Hidden Dogma and Other Influences

I've found the ecstatic dance "scene" in Spokane/CDA area to be heavily influenced by conservative Christian perspectives. No doubt attended by those who consider themselves progressive and enjoy community with like-minded others. But compared to ultra-liberal, perennialist/pan-theist urban dance spaces, local Inland Northwest dance generally doesn't afford the safety to slip into a selfless state of consciousness. I've had the experience of being physically slammed into multiple times by the same person while dancing in trance. I stopped attending dance in Spokane for more than 15 years after that. The dance leader simply lacked the ability to recognize it as a problem or hold the space. And again, conservative Christian influence, no matter how progressive its flavor, generally precludes dance for this purpose. I simply began traveling elsewhere for dance, taking workshops and learning from more welcoming communities in other parts of the country. Local dance options were simply not a fit for my sensibilities and goals for dance. I had to go find something somewhere else that was a better fit.

There are always unexamined dominate assumptions and belief systems that underpin every ecstatic dance community, no matter how diverse its membership. The pioneers who formalized ecstatic dance approaches in the U.S. and taught them from the 1970s through the early 2000s didn't advocate a formal religious faith or any specific spiritual tradition but left it open to each dancer or community of dancers to decide. Yet these teachers did hold beliefs that influenced what they taught and how they conceptualized the purpose, meaning, and progress in dance. Ecstatic dance communities grew in popularity at precisely the time that so many abandoned traditional Christianity in search of non-dogmatic spiritual communities. There were plenty of recovering Catholics and Protestants present in every group I've visited. It's no accident that many communities hold weekly ecstatic dance on Sunday mornings. 

Urban centers tend toward communities of members with very different religious and spiritual faiths, so much diversity in numbers alone that the communal practice necessarily transcends any particular faith. I don't think this is as true of rural dance communities that tend to be far more homogeneous in their collective beliefs. I concede that I am likely overgeneralizing but the ecstatic dance urban/rural divide is quite real.  

Dancing Alone with Others

What if the social grist is eliminated? Is the large social venue with the DJ really needed to grow spiritually in dance? Or could dancing in relative solitude offer a royal road rarely taken? Last week I noticed that since beginning Short Wave in May my dance has changed and I also noticed it has changed for my partner as well. There is a relaxed, fluidity of movement and a consistent sense of presence I've not experienced perhaps ever in dance. We are dancing as if no one is watching because no one is watching. Months of practice in this quiet venue has lightened our practice to a lean and authentic essence. 

Setting aside for a moment the benefits and good times that come with good music and dancing with friends...I wonder if what keeps so many returning again and again to Sunday morning ecstatic dance is the misunderstanding that being noticed by others cannot satisfy the need to be seen. To be watched is to be taken notice of by another who signals his or her rejection, approval, or indifference. This superficial exchange cannot satisfy our deep human hunger to be truly seen and valued by another. If we dance long enough to grow into ourselves and our practice, can we leave this behind? Or at least find another way to satisfy the need? Could it be enough to dance in relative solitude and truly see and approve of one's self instead?  

A mellow and unhurried flow easily accommodates all 5 Rhythms yet maintains a sustained intensity. This may sound contradictory at first but in fact a gentle tempo seems to allow for entering a deeper state of presence. This makes sense as each of the rhythms contain within them all the other rhythms. Note that rhythms are not the same as tempo. 

Tempo refers to the speed of the music, often measured in beats per minute. A piece's overall speed is its tempo, and it can be fast (e.g., allegro) or slow (e.g., adagio). Rhythm is the pattern of sounds and silences within the time frame set by the tempo. Different rhythmic patterns can be played at the same tempo, and the same rhythm can be played at different tempos.

The term "staccato," the Italian musical term for "detached" describes notes that are played with short, crisp attacks, leaving a small silence between each note. We may think of staccato as tribal drumming used in the frenzied peak of a 5R classic wave. But staccato may also be interspersed throughout a multi-layered fusion composition to punctuate a syncopated beat.

Two qualities I find useful in Short Wave music selections are complexity (musical texture) and sustained repetition of rhythms within progressive compositions. In a rhythmically complex piece, I can shift my focus from one rhythm to another moving among the many layers. Progressive compositions, unlike the standard 3-minute pop song (intro-verse-chorus), are extended, multi-part compositions with complex and shifting rhythms, changes in tempo, ironic key changes, and unexpected variations. Every time I audition a potential extended dance mix to add to a Short Wave set, I ask does it take me somewhere interesting or surprising? 

Opening invocation selections can be as simple as falling rain, ocean sounds, or traditional yoga-type music with Indian flutes, sitar, singing bowls, handpans, rainsticks. These flow into more complex but gentle soundscapes. Either a faster tempo or rhythmic complexity works surprisingly well for a Short Wave peak. The descent whether used to lighten the intensity or momentarily increase it flows into five minutes of silence at the end. I've tried adding music to create a period of decompression at the end of the mix but it doesn't work well. It ends up making the middle of the mix feel short. Complex compositions work best to create a sustained invocation. While a Short Wave never reaches the climax of a 5R wave, this is a feature not a bug. After all these months of experimentation, I've come to the conclusion that continual invocation is the defining aspect of a compelling Short Wave. When mixed with creativity and care, it can be a remarkably profound 45-minutes.    

Get in touch - kai@thesacredcrane.org.