events are “single” so will be the ONLY workshop/event happening at a specific time, some will happen simultaneous to another workshop or event. There will only ever be a MAXIMUM of two workshops/events happening at any one time. You will note some presenters are offering their workshop twice – once on Saturday and once on Sunday. We would have loved to have every presenter offer twice but for many reasons this was not possible. If there is a time that you are in a conflict because there is a workshop you MUST take but it is at a time that you cannot do that – do send us an email to pres@sacreddanceguild.org so we can consider that offering for a “Sacred Sunday” or as part of another event in the Fall or Winter!

IMPORTANT:

Please arrive on time for workshops and other activities!
There will be “Waiting Rooms” set up and the session will “open” a few minutes before start time.
Most sessions will “close” 5 minutes after the start to respect both the presenter and other participants.
There is a 30 minute “break” between all workshops and events. This allows participants time for whatever is needed and organizers to technically reset everything between sessions!

WORKSHOP DETAILS ARE LISTED BELOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY SURNAME OF THE PRESENTER

THE MOVING PRAYER | Jessica Abejar – New York City – USA

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 9:00 am

In this workshop, we will explore what it means to be a “moving prayer” and open up to aligning the mind, body, and spirit in sacred space and time. Through movement exploration and a meditation from Scripture, we will focus on the theme of hope through times of hardship and suffering. All levels of dance and faith and spiritual expressions welcomed! Come as you are!

Jessica ABEJAR is the Founder and Director of The Moving Prayer, introducing sacred dance to people all over the world. She especially enjoys reaching young people through dance, having presented at the Sto. Niño Youth Day in the Philippines, World Youth Day in Brazil and Poland, the National Catholic Youth Conference, the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministry, and regularly working with organizations such as the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of New York and Dominican Youth Movement USA. She has also presented for various events including the San Lorenzo Ruiz Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Our Lady of Antipolo Feast Day at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Dance Guild Festival, and more. Jessica is an alumna of Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training, completing a mentorship program under sacred and liturgical dance pioneer Carla DeSola. She is also a former member of Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee and participated in Gibney Dance Center’s Institute of Community Action Training. She is a member of the Sacred Dance Guild and participates regularly with many other sacred dance groups.

LIVING ART: WONDERING HANDS A Motion Sculpture Movement Meditation| Claire Elizabeth Barratt (Ashville, NC – USA)

Workshops: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 1:30 pm, Sunday, Aug. 2 – 12:00 pm

“Wondering Hands” is an intimate meditation on the form of the hand as living art. Transcending self-hood, the hand becomes a thing of wonder – and a thing with which to wonder. Gestures seek and explore – formulate questions and receive Divine guidance. The mind remains calmly present in witness of the hands direct connection to the soul. During this meditation, we will fully acknowledge and utilize the medium through which we are functioning. Using the box that Zoom provides, we will frame our hand sculptures with cinematic awareness. This provides the portal through which we can transcend ourselves and witness our own gestures without judgment. Because it is essential for each individual to have a clear view of their own Zoom box, this workshop will break into smaller groups so that your individual view will be large enough. Set your computer level with your upper body (a desk and chair, or low table if seated on the floor) Bring your favorite scented body oil to begin with a hand massage.

Claire Elizabeth BARRATT (aka Cilla Vee) is an international inter-disciplinary artist with a background in dance, music, theatre and visual arts. She is the director of Cilla Vee Life Arts and the creator of the Living Art performance pedagogy – developed through the Transart Institute MFA program and accredited by Plymouth University, UK. Her training includes The Royal Academy of Dance ballet syllabus, contemporary dance and musical theatre studies at the Laban Centre and the London Studio Center in the UK as well as serving an apprenticeship with the Isadora Duncan Dance foundation in NYC. She was a co-Founding Director of Circle Modern Dance and Choreographer for Knoxville Opera Company in Tennessee before moving to New York to establish Cilla Vee Life Arts. She is now based in the beautiful Southern Appalachian town of Asheville NC.

https://cillavee-lifeartsnewsletter.blogspot.com/

BRING YOUR LUNGS – DANCING FROM OUR BREATH | Debbie Danbrook (Toronto, Ontario – CANADA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 10:30 pm

In this workshop Debbie will start with a Healing Music Meditation where we rest in stillness, focusing on our lungs. She will then teach a powerful breathing technique that starts in our core, our solar plexus, then moves up and down our chakras, moving through our lungs in an Infinity Pattern. We then take this breathwork and slowly move it out from our spine, torso, arms, head and finally into our legs. A new way of moving with and from our lungs. During this pivotal 2020 shift we are experiencing personal and global grief. We hold grief in our lungs. This time together will give us new tools to release grief and invite in healing light energy into our lungs, our hearts, our lives.

Debbie DANBROOK is a musician, composer and recording artist specializing in music for meditation, relaxation, and healing. She is a Master player of the Shakuhachi flute, an ancient Japanese instrument that was originally played by monks as a type of Zen called ‘Suizen’ or blowing Zen. Debbie is the first woman to have mastered this difficult instrument and weaves the Shakuhachi together with her voice in her ethereal music. Her music has been embraced by healers and spiritual practitioners around the globe. She has released over 20 CD’s of music through her company Healing Music. www.healingmusic.com She has played at EXPO in Japan and has played for the Japanese Prince and Princess. Debbie was invited to offer her healing music at the Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. She has played a countless conferences, festivals and special events worldwide including numerous Sacred Dance Guild festivals and events. Debbie is a workshop and retreat facilitator at events pertaining to Healing Music, Breathwork, Sacred Dance, the Labyrinth, Chakras, Mantras and Sacred Nature. Debbie offers: Music Meditations for individuals and groups. Mantra Sessions – create your own, personal life Mantra. Clearing and Inviting in Light Ceremonies for homes and workplaces. Debbie is an ordained Reverend and Priestess and performs Memorials and Celebration of Life ceremonies. Healing Music has released a Sleep Program to help listeners get a deeper and more beneficial sleep. www.sleep-program.com

GENTLE HULA MEDITATION| Karyne Daniels (Maui, Hawaii – USA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 3:00 pm

Karyne will offer a gentle hula meditation class with continuous movement that is easy to follow, consisting of hula basics, prayer, and conscious breathing. Dancers will experience the essence of aloha through simple rhythmic hip work, expressive Polynesian hand gesture, and a sacred sitting dance, or Noho Hula.

Karyne DANIELS (aka “Kumu” Karyne) is a master instructor who began teaching at the age of 17. She has built her 35 year career upon her natural gifts of inspirational communication and a soulful intuitive teaching style. A born dancer and natural entertainer Karyne leads students into the deep beauty of Polynesian dance on the island of Maui. She says, “Dance found me at an early age, and has been my loyal and constant companion.” Karyne considers her dance work to be her humble service to the world; her Divine assignment in which she devotes her every cell to. Karyne has performed extensively throughout Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. She was a featured dancer in the motion picture Dick Tracy with Madonna; a tango dancer in the movie My Blue Heaven with Steve Martin; and a featured Go Go dancer at many prominent night clubs throughout Los Angeles & Orange County, California, such as Metropolis, The Palace, The Mayan, and Coolsville. As a sacred dancer, Karyne performs around the island of Maui, and was featured in Dance Maui festival 2018 & 2019. She is revered for her poignant solo performances which are emotional & otherworldly. www.sacreddancepath.org

THE CRY OF THE DOVE – A SACRED DANCE WORKSHOP FOR OUR TIMES | Carla De Sola (Berkeley, California – USA)

Workshop: Friday, July 31 – 9:30 pm

Winging us, guiding us, but with claws that dig down deep, the dove of peace may be urging us to dance our anger, sorrow, and shame in response to images of racism and violence that have been unveiled each day in the media. We are all one. A brief warm-up is followed by guided exploration with improvisation designed to facilitate embodying our kinesthetic imagination and feelings as preparation to learning I Dream, a dance of hope. All levels are welcome.

