The elements of our natural world contain wisdom and potent medicine for our souls. Learning to dance with them can assist us in attracting and amplifying their energy to support us on our life's journey. Fire represents our life force, desire, and purpose. We can work with this element to transform our thoughts into conscious action, lead with confidence, and expand our reach.
In 2019, I began a journey of searching for spiritual dance communities that existed outside of religion. At first, I found myself in several different conscious dance communities. These groups placed a strong emphasis on freedom in movement, meaning moving intuitively without any structure or choreography. As someone who has a strong background in modern dance, I have a deep appreciation for improvisational movement practices. I was excited to be in communities with people who were eager to move however they pleased. However, I kept finding myself in conversations with people who disliked the idea of choreography and even thought it hindered those seeking spiritual growth through movement.
Astrology is a language. It speaks of movement and positions of varying celestial bodies and how those things impact us on a personal and collective level here on earth. Dance too is a language of movement and positions, bringing insight to our internal and external experiences as human beings here on this plane of existence. When we incorporate the language of astrology into our movement practices and artistic endeavors, we gain an even greater understanding of the energy available to us which can help us expand our creative edges and find deeper meaning in our craft.
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.
Religious trauma left its mark on many areas of my life. But it’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve been able to recognize the impact it had on my dance career and reclaim dance as an art form that could bring me pleasure. As a young adult, my spiritual beliefs led me to invest my skills and artistic endeavors inside of an evangelical bubble. I sought purpose in a carefully guarded community where dance (or any kind of artistic expression) was valued mostly as an act of service. The sole purpose of my dance activities was to inspire people to give their lives to Jesus. This singular focus steered me away from opportunities that could have offered me artistic growth and professional expansion.
This blog is a resource for spiritual seekers, aspiring to professional dancers, and all those in between. I've spent more than half of my life weaving together my professional dance career and my spiritual path as both are equally important to me. The points of intersection that I've discovered over the past two decades are what fuels my soul. It's been a wild adventure and also a profoundly transformational journey - one that continues to evolve. My hope in reading this blog is that you'll be inspired to explore spirituality in new and embodied ways while also deepening your relationship with yourself and this incredible world we inhabit.
