Sacred
Circle Dance
.yppof h eb lliw uoy ,gnihton egduJ
One a the things that attracted me to Circle Dance
By Kelly Smith
was the warm invitation for everyone to dance exactly as they are.
.reiPicture a eb lliw a uoy ,gnihtyreve elights oF
ppah room with lovely wooden floor, fairy vigr
twinkling from the ceiling, and a centre piece filled with
candles, flowers and colour. And now imagine a group of
.tsdancers holding hands as theyy ,gnihtwirl evemove L
eippah eb lliw uo whirl and tyr and evo
together in seamless harmony. No, these are not professional dancers who have been practicing for years; this
yom this evening group just metnihC irS for the sole purpose of dancing for the joy of it.
Sacred Circle Dance is a collection of dances and music
from all over the world. Some dances are very simple, others are a little more complicated but all are easily mastered
within a few minutes of practice. Some of the dances are
ancient, while others have been recently choreographed.
Two of my own dances were inspired by the soundtracks
of “Shrek” and “Rent”.
In a typical evening of Circle Dance, we might open with
an ancient Celtic dance, move to a traditional Israeli
greeting dance, then groove to a Bob Marley classic. Add
a Native American dance, a lively Greek dance, and the
soft, sensual hip movements of a Gypsy dance.
One of the things that attracted me to Circle Dance was
the warm invitation for everyone to dance exactly as they
are. There is no emphasis on performance or expectation
to get it ‘right’. We come with our ‘two left feet’ and our
‘lack of rhythm’ and our out-of-shape bodies, and yet
somehow none of this matters when the music starts. We
do create something sacred when we dance and laugh together.
Kelly Smith has been teaching Circle Dance in Barrie and
Orillia for more than fifteen years.
■ Kelly Smith, B.A., B.S.W., RSW
Circle Dance Facilitator
[email protected]
705-792-5999
Join us for our next dance on
Monday, July 14 at 7pm at the
Midhurst Community Centre!
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