The music that Carla will be using during the workshop “I Dream” – words and music by Benjamin Mertz, performed by the Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers www.benjaminmertz.com www.joyfulnoisegospelsingers.org. The dancers in the “I Dream” piece showing as part of the workshop are Carla DeSola and Zara Anwar. Videographer for Workshop session and Dance: Alex Zajicek

Carla DE SOLA, a pioneer in liturgical dance, is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and author. She has a diploma in dance from the Juilliard School and an MA in Theology and the Arts from the Pacific School of Religion (PSR). Carla founded the Omega Liturgical Dance Company, in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, N.Y.C., from 1976 to 2008, and currently directs the Omega West Dance Company in Berkeley, CA. Omega was founded to express the spiritual-human-social-healing dimensions of dance, exploring inner aspects of movement integrated with the world’s spiritual resources. Carla taught classes through PSR, and the Center for the Arts, Religion & Education (CARe) at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, for over twenty five years. In 2015 Omega West Dance Company presented “Beyond Words: An Interfaith Ritual for Peace” for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Salt Lake City, Utah.

TUNING MOVING MEDITATION | Helena Froehlich (Boston, Massachusetts – USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 1:30 pm

Laying the Ground for Sacred dance – Through gentle moving meditation we will practice tuning in to the energy within and around the dancer. Helena will lead us through a circular warm-up, deep breathing techniques, four fundamental elements of meditation, and creating a sacred space. We will invite stillness in a sitting meditation and then let the Sacred lead us into free form dance.

Suggested material: a candle or oil lamp, a flower in water, a shell or a rock, and plan for a way to sit comfortably on a chair or on a pillow

Helena FROEHLICH – Dancer, teacher, choreographer and energy worker – Helena enjoys guiding people into wellbeing. She has been teaching ballet, modern dance, Tai Chi, Pilates conditioning, Yoga and Tuning Moving Meditation. She studied Acu-Yoga and acupressure with Michael Reed Gach founder of the Acupressure Institute of Berkeley, CA and she certified as a Yoga for the Lattice teacher and EMF Balancing Technique practitioner, an energy work modality originated by Peggy Phoenix Dubro, The Energy Extension, Inc. AZ. She worked with many dance companies, including Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in France, Stadtstheater Biberach in Germany, American Repertory & Princeton Ballet School in Princeton, USA. Since 2005, she is a faculty member of the Boston Ballet School. She choreographed more then 100 short to full-length pieces with her company CreationDance since 1999 in France, then in Princeton, NJ and since 2005 in residence at FUUSN in Newton, MA. Helena created Tuning Moving Meditation from the techniques she learned from her wonderful teachers and from her experience of life as a movement artist.

WALKING LIKE TREES – A LABYRINTH ODYSSEY | Barrie Gibby (Chicago, Ohio – USA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 6:00 pm

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir

How can we interweave tree wisdom into the changing seasons of our lives? Connecting the 13 lunar months in the Celtic Tree Zodiac with our Birth Tree Time, we honor the July waxing moon and the power of trees as we journey the labyrinth curves, whose quadrants echo the cycles of tree life and our own. Gathering in virtual Circle, this embodied journey moves to expand labyrinth uses and seeds for inner and outer pathways of new consciousness for radical action of harmonious earth partnerships. Movement and music to take away.

Suggested material: A printed copy of the Chartres Labyrinth downloadable HERE.

Barrie Carter GIBBY works on that creative edge between the branches of words and movement expression. A long-time educator, past SDG President, avid traveler, dancer and labyrinth facilitator, Barrie interweaves her background in design, dance, music, theater production and ritual-making to facilitate workshops and pilgrimages across the nation on a variety of themes. She is especially fascinated by the parallels of Celtic and Native American cultures and their loving embrace of nature centered whole life. Her many pilgrimages to the 13th c. Chartres Cathedral labyrinth, in Chartres, France, have provoked inspired passion for her ongoing embodied labyrinth work. As a Veriditas Faculty and Advanced Certified Labyrinth facilitator, Barrie finds sacred spaces everywhere.

THE WAY OF THE PHOENIX| Marilyn Green (New York City, USA)

Workshop Friday, July 31 – 5:30 pm (Open to all)

Rehearsal: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 3:00 pm (Open to those choosing to be in the concert)

Concert: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 7:30 pm

“The Way of the Phoenix” is a half hour dance ritual addressing three deep social wounds: racial injustice, the pandemic and poverty. It starts with a prologue lasting 8 minutes and 46 seconds (exactly the amount of time Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck) with dancers expressing their grief, rage, loneliness, fear, isolation, etc., and moves through a deeply moving soundtrack by Debbie Danbrook (first woman master of the shakuhachi and Festival workshop presenter): the Song of the Phoenix, traditionally the last song before its death and rebirth; the Rising of the Phoenix and the Tears of the Phoenix that heal the world. All dancers at any level of training and experience are welcome to attend this workshop. The piece is being offered as the Festival Concert on Sunday, Aug. 2nd at 7:30 pm (EDT). Trinity Movement Choir and guests have been working on this piece at on line rehearsals/gatherings for the past few months.

All can attend this pre Festival opening workshop to experience the piece and, then, any who attend who wish to be part of the concert on Sunday evening will be required to attend the rehearsal at 3:00 pm (EDT) on Sunday to prepare for the 7:30 concert offering to ALL Festival participants. Note: For those choosing to dance in the concert – black tops/bottoms are recommended.

Marilyn GREEN, Co-Director of the Trinity Movement Choir, is a choreographer and interdisciplinary artist. Her work in dance, music, and visual arts/film animation have earned her extensive recognition, from a Millay Colony Award to a Ford Foundation Fellowship and grants in the arts and humanities for projects in several disciplines. Her technical work in dance centers on Rudolf Laban, both in terms of movement analysis and his philosophy of creating structured choreography with room for personal expression, and is also drawn from Butoh’s slow organic movement and goal of transforming the dancer and audience rather than displaying what the human body can do. In 2010 she founded the Trinity Movement Choir at historic Trinity Church at Wall Street in New York City; the group performs regularly at Trinity and St. Paul’s Chapel, as well as appearing at events including The Parliament of the World’s Religions, Performing the World, the Sheen Center in Manhattan and colleges and universities, as well as Sacred Dance Guild festivals.

