Dancing Isis Dance!

Posts Tagged ‘centre’

I loved the classes, I found them really useful in so many ways, the way you explained the skeletal system and got me thinking about my bones rather than muscles was fantastic. The ways in which you described the movement was easy to understand and it was all at a good pace I thought. I looked forward to coming to each class. I enjoyed the before and after stretching etc a lot also. If anything I was going to ask you if you would consider making a CD of your talking through the breathing and movement to buy so I could do it at home as I found that part so useful and meditative!
The dancing was great, I felt movement in parts I had never used before and the use of parts of the body which I hadn’t consciously thought of before also and this is of great benefit I think to health and awareness. I thank you for your teachings and beautiful space in which to learn, I felt your encouragement and approachability.

Recreational Egyptian Dance class – Naomi 2009

What Yvonne had to say about SensingFeelingDancing the Charkas 2009

“Thank you, Maria, for providing an exquisite space in which our inner feelings, our inner life really, can be explored and expressed through dance.  I’m finding this experience tremendously purifying and healing. Each week, as another Chakra becomes enlivened and strengthened, the process has assisting me in my journey from fragmentation to wholeness.”

Dance when you’re broken open.
Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off
Dance in the middle of fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
Jelaluddin Rumi – 13th century

Rumi understood the power of dance as a catalyst for transformation. Last year we celebrated Rumi’s 800th birthday and Yalla celebrated 10 years of bringing their love of Middle Eastern music and dance to Australia. Yalla has another incarnation which is called The Sanctuary Ensemble. It was formed in 2003 to celebrate the Spirit of Rumi, playing traditional and inspired Sufi music, reading his words and to dance. Yalla’s focus has been to bring upbeat Middle Eastern music and dance to its audiences, The Sanctuary Ensemble is a way that we can express the deeper connection and to embody the contemplative transcendental side of this music and dance that resonates so deeply in our hearts.

The traditional aspect of what we play in Sanctuary is called a “Zirk” which means remembrance of Allah. It is the music of submission and surrender that bonds humans to God and transcends all religious boundaries. The whirling which is a part of the Zirk is the dance of turning like the earth spinning on its axis. There is also the Zaar which is a dance of release done by rhythmically swaying side to side and then releasing the head, the neck and allowing it to roll vigorously round and round until the dancer falls to the ground. This is one aspect of Sanctuary. The other aspect is the improvisational pieces that accompany the poetry and some original compositions all interpreted through dance.

I have always been drawn to expressing the unity of poetry and music. When the three become one the dancer is no longer the soloist, she becomes the element that weaves the music and the words. The dancer is not a distraction, she is the embodiment – you can still hear the word and the music as the dancer weaves them together.

I asked Harb Gill one of our readers why Sanctuary is important for her; she said “it takes me straight to the heart, because, like any meaningful art, that is where it comes from. The mesmerising music, moving ancient songs, Rumi’s words and wave upon wave of whirling dance all combine to open the heart and still the mind. I come out of it refreshed, harmonious and invigorated.”
This is true for all of us this is why we chose to embrace the art and spiritual practice from another culture that is essentially a Muslim practice when none of us are Muslim.

The most important instrument in this Sufi practice is the Ney. The Ney is a flute, made from a reed cut from a river bed that is hollowed out in the middle. It has nine holes that are said to represent the nine orifices of the body. The Ney makes hauntingly beautiful sounds and it is said to represent the yearning the lament the wanting to return to source. As the Soul also yearns to be united and to return to the source. When I dance the sound of the Ney moves through my spine and as the notes move so does my spine travelling through me carrying the words. Each time the same poem is read the words take on a deeper meaning that in turn deepens my dance.

The Chants called Illahi’s are also accompanied by percussion. The chants are played in various Macams which are like musical scales, each with a different meaning stirring a different emotions, used for different reasons, and at different times of the days and on different occasions. We are all involved in singing Illahi’s. I asked Ngame Grzisik our principal vocalist and composer what the dance meant to her in Sanctuary, she said, “ In this Sufi music, the dance expresses the flow of thought, feeling and spirit. The dancer responds deeply and intuitively to the poetry the music and sounds and whole experience of the group.”

While the sound of the Ney flute symbolises the lamenting and longing for the Beloved, the constant rhythmic beat of the Daf is the heart beat the driving pulse. The Daf is a frame drum of which the circle symbolises the circle of love and each of the rings inside it is each one of us.

Mik our percussionist said that performing in The Sanctuary Ensemble is a unique experience. He said, “drumming, entrancing, witnessing connection between word, music and dance. Learning about self and the nature of all things. Realising this connection also has taught me a lot about what prayer actually is. The wisdom of the text of Rumi is universal and not of one religion. That each religion fundamentally is universal. That each method of prayer to his/her own is equal in outcome. The expression of the dancer is from the heart – their prayer”.

The Sanctuary Ensemble celebrates the connection to this music and dance that has helped to bridge the cultural gap between Australian and Middle Eastern cultural and religions beliefs. Art, Music and Dance can transcend these boundaries.

As an artist I have the privilege to share the beauty of another culture with the community at large.

“As waves upon my head the circling curl,
So in the sacred dance weave ye and whirl.
Dance then, O heart, a whirling circle be.
Burn in this flame – is not the candle He? ”
Rumi

Rumi Translations by Colman Barks

Maria Sangiorgi

Initially I’d been a little apprehensive, aware that part of the workshop involved performing in front of my peers (actually people I hold in high regard) and teaching them a dance technique. Having participated in a few of Maria’s gatherings in the past, I recalled the safe, non-judgemental space she creates and knew that this would be a valuable experience for me personally and as a dancer/teacher. I let go of my fear of intimidation and embraced the anticipation.

