For me dance in itself is a ritual... When I am truly in my space and power, regardless of where I am... I create a force-field around me than noone enters... Even in a club... I feel the rhythmic beat, vibration, the flow, and melody and though my eyes are closed (I cannot dance if they're open as vision is distracting to the music) noone comes into my space and I do not run into anyone else... though I spin all over the place... If I do happen to open my eyes I can see a perimeter around me. It's pretty cool...

I've danced with the moon... and made love to her glowing touch... of course, I was under the influence of mushrooms at the time... <grin>

I incorporate Dances of Universal Peace into my practices...

To me dance IS ritual.
When I dance, I am meditating, my mind is free (of worry, stress, conscious thought), and I just am.
As was mentioned earlier, I experience this whether I am bellydancing alone or with my troupe, or dancing at a club.
I think using dance before ritual helps to clear your mind, like meditation before ritual.

Peace.
~Kat

Dance is all about moving energy. Ritual is all about moving energy. Healing is about moving energy. And it's just that simple.

Dance can raise energy, evoke emotion, put you in touch with your emotions, put you in a trance state and make way for visions or journey work. When dancing with others you connect with others, move in synergy and there's something very healing about that, too.

There's something very primal about movement and rhythm. Trance dance is a well-utilized tool by the Shaman. Instead of doing "your usual moves," let your body tell you how it wants to dance. Shut off senses you don't need--blindfold yourself, lose yourself in the rhythm, shut off your chattering "monkey brain" and see where you get to.

In performance, the energies you choose to channel into your dance, you can channel right out into those viewing you, your audience. Dance for healing? Dance for joy? Set your intent for your dance. Dancing with intention behind it is so much more pleasurable to watch than belly dancers that look like they're showing off or giving their energy away.

Dance the elements, Earth Air Water Fire. What kind of movement does fire/passion/creativity evoke? Dance like a flame? What kind of movements does air/wind/conversation evoke? Dance like a feather? (you get the idea...) what does it make you feel like to dance an element? How does it feel in your body? What does it remind you of? How are these feelings embodied in your life? What people hold these energies for you? (almost like a free association).

Belly dance also easily lends itself to chakra work. Shimmies to open and clear your root chakra, hip circles to open and clear your belly... right on up to "Sufi spins" to open your crown. A moving meditation just like yoga is a moving meditation. All these things can easily carry over into performance.

Hope that makes sense!
Jennifer

ah yessssnesss. in this unfolding moment, movement is all there is. the flow of breath kissed by the wave of fluid resonance creates and recreates this body, this world, this galaxy. my quest is to surrender to the undulating mystery of life becoming itself through moving fluid, the primary mother, the primary healer, the ancient bio-morphic lineage, the link to all. A subject that may be of interest to you for your book, if you haven't already been introduced, is Continuum Movement, developed by Emilie Conrad. check out continuummovement.com
Love and blessings! ~Kateya