A SIP OF SACRED ANATOMY | Marylee Hardenbergh (Minneapolis, Minnesota – USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 1:30 pm

Marylee says “Of all the systems in the body, I love our bones”. In this session, we will look at a few bones and their triangular relationships to each other. Her mentor, Irmgard Bartenieff, used “bony landmarks” to identify efficient movement. Triangles are the most stable of shapes and provide grounding for our dancing bodies. Following the anatomy briefing, we will all learn a short dance sequence, which utilizes these concepts and delves into some archetypal moves. We will perform these moves together to music.“

Marylee HARDENBERGH – Global Site Performance is the creation of Marylee Hardenbergh. Her goal is to use dance to transform the environment so that people experience it with renewed eyes and heart. She believes that the power of dance — with its moving colors and harmonious rhythms — deepens the audience’s sense of place and how we humans fit into the landscape. Marylee is also the founder and director of the Global Water Dance project. Trained under Irmgard Bartenieff and Penny Lewis Bernstein, Marylee has led many movement choirs and loves to use Space Harmony in her work. For over 30 years, Marylee has been known for her outdoor site-specific choreographies. The numerous awards and grants Marylee has received include fellowships for choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts in the USA and the Soros Foundation. Marylee brings in a therapeutic sensitivity to all her choreography.

SOUL IMPROV | Cherie Hill (San Francisco Bay, California – USA)

Workshops: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 1:30 pm – Sunday, Aug. 2 – 12:00 PM

Awaken the body, and connect to your soul. Through breath, full-body exercises, and dance phrases we will dance in a soulful meditation connecting our mind, body, and soul. We’ll explore the present, process through the past, and dance in what is needed for a brighter future. All levels of dance experience welcome.

Cherie HILL is a San Francisco Bay Area choreographer, dancer, teacher, and scholar, whose art explores human expression through the body in collaboration with nature, music, and visual imagery. Her IrieDance works have shown at the Live Oak Theatre, Shotwell Studios, the African American Cultural Center, the Black Choreographer’s Festival, Anschultz Theatre, Bao Bao Festival, P.L.A.C.E. Performance, the San Francisco Cathedral, Omni Oakland Commons, S.F. Moving Arts Festival, Kinetech Arts, Alena Museum, SAFEhouse Arts, and the Dance A World of Hope Festival in Holland, MI. Cherie has held artist residencies with Footloose Productions, Milk Bar Richmond, and CounterPulse’s Performing Diaspora Residency Program; and danced with Bay Area Repertory Dance, Makomba West African Drum & Dance, David Dorfman, Kiandanda Dance, & Helander Dance Theater. In 2019 and 2020, she worked as a guest choreographer for UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco Dance Programs. Cherie has taught numerous classes and workshops to students of all ages and holds a B.A. in Dance and Performance Studies and an M.F.A. in Dance Choreography and Performance (iriedance.com).

EARTH, WATER, AIR & FIRE & Honoring all Seven Directions | Carolynn Hine-Johnson (South Bend, Indiana – USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 3:00 PM

This Moving Meditation will draw upon Native American views and those related to St. Francis of Assisi concerning the four elements of earth, water, air and fire as they glorify the Great Spirit. [Native Americans use the phrase, “All our relations,” when referring to nature because the Great Spirit has created all of us. Likewise, St. Francis reflected this in his canticle, Brother Sun, Sister Moon.] We will begin with a blessing and honor the Native American 7 directions. Next, we will explore the elements of earth, water, air and fire with movement. Following that, we will break into smaller groups (each group focusing on one element) to create a short dance that represents each element. Then, we will let groups share their piece and can have a group reflection on the process and how we felt during this time.

Carolynn HINE-JOHNSON received her doctorate (ED. D.), in Dance Education from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied Ballet with American Ballet Theatre in New York City and Flamenco and classical Spanish Dance with Victoria Flores Cooke in Virginia Beach. Other dance genres included in her training are modern, jazz, tap, African, Mexican and Native American. She has performed and presented workshops throughout the United States and created a Dance Major (B.F.A.) and Dance Minor at Indiana University South Bend before retiring as Professor of Dance in 2016. During her sojourn at the university, Carolynn’s research led her to present her articles at scholarly conferences throughout the United States. These articles included “Incarnate Prayer: Sacred Dance Defined,” “Empowering Women through Flamenco,” “All Our Relations: Native American Perspective of Creator Through Dance,” “Dance as Communication of the Word (Scripture)” and “Mariquita Flores and Victoria Flores Cooke: Two Prominent Women in the Development of American Flamenco Dance.” Currently, Carolynn teaches Ballet, Dance Exercise, Flamenco and Spanish Dance at Dance Nook, her home studio in South Bend, Indiana. Carolyn is from Cherokee Ancestry. She is director of Wings of Dawn Dance Company and Spanish Heart, (a professional Flamenco, Spanish Dance and Music group). Her husband, Bryan Edington collaborates with her on concerts. He is a composer, musician and singer and also creates music for Carolynn’s classes.

FRAGRANT BLESSINGS OF BALI | Tricia mary Lee & Maria Sangiorgi (West & East AUSTRALIA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 6:00 am

Join Tricia mary Lee and Maria Sangiorgi for a gentle early (for EDT folks!) morning dance of fragrance and beauty . Each morning in Bali everyone makes fragrant offerings to the Gods, from families and business owners to the Priests and Priestesses at the Sacred Temples. Today we welcome and guide you as you create your own offering of “fragrant dance” in honour of the Divine Mystery. (If you have been to one of the three previous Bali Sacred Dance Journeys, you will want to reconnect at this workshop! If you are thinking of coming to the next Journey in May 2021 (hopefully) you will want to come to prepare. ) Everyone will want to be there for a taste of Bali!

Please join us with a fragrant oil or essence on hand as we will be sharing our Sacred Bali Fragrant Body Blessing. If you have a sarong then come wearing it, if you have fragrant flowers in your garden then gather some and adorn your dance space or yourself, and if you have a favourite incense then prepare your room beforehand. Thanks and Fragrant Blessings to you all, we look forward to dancing together, Tricia and Maria We honour all our friends in Bali especially at Bali Mountain Retreat high up on sacred Mount Batukaru and at Yayasan Widya Guna in Bedulu village. www.balimountainretreat.com www.yayasanwidyaguna.org

Tricia mary LEE is a lifelong lover of dance and has travelled widely from her Celtic and European roots to learn and also share her passion with others, Moving to Australia in 1992 she was introduced to Indigenous and Sacred song and dance and there commenced her personal Sacred Dance quest. Discovering The Sacred Dance Guild in 2003 she attended festival as a scholarship dancer in Connecticut in 2008 and is now Co Vice President on the Board of the Guild. Organising the Bali Sacred Dance Retreats from 2015 she opens the door for women to cherish themselves in fragrance and beauty and to explore their personal journey in Sacred Dance as well as creating a sense of community and communion. She also holds regular Sacred dance workshops weaving her many strands of experience together from circle dances to Qigong, Oriental belly dance to Sacred Earth dances and contributes to Womens retreats in her local area of South West Australia. She has formal qualifications in Education and Training, Reflexology and Reiki, natural health and healing, Palliative Care and Sacred Dying, as well as Body Centred Movement Therapy and Dance Therapy. “Come Dance, Be Barefoot, Blessed and Beautiful”