We were an intimate group of eight and with very different styles of dance and ideas (something to celebrate) and as I’d hoped, Maria’s calm, vibrant ways had us quite relaxed. Informative discussion and exchange of ideas flowed. Movement awareness increased as we studied skeletons and physically related them to our own bodies. Maria’s knowledge of anatomy and movement is enlightening. Learning about such things as Alexander Technique immediately freed areas in my body. She has the ability to take you within your dance and within your self where you can experience the internal source of each movement rather than the external outcome. Maria admits that this can be very challenging and is sometimes confronting, but to those who are open to accepting it and willing to work to integrate it, it is amazing. It changes all aspects of your dance experience.

Although this virtually means I’ll have to unlearn so much of what I’m already familiar and comfortable with, I can clearly see the truth in it when I watch Maria dance. Someone commented that her dance holds all the elements – Her feet are connected to the Earth like tree roots and fire is in her belly. Her dance flows like water and she radiates through the air. My desire has altered from “I want to look like that”, to “I want to feel like that”. If only I could wake up tomorrow and be so within my core and my breath, radiating outwards in my dance. For me this will take time, work and commitment to make it my own, although in ways it has been manifesting in me for some time.

My turn to dance came late on the first afternoon by which time we’d all become quite comfortable amongst each other and I wasn’t feeling at all concerned about dancing in front of the women sharing this journey with me. The music commenced and suddenly I experienced a severe attack of nervousness. No matter how calm my head was with the whole idea, my body certainly wasn’t and I began to shake and feel completely uncoordinated. I didn’t enjoy my performance at all. The final beat couldn’t come fast enough. Immediately after each of us danced we were asked how we felt. I felt like vomiting! (This was purely my experience. We all felt differently after performing.) Feeling this way had completely thrown me as I usually don’t have nervousness about me at all while I dance. As I began to verbalise my experience I realised that I don’t consider myself a performer. I’m completely uncomfortable with being the centre of attention. When I dance publicly I am very much of the mind that I’m dancing with people. Even though essentially they are spectators, I feel that they are sharing in the celebration of the dance. Perhaps this is why I feel connected to the Tribal, Gypsy aspects of belly dance rather than the Cabaret style. (Which I also admire.) I cherish the gathering of women in a sacred space, the experience of self discovery and growth, the sharing of a life journey which occurs when women come together to share this dance. As a teacher, to witness a woman blossom from inwardness to self acceptance, then self appreciation and beyond. It is such a catalyst. But that is a whole other story…

As we began to teach each other movements it became apparent that collectively, as a group of teachers, we had pretty well all been taught and were teaching ‘externally’. This still appeared beautiful but didn’t encompass the essence of Middle Eastern Dance. It wasn’t being expressed from within and after an education in the difference it was apparent. Maria gently coaxed us away from what we all felt comfortable with as our own personal dance and had us experimenting with different ideas and open minds. An opportunity to explore our own dance style with the aim of improving the quality of our way of being. Maria along with others is concerned that if Middle Eastern Dance continues to be taught the way it so often is these days, as a Western ‘external’ activity, it will lose the very essence of what draws us to it in the first place. It’s very much about being and not doing. Just thought I’d also mention that for days after the workshop I experienced a great sense of clarity and centredness. Lovely!

Lisa Craigen, Barwon Heads

Sumemr School

Dear Maria,
I am writing to you to thank you for the amazing workshop that you taught at my studio in late January this year. I was in a very stuck space, both as a teacher and a dancer. I needed an injection of inspiration, which I got from your workshop. I gained a deeper insight into you and how to connect the dance much closer to my body than ever before. Your ability to make bones and muscles, mind and emotion all connect as one totally blew me away.

Techniques like the Shimmy and the Egyptian walk have been the hardest for me to teach to my students, but since doing your workshop, I have utilised the way you break moments down, and my students and I are doing the best shimmies ever!

As the day went on and I started to absorb more of what you were saying, I began to understand that the more loose and relaxed my bones and muscles were the more vulnerable my mind and body became to the music.

This concept gave me a whole new insight into improvisation, which is truly the art of the dance, expressing yourself freely in the magic of the moment. From this vulnerable state the dancer transforms the music from sound into a visual tangible feeling form, therefore justifying the music. This is where the journey begins for the dancer and the audience.

In this space there is an abundance of movement, whereas, if the mind takes over, there are limits to what the body can do. When our negative inner talk takes over, the dance becomes a stressful experience and Belly dancing is not meant to be stressful.

I also especially love the way you really focus on the belly being our dance centre. I think for me this is what inspired me the most. It brought me back to my body and my feeling centre. I can quite easily lose my centre; a lot of stress everyday and running a business can be over whelming. When I move my energy to my belly and dance from there, my feet instantly become heavier and I feel more grounded. This felt really good and I felt more present in the moment and my dance became more natural, not so contrived.

I am an Oriental Dancer, not a Folkloric Belly dancer at all. Some people make the mistake of assuming that what you do only applies to a particular style — well it doesn’t.

I am defiantly applying the things you taught me and my students are benefiting a lot
.
I think you are really onto something and I have no hesitation in recommending you for workshops and private lessons. Thank you for your passion and true care and respect and love of the dance

Sincerely with love

Melissa Cristina
February, 2004