WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION – ECSTATIC DANCE TEMPLE & CACAO CEREMONY @ the Round Chapel, Hackney

ECSTATIC DANCE TEMPLE®, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Imagine yourself entering an open space…

and with bare feet explore the exhilarating feeling of moving your body freely.

You are invited to move, play, connect, sweat, stretch, sound, unwind, renew, release, contact dance, improvise, transform. Be true to yourself, while respecting others in the sacred space we create together.

This is a safe and respectful environment that embraces ‘all ways’. It is a practice that supports the free expression of emotions and inner space through movement and music.

Our intention is self-exploration, connection, healing, expanding human potential and community building through freestyle ecstatic dance. No experience necessary.

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive” – Joseph Campbell

OUR ECSTATIC DANCE SESSIONS HAVE GUIDELINES OF:

No Alcohol or Drugs, No Shoes, No Phones, No Talking on the Dancefloor, No Spectating, Move However You Wish, and Respect yourself and others. (More info about what is Ecstatic Dance – further down)

No late comers please. This is a shared journey from the beginning to the end and we aim to create a safe container for all dancers. If you are more than 30 min late from the start of the session, unfortunately you won’t be able to join the session, please respect this and arrive on time. Thank you

****Alcohol, drug, psychedelic & smoke free space!!! We get a natural high through dance and cacao!***

SCHEDULE:

◈ 5:50pm doors open for Shaking Medicine session (Optional workshop, please see ticket type. Scroll down to read more about the Shaking Medicine)

◈6pm-7pm Shaking Medicine / Active Meditation session (Bring a yoga mat & blanket, blindfolds provided) Due to the nature of Shaking Medicine being a process that needs to be followed from the beginning, late arrivals of more than 10 minutes, unfortunately, can not be admitted.

◈ 7:15pm Doors open for Ecstatic Dance/ Arrival Check in

◈ 7:15pm – 9:30pm Ecstatic Dance/Movement Meditation with Cacao Positive Intention Circle(No entry after 7:45pm at the latest, sorry, this is so we can all journey together). Our sessions are with sound system and optional Silent Disco Headphones to fully immerse into the music! We will provide complimentary Raw Vegan Cacao with natural sweetener – super yummy, the best in London for sure!

◈ 9:30pm Session ends

◈ 9:30pm-9:45pm Optional Chai Social (chai is brewed from fresh spices, caffeine & sugar free, made with gluten free oat milk)

WHAT TO EXPECT:

-Next-level, conscious, fun, deep & inspiring music journey.
-A unique ecstatic dance/movement meditation experience in a beautiful, and awe-inspiring space!
-A beautiful, sacred, heartful, fun & safe space for you to dance freely in
-Yummy, velvety tasting raw vegan cacao drink and intention setting ritual
-Superb sound system and optional silent disco headphones for more immersive experience
-Vibrant people who love to dance and love music!
-Optional Chai Social

WHY CACAO?

At Ecstatic Dance London we LOVE chocolate, RAW chocolate-CACAO! We will provide complimentary Raw Vegan Cacao to superfood charge your dance with us! Cacao is the ultimate heart opener, it will give you energy, revitalise your BodyMind inviting you to express, release & unleash your creativity during the dance! Our Raw Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free Cacao is prepared lovingly by Diana (who makes the best, velvety tasting cacao in town for sure!). She uses ethically sourced, highest quality ingredients from Guatemala, directly from a reliable cacao bean farmer. Our Raw Cacao drink has added natural sweetener. Please email Diana on youareyoubeyou@gmail.com if you’d like a non-sweetened raw cacao. Join us to explore Cacao + Ecstatic Dance as a potent synthesis for Transformation!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1. Please come already dressed in comfortable clothing suitable for movement/fitness and dress in layers. Bring a set of dry clothes/small towel as you will probably get sweaty during the session.
2. We dance barefoot, in soft indoor shoes or grip socks.
3. a Reusable water bottle. Tap water refill available at the venue.
4. A healthy snack to have after the dance.
5. For Shaking Medicine -please bring a yoga mat & blanket. Blindfolds will be provided. Now when it’s getting colder perhaps a pair of socks and an extra layer so that you are comfortable.

VENUE:

Round Chapel, 1D Glenarm Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 0LY, United Kingdom

-Overground: the nearest station is Hackney Central. Please check tfl.gov.uk for latest travel updates. Venue is a short 10 min walk from the station (which is connected to Stratford and Highbury & Islington underground stations) and Hackney Downs (which is connected to Liverpool Street and Seven Sisters underground stations).

-Underground: the nearest station is Bethnal Green, and buses 106, 253 and 254 all go from Bethnal Green station to the Round Chapel. The journey takes approximately 10 minutes.

-Bus: available bus routes 242, 253, 254, 425, 488, 48, 55, 106, 38 & 394.