Maria SANGIORGI is an Artist, Performer, Humanitarian, Teacher, creator of Dancing Isis Sacred Somatic Dance and Embodied Bellydance. She is an accredited Dance Movement Therapsit & Functional Analysis Body centred Councillor. Maria’s life work down the sacred, spiritual and healing path, combines her knowledge of Egyptian Dance, her skills in Somatic Awareness, Authentic Movement, Alexander Technique, Continuum, Sacred Dance, metaphysical studies, other life skills & experiences that make up her unique & personal healing modality. She lives in Australia and also works in Italy, Japan & Bali. www.dancingisis.com

QI GONG| Stella Shizuka Matsuda (Thousand Oaks, California – USA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 12:00 pm

Stella will lead us through a time of meditation in motion with QiGong—(pronounced “chee-goong”) based on the principles of yin (calm or soft) and yang (dynamic or strong). QiGong is a method of managing health that has been practiced since ancient times in China. It consists of a variety of techniques to help prevent and treat disease as well as to maintain and improve health and prolong life as the Qi (energy, life force) circulates throughout the body along the 12 meridians. “Qi” literally means breath (steam) and “gong” means effort (diligent practice).There are thousands and thousands of various movements that comprise QiGong. What Stella offers is called Flowing QiGong, using both the passive and active to connect and balance body-mind-spirit.

Stella Shizuka MATSUDA, B.S. in Dance, UCLA; M.A., CLU. She is the Founder and Director of Alleluia Dance Theater (1977- present). She is a Dancer/Choreographer/Teacher/Leader in dance for many organizations throughout U. S., Professor Emeritus of Dance at Moorpark College, past President of Sacred Dance Guild, International. She currently teaches tai chi, qi gong and dance in her local community of Thousand Oaks, California.

MINDFUL BRAINDANCE – Life is the Dancer – You are the Dance | Pulelehua Quirk (Hawaii – USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 12:00 am (note – this could be considered Saturday Late-Night class!)

Mindful BrainDance is a unique mindful movement with a Welcoming Prayer developed by Pulelehua Quirk . It is a full body-brain practice utilizing the developmental movement patterns that healthy humans naturally move through in the first year of life. It was developed by Anne Green Gilbert. This mindful version is helpful for healing from injuries and negative body patterns we develop in our lives, by allowing us to reintegrate the mind body connection anew It can also be used help us go back and develop areas that maybe we missed in our early life. The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen our relationship with God through consenting in the activities of our day — “consent-on-the-go” for God to act through us as we embrace our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life.

Pulelehua QUIRK has been a member of the Sacred Dance Guild since 1993. She says: “When I discovered the Sacred Dance guild within 3 years I knew i had to be a lifetime member. A place I truly belong. I have served the Guild in various ways over the years and encourage you all to engage in leadership and service it will change your life!” Pulelehua RuthMarie Quirkʻs training includes Master’s degrees in Library and Information Studies and Educational Technology. Teacher hula with Kumu Hula Mālia Helelā, BrainDance teacher with Anne Green Gilbert, Sufi Dance leader in training, Creative dance leader, Mindful movement facilitator, Liturgical dances with GODancer Lisa Kimsey, ballroom dance teacher, Labyrinth creator and facilitator, Country western dance teacher. Leader of dances for twelve step programs. A centering prayer facilitator and she is currently undergoing formation training for the Welcoming prayer with Contemplative outreach. Pulelehua loves the wonders of technology and the joys of creating dance and movement practices. Mindful BrainDance is a moving meditation done joyfully and can be done in a moment. If you wish to be on her mailing list about ongoing online and face to face events: Mindful-braindance.com/

BLESSING CEREMONY – Journey of the Spiritual Dancing Body | Tebby W.T. Ramasike (The NETHERLANDS)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 7:30 am

The sacred journey of Afro-Butoh (Butoh and African dance), leads us to search deep within our beings, to discover and explore our latent qualities. The BLESSING CEREMONY will be in three parts. The first will focus on the Invitation and Awakening of the body, opening up to connect with internal energy, the sacred ground/earth, internal & external space, the skies/heavens above and inviting the spirits below & above, using the voice to release tension. The second will focus on the Transformation in a spiritual form, to further open up to free tension or blockages, to find inner peace & tranquility, to find a flow, to start exploring being one with nature. The third & last part is Release and Connection to the spirits below & above. Energy focus is on the feet, with a stumping notion, to connect with the earth and the sacred space that we have created, guided by the call of the sacred drumbeat.

Tebby W.T. RAMASIKE is a South African choreographer, dancer, Butoh practitioner, dance teacher, researcher in dance & cultural activist, residing in Europe since 1995. He has travelled extensively, working with internationally acclaimed teachers & choreographers, including African dance teachers and Germaine Acogny, Kofi Koko in particular. He came across Butoh through Carlotta Ikeda in the early 90s. In discovering how elements of his African dance works were related to Butoh, he worked with Butoh practitioners and Masters, such as Atsushi Takenouchi, Yoshito Ohno, Sayoko Onishi. He won a number of choreography & dance awards. In 1999 he founded TeBogO Dance – TBO, performing and teaching nationally and internationally. He has a rich repertoire, a Masters Degree in Choreography, is a member of World Dance Alliance Europe (WDA), the International Dance Council (CID) – UNESCO. His latest project, THE WRECKAGE OF MY FLESH, has been selected to be part of ESCH2022 programme, which is part of the European Capitals of Culture project.

VITAL MOVEMENT – REACHING TOWARDS THE LIGHT | Judith Rose (Nyack, New York, USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 9:00 am

Judith will begin this workshop by integrating inspirational words of mystical text into seamless Vital Movement patterns that speak to our time. Our work will move from seated choreographic exploration to standing BodyChanting phrases and culminate in the teaching of the Hebrew Letter “KUF”, the symbol of the sacred, through the lyrical Kabbalistic movement practice of Otiyot Hayyot (Living Letters).

Judith ROSE, the founder of Vital Movement ^TM, is an experienced educator, movement artist, and published poet. She has an extensive movement background that includes training in dance, as well as in a unique variety of kinesthetic healing modalities from all over the globe. She is a certified practitioner of Otiyot Hayyot and has trained with the Mark Morris Dance Group to work choreographically with people who have Parkinson’s Disease. She integrates her rich background in Jungian studies and World Mysticism into her practice and enriches sessions with insights drawn from these disciplines. She has twice been nominated for the Helen Hayes Performing Artist of the Year Award and has served as keynote presenter for the annual conference of the Sacred Dance Guild. Recently she has collaborated with several Rockland artists to create inter-disciplinary works of distinction. Judith offers mentorship and training to new movement educators and continues to teach, choreograph, and provide therapeutic experiences in movement and meditation for clients in private session and groups in various locations. Her work is deeply grounded in the belief that the arts provide a medium for personal and communal healing and transformation.

NIA with Hiie | Hiie Saumaa (Paris, FRANCE)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 7:30 am

Nia is a liberating, embodied dance technique. It is a mix of easy to follow choreography and free dance. This somatic movement method was developed in in the US in the 1980s — “somatic” means that we pay attention to our sensations and how we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally while we move. We dance from the inside out. The class combines movements from dance arts, martial arts, and healing arts. This practice is energizing, centering, calming, joyful, pleasurable, and healing. We dance barefoot to world music. No previous dance experience is necessary.

