Guidelines
The dance floor is a non-verbal space
We join together to create a safe and sacred space for movement. Eliminating talking on the dance floor allows us to move out of our heads and into our bodies, hearts, and souls. We leave behind the words and worries of the day and connect with spirit and one another in new ways.
The dance floor is a place of respect and safety
Ecstatic Dance has been created as a safe container, whether we’re dancing alone or with others. Ecstatic Dance is contact-friendly, but keep in mind that we all have different levels of comfort when it comes to being approached and touched. Please be mindful and make sure the way you approach other dancers is resonant with them. If somebody offers you a shared dance and you are not interested, simply give them a bow with hands at your heart to say, “no thank you”.
Please keep the dance floor free from:
Talking, street shoes, photos, videos, and scents.
Origins
Dance as meditation is as ancient as our humanity. Sacred dance is present in nearly all cultures and many religions.
Ecstatic Dance Oakland began on Sunday, May 24, 2008 at Historic Sweet’s Ballroom in Oakland, California. It was inspired by Max Fathom’s creation of Ecstatic Dance on the Big Island of Hawaii.
In 2015, Donna Carroll, cofounder of Ecstatic Dance Oakland, followed the clear requests for more Ecstatic Dances and created Ecstatic Dance International. She began training people from all over the world on how to start and grow a thriving Ecstatic Dance community.