Solar dance practices are outward expressions of kinetic energy that help us ignite our creativity and harness our personal power. They are initiated and executed in the body with conscious intention. In this article, I share my four favorite solar dance practices that help me to embody my fullest expression and have a positive impact on the people, places, or things I would like to share my spiritual energy with. These practices are Conscious Dance, Prayer Dance, Prophetic Dance, and Shamanic Dance.
The goal of a solar dance practice is to bring light to the world around you so that you can feel confident taking up space and positively impacting the people and places in your sphere of influence. We draw inspiration and strength from the archetype of the sun and express that energy through the activation of our hearts. These are spiritual dance practices, meaning they connect us to the unseen world and help us engage with the divine. The modalities I will share with you are just a few of the many forms of spiritual dance that I teach. Check out EPISODE 4 of my podcast for a more extensive list.
First, we have CONSCIOUS DANCE. This is a practice that honors the sacredness of body, breath, and presence. It encourages dancers to move mindfully, bringing awareness to all of the creative possibilities available to us in the human form. My favorite type of conscious dance is a practice called JourneyDance which leads me on a path of waking my body up to all that I have access to and choosing the narrative I want to embody. The only guideline in this freestyle form of dance is to express yourself in the most authentic way possible. If this is something you've never experienced, I highly recommend searching for conscious dance classes near you or attending a virtual JourneyDance class. This practice has been vital for my mental and emotional well-being and has given me the courage to expand and take up space in this world.
Next, we have PRAYER DANCE. This is an expression of our relationship with the Divine. Some refer to it as embodied prayer. It is a whole-body method of communicating our desires, needs, or affection for that which we hold sacred. Prayer dance empowers us to send positive healing energy towards someone or something or manifest that which we need or want. It’s an incredibly nourishing practice both on a personal and collective level. So often I find that words limit the scope of what I want to express to the divine. But my body in motion can communicate clearly when words aren’t enough. It allows us to express gratitude and adoration for our spiritual connections on an entirely different level. If you’ve ever watched someone dance their prayers I’m sure you’d agree what a powerful and inspiring thing it is. You can learn more about prayer dance by reading this BLOG ARTICLE.
Next, we have PROPHETIC DANCE. This is the practice of sharing divinely inspired messages kinetically in the physical body. Like prayer dance, we are sending positive energy out towards someone or something through creative, whole-body expression. But prophecy involves some level of channeling - it implies that the messages are coming directly from the spiritual realm. When I pray (either for myself or for someone else), it's because there's a need longing to be met. I petition my spiritual connection(s) to send energy my way. With prophetic dance - the reverse is happening. Spirit is longing to communicate with us about something and we choose to allow that message to come through our bodies, sending it out in the direction of whomever or whatever needs to hear that message. Those messages can then be interpreted using a practice I teach called Dance Divination.
As a choreographer, a lot of my works begin from themes and sequences I channel in my dreams. Then I wake up and rush to learn it before it’s gone. When those pieces make it to the stage, they are considered a form of prophetic dance because they are movement messages delivered to my audience from the supernatural realm. In my experience, prophetic dance is a powerful tool for group, collective, and/or environmental healing, though it can also be done in a 1-1 setting. I've also experienced prophetic dance come through for many different purposes such as when there’s a need for protection, encouragement, edification, or instruction surrounding things to come.
Finally, we have SHAMANIC DANCE. This is a restorative practice of helping people remember who they are through embodied dance rituals. A shaman is an intuitive healer. The word shaman literally means “one who knows”. Shamanic dance can be practiced one-on-one in a healing container or as a group for collective healing. Either way, this process begins by connecting with the spirit realm through a dance meditation that helps you move into a trance-like state so you can move between worlds and redirect spiritual energy back into the physical realm, usually for the purpose of healing. Shamanic dance is a practice that involves a lot of different modalities. Shamans initiate a dialogue with source on behalf of another. Typically a shaman sets an intention, dances as a form of meditation to achieve an altered state, and then channels movement that communicates messages of healing and inspiration. Read more about this practice in my BLOG ARTICLE on this topic.
These practices are a small portion of what I teach as a spiritual dance educator. CLICK HERE to learn more about my work and then JOIN MY MAILING LIST to receive a FREE Spiritual Dance Guidebook that offers a more thorough understanding of the world of Spiritual Dance.