Hiie SAUMAA, PhD, is a somatic movement educator and a dance writer/scholar. She’s from Estonia and currently based in Paris. She writes about movement and health, dance history, and the artistic process. She teaches Nia dance, BodyLogos Strength Training (somatic approach to conditioning and stretching), and JourneyDance (inspirational free dance practice, a movement ritual). She loves to inspire people to enjoy the energy, healing, and aliveness that dancing, and movement can give us. See https://unfinished.ro/lineup/hiie-saumaa

THE GURDJIEFF SACRED MOVEMENTS | David Taylor (Denver, Colorado – USA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 7:30 pm

This workshop will begin with an introduction to G.I. Gurdjieff (1870-1949), an enlightened Armenian mystical artist and teacher, who created a repertoire of ancient and sacred dances and esoteric movements gathered from closed communities, temples and monasteries in the Near and Middle East and Asia. Mr. Taylor will lead students through two Gurdjieff movements: “The Assyrian Women Mourners”, which Gurdjieff claimed to be over 2000 years old, and “Note Values”, one of his 6 so-called “obligatory” movements.

No previous experience necessary. Just wear light, loose clothing that’s easy to move in. Barefoot or soft shoes are fine

David TAYLOR has been involved in the Colorado dance community for the past fifty years. He has created over one hundred original works. In 1979, he founded the David Taylor Dance Theatre (DTDT), for thirty-two years one of the Rocky Mountain Region’s most well-known and respected dance companies. Mr. Taylor’s unique creative focal point became a fascination with the ritual of ancient cultures, metaphysical concepts, and multi-media collaborations which served to put DTDT on the map nationwide. He is the recipient of many awards, a member of the International Dance Council (2013). Mr. Taylor taught at Colorado State University, served as the Artistic Director of Denver Ballet Theatre, and founded the critically acclaimed Zikr Dance Ensemble (2009). He was named as one of the SIX Honorary Members celebrating the six decades of the Sacred Dance Guild at the 60th Anniversary in 2018.

DANCING NONDUALITY | Carla Stalling Walter (Oakland, California – USA)

Workshop: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 10:30 am

Pause, hold, be still and dance in the sacred. Realize everything is changing at every moment, and we are deluded into thinking in solid reality. We are unblemished until conditioning gives us duality. What can we realize through nonduality? Let go of opinion. Focus on breath and still the mind. What if we still the mind as a new habit to realize our bodily connection to each other and come to know interdependence? These are some Buddhist concepts we will play with while we honor dance in sacred wholeness.

Carla STALLING WALTER, PhD writes about dance, spirituality, and wellbeing. Her next book, Sacred Dance Meditations: 365 Globally Inspired Movement Practices Enhancing Awakening, Clarity and Connection with a Foreword by Wendy Morrell, is being published by Penguin Random House. Along with her doctorate in Dance History and Theory from the University of California, Riverside, USA, Dr. Walter holds certificates in Somatic Movement Psychotherapy, Osteopathic Medicine, and Spiritual Counseling. She is the CEO and Founder of Dance in the Spirit, LLC. Her company provides personal and corporate retreats, classes, and workshops on sacred dance meditation at locations around the globe. A practicing Zen Buddhist, she serves as a board member with the San Francisco Zen Center, and is an active member of The Sacred Dance Guild, the American Dance Therapy Association, and the Dance Studies Association. A native of Los Angeles, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. wwwcswalter.org

VIRTUALLY DANCING IN STEP WITH THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE | John West (Las Angeles, California – USA)

Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 2 – 10:30 am

This hour-long workshop will help participants experience the power of dance as an outward sign of community and religion, the ties that bind us. Through explorations of rhythm and virtual group dances, participants will reach back in time to the biblical dances of matriarchs and patriarchs and project their legacy of hopes, prayers, and dreams we can craft for ourselves and our children in the future. Be ready to make some noise and share your demonstration signs with us all! These will be the steps of justice, unity, peace, and love.

John WEST as a child studied dance at the Lester Horton School of Dance, and as a teen studied tap under Willie Covan. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in dance and theatre from Macalester College, he returned to Los Angeles and began a career of teaching and administrating at his alma mater, Mount Carmel High School. Continuing his professional education, Mr. West earned a M.Ed. from Loyola-Marymount University and a M.A. degree in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA with an emphasis in biblical literature and dance. Later, he began a long and varied career in the independent schools of Los Angeles, starting at Harvard/Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City. Throughout his teaching career he has taught not only in academic areas but also directed plays, taught dance and choreographed musicals. He has been a dancer and choreographer in the field of sacred and liturgical dance since 1967, when he assisted in the creation of an experimental liturgy in a parish church in St. Paul, Minnesota. His work as Artistic Director of the Valyermo Dancers continues to be complemented by his roles as Sacred & Liturgical Dance Workshop Leader and Clinician and as Independent Educational Consultant on Equity and Social Justice. In 2013 he received the honor of “Man of Valor” from the NAACP. He lends his expertise to schools and organizational boards in Southern California. John has been on the Board of Directors of the Sacred Dance Guild since 2017.

INTRODUCTION TO DANCE AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE | Leslie Zehr (Cairo, EGYPT)

Workshops: Saturday, Aug. 1 – 3:00 pm – Sunday, Aug. 2 – 9:00 am

Combining, Mindfulness, Movement and Sacred Connection. Dance as a Spiritual Practice is a program developed by Leslie Zehr, Sacred Dance instructor from Egypt and author of The Alchemy of Dance: Sacred Dance as a Path to the Universal Dancer. Through her book and classes, Leslie has taught hundreds of women the art of Sacred Dance. This program is designed to introduce students to the elements of sacred dance and how it can be used as a spiritual practice. It is a balance of theory and practice. The concepts and practices are explained and then reinforce through guided movement exercises—creating a personal experience for the student to draw on. For this festival Leslie has develop a condensed 1-hour introductory class of her longer 2-hour workshop and online course. Participants will have other opportunity to experience dance as a moving meditation with no expectations about what it looks like, only what it feels like from the inside. You need not be a dancer or have any previous dance experience. The practices are simple and fun, bringing the element of joy to your spiritual practice.

Leslie ZEHR – is a writer and teacher of Sacred Dance, helping women reconnect to the sacred feminine. She is also the host of the Sacred Dance Summit, as well as being an aromatherapist, hypnotherapist, reiki master and astrologer. She has published two books, The Alchemy of Dance: Sacred Dance as a Path to the Universal Dancer and The Al-chemia Remedies: Vibrational Essences from Egyptian Flowers and Sacred Sites. Her workshops have been attended by hundreds of women of different nationalities and taken her from Cairo and ancient Egyptian temples along the Nile River to studios and centers in New York, Maine, Maryland, Arizona, Washington, Puerto Rico and now to an online platform the Universal Dancer Temple of the Sacred Arts. Through dance, Leslie retells the archetypal stories, taking women back through time to the essence of their being, initiating and unlocking the esoteric wisdom buried deep within their psyche.