-Drive: If driving, please use postcode E5 0NP. There is limited parking available on the side streets around the Round Chapel. Please be aware that the venue is in an Ultra Low Emission Zone and you may be liable to pay the daily fee. Find parking on parkopedia.

-Venue is accessible to wheelchair users with a ramp to the main space and toilets.

PRICES:

• Low waged/concession £15 + Eventbrite fee (limited availability)
• Regular waged £20 + Eventbrite fee
• Abundance £25 + Eventbrite fee

EVENTBRITE ORDER CONFIRMATION: Email might be in the spam folder. Please check. Do not print any paper tickets, we will check you in by your name.

FREE CREW SPACES:

We also offer limited FREE *crew spaces in exchange of you helping us set up and/or pack down. (*Requirement – you need to have attended at least two of our indoor events before you can join the crew) Please complete the crew sign up form and we will get in touch: https://forms.gle/uXVr8kK9Eos7hjbK6

CANCELLATION POLICY:

We do not offer refunds/ticket swaps for another event if you cannot attend if less than 72h notice if provided. You are welcome to pass on your ticket to a friend, colleague or family member however please let us know the date & time of the booked session, name and email address of the person attending in your place. Send us an email with replacement person’s details to: youareyoubeyou@gmail.com

If we need to cancel the class due to unforeseen circumstances, we will issue a full refund. If you have any questions please feel free to send us an email: youareyoubeyou@gmail.com

DJ & FACILITATOR:

◈ Sessions are facilitated and DJed by Seth Newman

Seth Newman: As the founder of the URUBU School of Transformational Arts and Ecstatic Dance London, he integrates the roots of Humanistic therapies, Bioenergetics & Body Psychotherapy, Transpersonal Psychology and Tantra in creative and life-transforming workshops, retreats and trainings. As a coach, Seth is dedicated to helping people calm, empower and rejuvenate their busy minds and bodies to achieve the best versions of themselves. Seth brings a wealth of experience holding heart-centered spaces.

His in-depth studies, trainings, personal experiences of many therapeutic modalities such as Humanistic & Body Psychotherapy, the Human Potential Movement, 5 Rhythms, Active meditations and the teaching of the Indian Mystic Osho who he grew up with in India in the 1970s, infuse his approach to living a creative, holistic & embodied life. Seth has been facilitating regular workshops for many years.

As a musician, Seth is passionate about rhythm & Afro-Brazilian music, he has an MA in Community Music from Goldsmith College, worked as a world music percussion teacher in East London schools for almost 20 years, created URUBU collective back in 2009 as a Live Music Ecstatic Dance experience with Afro-Brazilian drummers & musicians, and started his journey as an avid DJ with a love for Afro-Beat, Cuban and Brazilian music and created an Ecstatic Dance scene in London and the UK. Seth has a life-long passion for 5 Rhythms and other movement and Ecstatic Dance practices.

URUBU has since evolved into a School of Transformational Arts – offering a variety of powerful holistic body-mind tools and practices.

WHAT IS ECSTATIC DANCE?

MUSIC – MOVEMENT – COMMUNITY!

Brought to you by: Ecstatic Dance London – We love to dance. We love music. We love to inspire, to connect, to heal and transform!

Ecstatic Dance is a dance/movement practice to explore the exhilarating feeling of moving your body freely. You are invited to move, play, connect, sweat, stretch, sound, unwind, renew, release, improvise, transform. Be true to yourself, while respecting your body, in this space that we co-create together. Move your body, unleash the wild dancing self without caring what people think, claim your freedom, open your heart & touch the infinite!

Our Ecstatic Dance sessions create a safe and respectful environment that embraces ‘all ways’. We offer a movement practice that supports your free expression of emotions and inner space through movement and music. Our intention for these Ecstatic Dance classes is self-exploration, connection, fun, healing, expanding human potential and community building through freestyle ecstatic dance.

Enter an open space…and with your bare feet explore the exhilarating feeling of moving your body freely. You are invited to move, play, connect, sweat, stretch, sound, unwind, renew, release, improvise, transform. Be true to yourself, while respecting your body, in this space that we co-create together.

PRACTICE SPECIFICS: Warm-up: stretch, move/dance and reflect on the intention for the dance. The Practice: freestyle dancing to a large sound wave featuring Live DJ set. Some guidance & facilitation will be provided. And then we will let the music, the community and our own inner space direct our steps, our movements, our expression, our journey. Relaxation: Ecstatic Dance usually ends with a deep relaxation.

ECSTATIC DANCE GUIDELINES:

No late comers please. This is a shared journey from the beginning to the end and we aim to create a safe container for all dancers.

1. No talking during the dance (if you wish to talk, you are welcome to chat before/after dance outside the main dance space). When we dance without the chitchat, something alchemical can happen on the dancefloor. A unified field of Being emerges and we feel both wild and free, contained within ourselves And connected to something much, much greater than our individual selves.

