{"id":86,"date":"2017-01-17T00:41:14","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T00:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/?p=86"},"modified":"2017-01-17T01:20:35","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T01:20:35","slug":"dance-it-out-getting-a-taste-of-the-trance-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/17\/dance-it-out-getting-a-taste-of-the-trance-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Dancing it out: A taste of the trance dance"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cards are splayed out before the beginning of the trance dance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For this blog, I have compiled a list of more than 100 experiences to pursue.<\/p>\n

But for my first \u201cexperience,\u201d I undertook something I hadn\u2019t even heard of a week earlier: a trance dance.<\/p>\n

I was treating myself to a <\/em>deliciously relaxing Swedish massage when the therapist began telling me about the new class her shop was offering.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t pretend that her explanation — which included music, dancing, blindfolds and a talking stick — made me understand exactly what was going to transpire.<\/p>\n

But, in my mellow state, I thought, \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

It is entirely possible some of the worst ideas ever — subprime mortgages and waffle tacos, for example — were launched with a casual \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

The trance dance was not a disaster. But if your mind leans toward the left brain, demanding logic and analytics to make sense of the world, you might want to stop reading before your head explodes.<\/p>\n

Because the trance dance is not about measurable achievements; it is about a state of mind.<\/p>\n

The 75-minute class at Body Wisdom Healing Group in Clintonville combines music, movement and introspection to promote \u201cspiritual awakenings, mental clarity, physical stamina and emotional well-being,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n

That is asking quite a bit from a class, and I won\u2019t say I achieved all (or even any) of those goals. But it was rather relaxing.<\/p>\n

It was similar to a guided meditation, with a bit of movement melded in.<\/p>\n

My friend Rebecca and I were the sole students in the first trance dance class at the Indianola Avenue studio. Instructor Rita Carnevale has a long history in holistic health applications and has studied with one of the premier teachers of the trance dance form.<\/p>\n

She opened the class by burning a bit of sage to cleanse the room, a serene cork-floored, gray-walled space typical of yoga studios.<\/p>\n

The three of us sat on mats around a small arrangement \u2013 a candle, which served as our central fire; a deck of animal cards fanned out; and maracas.<\/p>\n

We each drew a card to find the animal that was to be our ally during our dance, a guide to help us find the answer to whatever question we pondered as we moved. I panicked; I didn\u2019t have a question in mind. Was I supposed to have prepared for this class?<\/p>\n

I pulled the prairie dog, which I interpreted as a reference to activity, curiosity and community, but Rita said it was associated with the word \u201cretreat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly I had much to ponder, because in my new chapter in life, retreat is the last option I\u2019m considering. Is the universe saying I should calm the heck down?<\/p>\n

Shaking a hand rattle in each of the four directions, Rita called to the spirits: serpent, jaguar, hummingbird and eagle. She called to the spirits of earth and sky as well before getting to business.<\/p>\n

Rebecca and I tied scarves across our eyes as Rita began a CD of music over which her voice guided our minds through a forest and onward. The music overpowered her voice at times, and I missed the cue to begin dancing, but I rose as I heard Rebecca moving about.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t say how enthusiastically Rebecca danced, being blindfolded and all, but my movements were definitely on the conservative side.<\/p>\n

Being blindfolded is probably supposed to reduce the self-consciousness factor, but I kept thinking, \u201cI\u2019m blindfolded in a dim room, and kind of swaying like a drunk at a Buffett concert. I really hope I don\u2019t bounce off the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get fully lost in the moment, but the activity was calming. Anytime you have a chance to think without distraction, a kind of peace will settle. There aren’t many times in our day when we are alone with our thoughts.<\/p>\n

The dance portion of the class lasted about 30 minutes, and the time passed quickly.<\/p>\n

After the dance, we passed the talking stick and had the opportunity to share our thoughts. I had no great insights, given how I had been fixated on not falling down.<\/p>\n

Am I glad to have taken the class? Yes. I love the way meditation makes me feel, and I don\u2019t do it often enough. This class was along those lines.<\/p>\n

Would I take it again? Maybe. Only next time, I\u2019ll have a question in mind.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: Worth the effort<\/em><\/p>\n

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Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For this blog, I have compiled a list of more than 100 experiences to pursue. But for my first \u201cexperience,\u201d I undertook something I hadn\u2019t even heard of a week earlier: a trance dance. I was treating myself to a deliciously relaxing Swedish massage when the therapist began telling me about the new class her … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Dancing it out: A taste of the trance dance”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","hentry","category-uncategorized","post_format-post-format-image"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8ocxK-1o","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions\/93"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyfiles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}