Website: http://www.universaldancer.com/

___________________

Film Festival/Video Showings/Presentations

Monday, August 3rd will be a mini “Film Festival” including various videos or clips of videos with presentation, talkback and/or facilitated post viewing dialogue.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

In addition to registered Festival Participants, this day will also be open to additional registered guests.
This Film Festival Day is open at NO COST to all!
For those registered for Festival, you will automatically receive the ZOOM links for all of the Film Festival events at the same time as you receive links to all other sessions.
You MUST register to attend the one day Film Festival – to register send an email to pres@sacreddanceguld.org BY THURSDAY JULY 30, 2020 with “SDG FILM FESTIVAL” in the subject line
You will receive the link via email before the event.

FILM PRESENTATIONS ARE LISTED BELOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY NAME OF PRESENTER

“RECONNECTIONS” and “BLACK LIVES MATTER“ – DANCIN’ AFRICA (BARBADOS)

Showing: Aug. 3 – 2:30 – 3:30 pm EDT (with “This Bitter Earth”)

Dancin Africa is a Community based dance group in Barbados, founded in 1992. The group is currently based at the National Cultural Foundation’s Dance Studio and UWI’s EBCCI.

“Reconnections” Choreographer Keisha Dowridge – Inspiration was wanting to celebrate who they were as a society as a nation, wanting to reconnect to their ancestry and bring to the forefront through dance.

“Black Lives Matter” Choreographer Aisha Dayo Comissiong – This dance catalogues the many white racist murders and acts of terrorism perpetrated against black or African people down through the ages and eliciting the immortal anguished cry of appeal and protest. “I Can’t Breath” But for every knocking down there is a rising: for every death and burial there is a resurrection, culminating in the collective affirmation – “They Tried to bury us, but they didn’t know that we are seeds!”

“BLESSED IS SHE WHO DANCES FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE” | DE SOLA, Carla | by KIRK, Martha Ann (San Antonio, Texas – USA)

Presentation: Aug. 3 – 4:00 – 5:00 pm EDT

Story, images, and film clips shared by Sister Martha Ann Kirk, ThD, University of the Incarnate Word. Carla De Sola, has been designated a “Living Legacy” by the Sacred Dance Guild. Hear a little of her amazing life and she may even peek in to answer questions. She is a Juilliard-educated modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, and author, who has danced professionally since the 1960’s. As a dancer-in-residence at the largest cathedral in the world in the 1970’s she developed the depth and scope of sacred dance. This presentation will focus on how many of her choreographies and writings explore issues of peace, the environment, and social justice.

Dance and the arts can lead lamentation in the face of evil and nurture imagination and creativity. The fear that leads to violence is often irrational and prompted by emotions. Arts can help to illumine and to heal feelings. The ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, influenced De Sola and led to the name Omega Liturgical Dance Company which was at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. De Chardin’s ideas underlie her extensive use of dance based on caring for creation including the annual St. Francis’ day Earth Mass which draws about 5,000 to the Cathedral. It began in 1985 and continues to this day. Whether dancing for peace with the Soviets or the Irish or leading people in anti-nuclear demonstrations, De Sola’s compassion and grace allure people to follow her lead. For more see https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1063&context=verbumincarnatum

Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D., a University of the Incarnate Word Professor, is developing an archival site with biographical sections she has written for a book with Carla’s oral history https://desola.omeka.net/. Sr. Martha Ann had the joy of first taking a dance workshop with Carla in the 1970’s. She has co-created the Carla De Sola YouTube channel with 28 of her choreographies since the 1980’s https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClG5oWfxeFGjRmxIPahDoxg With Rev. Sylvia Miller- Mutia, she initiated The Spirit Moves Omega, an “online studio” with Carla De Sola and the Omega West Dancers

https://spiritmovesomega.weebly.com/ Sr. Martha Ann is interested in how dance, arts, and beauty can renew us and how stories can help people connect, grow, and thrive. Among her books is Iraqi Women of Three Generations: Challenges, Education, and Hopes for Peace http://peacecenterbooks.com/iraqi-women/ The first SDG Festival she remembers was at Endicott in 1975 and she has loved SDG ever since!

“WATERWAY” and “CALL OF KAIROSs” | Helena FROEHLICH (Boston, USA)

Showing: Aug. 3 – 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT (with “54 Capitals, 54 Dancers” Showing)

Helena Froehich, artistic director of CreationDance and SDG member since 2005, has been choreographing dances for stages Artistic director of CreationDance, faculty of the Boston Ballet School and SDG member since 2005, Helena Froehlich has been choreographing dances for stages and sacred dance settings and houses of worship, in Europe and the USA all her life. She will be sharing two video clips from tow full length performances she co-created.

“Waterway” – Created in Alsace, France, ‘Waterway” is inspired by the century old traditions of pilgrimage, many of which would start from different European Countries and finish by the Ocean of San Sebastian in Spain. The story: Through this piece’s journey, we travel with our staffs along the rivers and paths, discovering nature’s treasures, growing through challenges and self-exploration, cleansing and renewing with the power of Water and Life …

Concept & Choreography: Helena Froehlich and Isabelle Fuchs
Original music: Joe Krencker, played by Joe Krencker (upright basses & sampler) and Philippe Leclerc (saxophones)
Dancers: Dancers: Anton Reza Bernal, Helena Froehlich, Isabelle Fuchs, Mircea Ghinea
Production: Collectif Insight & CreationDance

“Call of Kairos” – Created in Massachusetts, USA, “Call of Kairos” is collaboration of hearts and minds that came together to offer an immersive multi-media experience, telling a compelling story of life choices, using a unique combination of live Contemporary Dance & Latin Ballroom & live Music & Theater & Dance Film with 30 performers on stage. We created a story both unique and universal, inviting all to be aware of the “Kairos moments” appearing in our personal and global lives, where we can take a chance and make a positive contribution. The story: The Healer emerges out of the primal forest. Her incantation offers, to anyone open enough to hear and with courage to follow, the call of an authentic life and her call to heal our primal world. In a castle world far away, The Daughter longs for her true self and for meaning beyond self. Across time and space they find each other. Chances are taken. Choices are made.

Production, Copyrights & Artistic Director: Spectral Unicorn LLC & Murray Sackman
Choreographic & Artistic Director: Helena Froehlich
Direction: James Beauregard and Craig Handel
Artistic Advisor: Kenny Raskin
Choreographic Collaborator & Movement Coach: Katherine Crockett
Additional Ballroom Choreography: All The Ballroom Dancers
Live Music: Stan Strickland, Akili Jamal Haynes, Kenny Raskin, Karl Clinton, Kensuke Shoji, Helena Froehlich
And several pieces of music were composed for this Show & Film
Film & Music Editing by Gerry Sackman (4 Emmy’s) Cinematography & Film Editing by A J Dimaculangan

“54 CAPITALS, 54 DANCERS” | Marylee HARDENBERGH (Minneapolis, USA)

Showing: Aug. 3 – 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT (with Waterway and Call of the Kairos Showing)

This film represents the outcome of a strong embodied sense that came to me about the power of women standing together. Marylee says “I believe that something sacred happens when people commit to being together consciously at precisely the same moment in time, even though thousands of miles apart geographically. The impact of this deepens when people are in special places on the land.” These women were invited to go to their State Capitol steps and to perform a three-minute dance: not standing FOR anything, nor standing AGAINST anything, simply standing TOGETHER. Then, at precisely the same moment, these women performed solo yet not alone, creating unity, at their Capitals (50 states and 4 territories of the USA). On Sunday, November 10, 2019, the simultaneous dance stretched across 8 time zones: 6:33 AM In Guam; 10:33 AM in Hawaii; 11:33 in Alaska; etc and 4:33 PM in Puerto Rico/ Virgin Islands!