2. Drug-Free, Smoke-Free, Alcohol-Free environment

3. No photos or videos, Mobile phones muted and out of sight

4. Care/Awareness for the co-created space and each other

5. Move your body however you wish

6. No spectating. Stay connected to your own body, sensations, emotions, and feelings. Ecstatic Dance is about you and your relationship to the Dance. Dancers feel uncomfortable when being spectated at. Come prepared to Dance yourself free from inhibitions!

7. You can dance alone, or with as many partners as (you) like to join. (If you’d rather not dance with someone, thank them for the offer by placing your hands in prayer position at your heart – Namaste. Thank you, no thank you.)

8. This is not a pick up place. Please respect all dancers (especially women) and do not ask for anyone’s contact details. If you wish to stay in touch with someone, give them your email instead of asking for their contact details. No means no.

“Our bodies instinctively know what feels good or bad, right or wrong. However, often our heads get in the way. Ecstatic Dance is about finding our way through to what feels good. How can we use dance to consciously transform towards finding joy, without denying our anger or sadness?  Ask yourself: what’s my body feeling in this moment? Does it feel good moving this way, or that? Does it feel nourishing to dance with another, or dance solo? Where do I most feel connected with Self? Let your body lead the way.” ~ Abigail Harris

5:50pm-7pm SHAKING MEDICINE® (optional workshop, see ticket types)

Shaking Medicine® Stress Release System for Self-Development and Personal Growth

Join us before the dance, 5:50pm-7pm for Shaking Medicine® session

WHAT IS SHAKING MEDICINE®?

Shaking Medicine® is seen as one of the “rituals of resilience”. It is way to develop resilience and release and let go of built-up stress, tension and trauma. It is is a body based (somatic) approach to stress, tension and trauma release. It helps us to activate shaking, which despite common misconceptions is a very good thing. Tremoring is our body’s natural stress recovery response.

Practicing Shaking Medicine® not only helps to bring balance into our bodies (and life!) but releases deep-seated muscular tension, stress, and mild trauma. These monthly classes will enable you to understand your nervous system, and you will have a chance to learn and practice Shaking Medicine® method.

Come, shake it off and shake your way to good health!

Shaking Medicine® is sometimes referred to as Bioenergetics or Trauma Release. It is one of the world’s oldest self-help medicines.

Shaking, rocking, vibration and oscillation are natural human reactions to: Stress, Trauma & Ecstatic states. Shaking Medicine® is, in short, the healing power of ecstatic movement. Inspired by and brought to us by nature. The practice of Shaking is known by many: Quakers, Gnostics, Taoists, Yoginis, First Nations peoples, Sufis, Druids, Zen Buddhists and more.

We are inspired by teachers such as Peter Levine, Bradford Keeney, Osho, Wilhelm Reich, Alexander Lowen, John Peirakkos, David Bercelli.

“Trauma recovery work has got to develop a new paradigm, because the paradigm that we have now is based on post-traumatic stress disorder and you go to a one to one therapist. You cannot do that with large groups of people. So there has got to be a new paradigm shift in the realization of “how do we do recovery from PTSD on a large scale population?” How do we get whole groups of people, like villages for example, or an entire school system healed? So that’s the first paradigm shift, we have to change our concept of PTSD recovery so that we can work on a large scale.”

– Dr. David Bercelli

Below is our video:

SAFE SPACE

This class is an inclusive space focused on supporting each and every one of its participants. Please be respectful of others’ space, property, needs, and process. Any display of antisocial or abusive behaviour will result in removal from the class without a refund.

PERSONAL SAFETY

A Shaking Medicine® class might not be the most suitable setting for people with severe trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, burnout, and serious health conditions or those who find it very challenging to self-regulate (unable to calm down when emotionally distressed). It would be more supportive to initially work in individual sessions.

PREGNANCY

Shaking Medicine is not recommended.

RECENT INJURIES & SURGERIES

It is best to give your body at least 3 months to heal after a surgery or serious injury before doing Shaking Medicine®. Please contact us via email if you would like to discuss your circumstances but we would advise that consult your doctor.

SAFETY GUIDELINES & PREVENTION MEASURES:

We are working closely with the venue and are taking appropriate steps to ensure our indoor dance sessions are covid-secure. We kindly ask that you respect and follow our safety guidelines.

If you are showing any Covid-19 symptoms, please DO NOT attend the session.

INSTAGRAM: @urubu_school_of_transformation, @ecstaticdance_london

FACEBOOK: Ecstatic Dance London, URUBU, Ecstatic Dance Temple, Ecstatic Dance Festivals

FACEBOOK GROUPS: URUBU - Ecstatic Dance London, Ecstatic Dance London

MEETUP: Urubu's Ecstatic Dance & Moving Meditation Community, Ecstatic Dance Temple

YOUTUBE: URUBU School of Transformational Arts

WEBSITE: ecstaticdancelondon.com

EMAIL: youareyoubeyou@gmail.com

URUBU - YOU ARE YOU, BE YOU!