Marylee Hardenbergh – is both a choreographer and a therapist. She has worked as a Dance Therapist for over 40years, and trained directly with Irmgard Bartenieff and Penny Lewis Bernstein, and is a Board-Certified Dance Therapist. Marylee has led many movement choirs and loves to use Space Harmony in her work. As a choreographer, she created Global Site Performance. Her goal is to use dance to transform the environment so that people experience it with renewed eyes and heart. She believes that the power of dance — with its moving colors and harmonious rhythms — deepens the audience’s sense of place and how we humans fit into the landscape. Marylee is also a founder and the director of the Global Water Dance project. For over 30 years, Marylee has been known for her outdoor site-specific choreographies. The numerous awards and grants Marylee has received include fellowships for choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts in the USA and the Soros Foundation. Marylee brings in a therapeutic sensitivity to all of her choreography.

“THIS BITTER EARTH” | Judith ROSE & Igor S (Nyack, New York, USA)

Showing: Aug. 3 – 2:30 – 3:30 pm EDT (with Dancin’ Africa Showing)

In 1960, during a time of deep personal struggle, the iconic blues singer Dinah Washington recorded a haunting song called “This Bitter Earth”. In 2010, contemporary composer Max Richter enhanced the poignancy of the song by mixing it with his own cello soundtrack. Igor and Judith were moved to create original choreography to this stirring rendition. Their choreographic process was organic, interactive, and dynamic, leading to a deep excavation of the power and challenge inherent in authentic relationships that often defy boundaries of age, gender preference, and cultural history. The dance closes with a snapshot of the human longing to be in the ultimate of all relationships, the one with the Divine. This is symbolized by the final upward reaching gesture. The extension of the pointed finger is a kinesthetic reference to Michelangelo’s depiction of the Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel.

Igor S, director of NY DanceSport, is a former competitive champion dancer, an award-winning performer and choreographer. He brings a determined but encouraging energy to all his clients and classes.

Judith Rose, the founder of Vital Movement™, is an experienced educator, choreographer, poet, and movement artist. Her private practice in therapeutic wellness and her group movement journeys are based in Nyack, NY.

“SACRED DANCE GUILD LIVING LEGACY INTERVIEW WITH LAURA SHANNON” (Canterbury, ENGLAND)

Intro and talkback with Tricia Lee

Showing: Aug. 3 – 10:00 – 11:00 am EDT

This Living Legacy interview was recorded on Sunday, June 28^th, 2020 with Sacred Dance Guild Honorary Member – Laura Shannon. This was the 2nd interview (first was with David Taylor on June 7^th) in a series that is asking Sacred Dance Guild honorary members FIVE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS! These questions were crafted by the Sacred Dance Guild Legacy Project Team working to create a Sacred Dance Guild Facilitator’s Accreditation Program who wanted to ensure that the deep thoughts of our honorary members are captured and included in the material that will be part of the Legacy Project to inform the present and the future.

Laura was interviewed by Sacred Dance Guild Co-Vice President Tricia mary Lee who will be with us at the showing for Introduction and talkback.

LAURA SHANNON is a dance ethnographer and dance movement therapist who has been researching and teaching traditional women’s ritual dances for more than thirty years. Her main focus is on Greek, Balkan, and Armenian women’s dances, and their inherently sacred, healing, and therapeutic qualities. Laura is considered one of the ‘grandmothers’ of the worldwide Sacred/Circle Dance movement and teaches in more than twenty countries worldwide. She holds degrees in Intercultural Studies and Dance Movement Therapy, and recently completed a Master’s degree in Myth, Cosmology, and the Sacred at Canterbury Christ Church University in England. Laura trained in Sacred Dance at the Findhorn ecological community in Scotland in 1987 and has been on the faculty of the Sacred Dance Department of the Findhorn Foundation since 1998. She also has a background in women’s Middle Eastern dance as a spiritual practice.

“MOVING INTO THE INFINITE” | Paramjyoti Carola STIEBER (GERMANY)

Showing: Aug. 3 – 11:30 – 12:30 pm EDT

Paramjyoti (Carola Stieber) will take us on an adventure. She will describe how her poetic documentary “Moving into the Infinite” came to existence and relate a few behind-the-scenes stories. What caused her to shift from being a dancer to becoming a filmmaker? What was the motivation for the production and what was the driving force to follow through?

Paramjyoti’s film is a pilgrimage, both outward, into the world and inward, towards one’s own heart. This modern fairytale points towards “the most intimate of all relationships” – – what might that be for each individual? Together with Paramjyoti we will embark on an inner discovery with meditation, listening to some of her stories, watching parts of her film and entering a dialogue. (See her website: www.movingintotheinfinite.com)

Concert

Festival participants are invited to our first “online” concert – as a performer (see below) or part of the audience! All will join together after the concert for a talkback and social time !

Festival Concert | Sunday- 7:30 pm EDT | Youtube & Zoom

All dancers at any level of training and experience are welcome to attend the pre Opening workshop at 5:00 pm EDT on Friday. Following the workshop, participants can decide if they would like to perform in the concert itself. Those wanting to be part of the concert must attend the rehearsal at 3:00 pm (EDT) on Sunday. The piece is being offered as the Festival Concert on Sunday, Aug. 2^nd at 7:30 pm (EDT) by the Trinity Movement Choir and guests have been working on this piece at on line rehearsals/gatherings for the past few months as well as Festival participants who attend the Friday workshop and the Sunday rehearsal.

Sharings

“Sharings” are a cherished festival tradition, stretching back the SDG’s very first festivals over 50 years ago! A sharing is an informal time to present a dance (live or by video) you have been working on, a reading or poem or something else(??). If you have other ideas do Sharing Coordinator: Mary Kamp.

We provide the technical support and the online space. You bring your dance, your music, your video and your costuming, as you need. Festival participants are usually happy to offer feedback, if you’d like.

Sharings are often some of the most inspiring moments of festival.

This year, there will be TWO on line sharing times:

Saturday, Aug. 1st – 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm EDT
Sunday, Aug. 2nd – 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm EDT

If you have questions or you would like to sign up to present at a sharing in advance, please contact: Sharing Coordinator: Mary Kamp

Special Events

Opening

Friday, July 31 – 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT

Meet some of the Faculty and Presenters, gather in small “breakout” groups and connect with other dancing particpants, Dance our Intentions (with Maria Sangiorgi) as we come together to begin our Journey of Discovery and “Draw the Circle Wide” around the globe!

Social Time/Not So Silent Auction

Saturday, Aug. 1 – 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT

Betsy O’Neill and Dawn Harris will host a time together just to “be”! Gather in small breakout rooms – share wine or coffee (depending on where in the world you are!), share stories and dance together.

We will also use this time for our first “NOT SO SILENT AUCTION“! So find those small, easily transportable “treasures” that it’s time for you to pass on and that you think another dancer would love to have! You’ll be able to “bid” on items that are “show and tell” by the current owner! Following the Festival, if you are the successful bidder on an item, you pay the amount to the Sacred Dance Guild and the owner will ship that item off to you! Your donation (both those purchasing and those bringing and shipping items) helps the Sacred Dance Guild continue to offer programs and services to one and all!

Living Legacy Interview

Sunday, Aug. 2 – 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm EDT

The Sacred Dance Guild is honored to have Banafsheh Sayyad as our FOURTH Interviewee in a series that will take place between June and August 2020. We are particularly delighted to have this interview as a part of this Festival. This Interview series is asking Sacred Dance Guild honorary members FIVE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS! These questions were crafted by the Sacred Dance Guild Legacy Project Team who are working to create a Sacred Dance Guild Facilitator’s Accreditation Program who wanted to ensure that the deep thoughts of our honorary members are captured and included in the material that will be part of the Legacy Project to inform present and future sacred dancers.

Banafsheh Sayyad is a master Persian sacred dancer, choreographer, transformational teacher and founder of Dance of Oneness®. She communicates mystical concepts in a passionate yet meditative way, invoking the ancient roots of dance as devotion, celebration and prayer while blazing an unique trail in contemporary dance with a masterly fusion of high level dance technique and spiritual embodiment. See the details and to egister for this Interview at https://sacreddanceguild.org/event-details/?event=475. This event is open to all registered participants of Festival 2020 as well as to other registered guests (registration instructions for those who are NOT registered for the Festival are showing on the link above).

Closing

Monday, Aug. 3 – 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm EDT

Saying goodbye at a Sacred Dance Guild Festival is always an emotional experience! We expect it to be that way even though we are “physically distant” because we know the spirit of the dancers “connect” in deep and profound ways that transcend the time and space between us! We know you will reconnect with people you’ve met in the past and we know you will meet new friends that you will continue to connect with. We will dance together and “Draw the Circle Wide” as we continue to dance on waves of grace around the planet!

SDG Annual General Gathering

Monday – Aug. 3 – 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT

The Board of Directors invites you to the Annual General Gathering of the Sacred Dance Guild where the ballot for the 2020/2021 Directors will be “counted” and where we share the accomplishments of the year just completed and plans for the upcoming year. A link to the gathering will be sent to members who are not registered for the Festival itself prior to the event.

Register

Registration Fees

The full package includes all festival online events.

Full package – SDG Members & Affiliates: $80.00 USD
Full package – Non-members: $120 USD

Scholarships

The Sacred Dance Guild is committed to offering programs and opportunities to all. In these unprecedented times we know many are struggling so we will also be providing a limited number of partial and full scholarships for those who must dance with us but are financially challenged. For information on scholarships contact Betsy at betsea2000@gmail.com

Cancellation Policy

A $20 cancellation fee will be charged for refunds up to July 15^th. No refunds after July 24th. You can transfer your registration to someone else by advising the registrar at pres@sacreddanceguild.org

Waiver

A Festival Waiver is included on the Registration Page. Please read the information provided and select your response. This will be considered your electronic signature.

It is important to note that our online process DOES provide participants to turn OFF their video and to change the name displayed. All sessions will be recorded for SDG archives, publicity, and promotion.

Sponsors/Donations

Sharing what we have is how we can all dance together in peace and unity around the world. The Sacred Dance Guild is committed to opening our doors to all who want to dance from their sacred hearts! Your gift provides those who would not otherwise be able to join us an opportunity to dance on into the village. Deep bows to you for sharing your gifts.

This option is available on the Registration form. If you are unable to join us at the Festival but wish to be a sponsor – click HERE to make your donation and we’ll do the rest!

Technical Notes- For Online Zoomers!

The 2020 Festival will be using ZOOM as our platform for all classes and activities with the exception of the Festival Concert on Sunday that may be viewed on the SDG YouTube channel. We will SEND you details before the Festival!

Participant’s Guide to Improving Your Zoom Experience

Everyone wants a high-quality video and audio connection to the Zoom session where you can see and hear everyone and they can see and hear you. However, we all experience temporary (or ongoing) connection issues or bandwidth problems that can affect our ability to participate in a Zoom event.

Here are some suggestions that can help to provide the best experience!

Disconnect other devices on your local network that may be using up bandwidth. Even “uploads” can cause “download” problems. In particular, streaming services (like Netflix) or online gaming via platforms like XBox Live can have a dramatic impact on Zoom quality, so if you’re sharing an internet connection with others, maybe ask them to “pause” while you’re participating in your event!
Use “Speaker View” instead of “Gallery View”. This is a general suggestion as having only one video stream on screen at a time reduces the bandwidth needed. Most of the Festival sessions will use “Spotlight” so the presenter will be in the center of the screen so that will override the view you have selected. In some classes we will want you to use Gallery View so you can see others in the “group”! Don’t worry though – every session will have two “tech” people there with you so should be able to provide advice at the moment!
Turn off your video. Turning off your video during the workshop dips in Internet bandwidth and can help improve your audio. Sometimes; however, the presenter likes to see those in the session so might ask people to turn their videos ON. In sessions with a large number of participants turning the video “off” can improve the sound for everyone!
Quit other applications on your computer that may be using significant processing power. Having lots of open browser tabs can also cause problems.
Use a wired connection to your home router if possible. WiFi signal quality can vary inside your house. Don’t worry if you don’t have this option – it’s just a “nice to have” for those who know what this even means!!
Check your internet speed with speedtest.net. Speeds of 600kbps (0.6mbps) are required for Zoom (both download and upload). Speeds of 1.2mbps are required for high quality video. If your speeds are below these values, consider using a smartphone (#4, above) or, if possible, connect to another network. Your internet provider may have options for increasing your bandwidth as well.
Use headphones if you have them and are comfortable doing so. Your audio issue may not be related to bandwidth at all. Headphones reduce echo and feedback issues. Those with microphones can reduce background noise.

Contacts

For general inquiries:

admin@sacreddanceguild.org

1-877-422-8678 (toll-free in North America)

+1-410-647-5002 (outside of North America, answered by Next Wave Group)

Click the names below to email:

Registrar: Wendy Morrell

Sharing Coordinator: Mary Kamp

Video Coordinator: Marylee Hardenbergh

Scholarship Coordinator: Betsy O’Neill

Concert Coordinator: Marilyn Green

Participant Support: Jennifer Payne and Elaine Sisler

Social Time Host: Dawn Harris and Betsy O’Neill

Tech Contacts: Pulelehua (Ruth Marie) Quirk and Jessica Abejar

Festival 2020 – On Line Festival

Virtually There | Sacred Dance Festival

A Sacred Dance Experience..

FESTIVAL 2020 INFORMATION BELOW:

Program

Workshops

Film Festival/Video Showings/Presentations

Concert

Sharings

Special Events

Register

Registration Fees

Scholarships

Cancellation Policy

Waiver

Sponsors/Donations

Technical Notes- For Online Zoomers!

Participant’s Guide to Improving Your Zoom Experience

Contacts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply