The Heartbeat of Ecstatic Dance:

A Portal to Personal and Collective Somatic Transformation

The beat, the rhythm,

The beat, the rhythm

Bodies everywhere

Expressive shapes, flailing limbs, graceful spins

Pulsing, sweating

Jumping, rolling,

Gyrations, and shaking

Sweat, sweat, sweat

Screams, tears, growls

And a joyous laughter

This is the symphony of the dance floor

The wave carries us somewhere,

Both new and ancient

Where we remember

The truth of

Our deep embeddedness

And the sacred wisdom

Within each and every

Tiny or giant

Movement and pulse

Introduction

“Movement is my medicine. Rhythm is our universal mother tongue. It’s the language of the soul” (Roth, 1989, p. 2).

There is something magnificent that occurs when a room full of hundreds of people bring their bodies into the same physical space and sync up to one rhythm. There is a collective field that is formed in that space which is alive — breathing and pulsing. Each individual, with their own story and their own process, coalesces with the group and creates a field of vitality. In this space, anything is possible. Ecstatic Dance is a growingly popular non-verbal practice in particular subcultures where large groups of people dance together in a way that is entirely free-form. There is a DJ or someone controlling the music in an artful way which guides the group on a journey through their individual bodies and together as a whole.

This paper will explore ecstatic dance through the lens of depth and somatic psychologies. It will explore some history of ecstatic practices indigenous to humans throughout history. Then, it will delve into some basic concepts of somatic psychology so as to better share what occurs to individuals, as well as the group, during the dance. I will emphasize the collective field that is formed when groups of people dance together. This essay contains a personal component, and the italicized block quotes are poems and journal passages of my experiences on the ecstatic dance floor. Lastly, I will suggest that practices such as this are a critical and powerful resource for those of us living in the dominant culture, and feeling alienated from a sense of connectedness with ourselves, others, and the world in which we live. Risa Kaparo (2012) stated that through an understanding of somatics, we can awaken “to who we really are by receiving the gift of our embodiment — not what we mistake for our ‘body’ as ‘object,’ but as the embodiment of spaciousness in the actually blooming of life, in the here and now” (p. 23). My hope is that I may, challenging as it is, verbally express the power that this movement modality, ecstatic dance, has to bring us closer to this awakening.

Setting the Stage

Imagine walking into a giant ballroom on a Sunday morning. The space is bright and inviting, and the people are welcoming, even the ones in a seemingly internal process. Talking is not permitted on the dance floor. The music is low and gentle, supporting an opening. There are people stretching and rolling around on the ground. Someone is crying while being held by another. Another looks like they are on the verge of tears, but holding themselves together. Others are smiling, some are slowly moving and observing. People are warming up and feeling into the space, getting into their bodies, and gradually stepping into the dance, while many others still arrive and flow into the dance. In this space, you can move however you want and need to, so long as you are not harming anyone and/or crossing their boundaries. Emergent authenticity is encouraged. You can engage with others, with physical contact or not, or you can keep to yourself. If it feels like what you need, you can even stay still the entire time.

The music begins to gain some momentum and people’s movements are reflecting that change. The energy in the space is shifting palpably. Vitality is building. Anger is building. Eros is building. Heat is rising. Sweat is starting to run off of everyone’s faces and bodies. The combination of all of these creates a force field that is full of potential and possibilities. Some people are jumping, some others stomping. Hips are moving side to side with life force. One of the people you saw crying on the side is now right in the middle of the heat, full of power. She looks renewed, and like she is channeling all of her feelings into her movements. Others are prancing with delight — giggling, smiling, and transmitting joy through their movements and facial expressions. Not far off, there is a small circle of people that organically come together, moving their bodies in an incredibly primal fashion. They seem equally immersed in themselves and in the space between one another in the circle. The person right next to you begins to emit a low but loud guttural sound which transforms into a scream. The next thing you know, the scream ripples out into the crowd, and the entire room is releasing an enormous amount of sound with their voices. It feels powerful enough to shake the earth, yet no words are spoken.

The chaos begins to settle as the music gets somewhat slower and softer, but there is still plenty of life in the room and in the dance. The movements become more fluid, and the energy is brought closer to the ground. Bodies are creating circles and micro-movements all around. There is a sense of satisfaction in the space as the big, expansive energy gets smaller and many people turn back inward. It is clear that now, again, some are moved by big emotions and are finding their intuitive way to have them flow through them — whether with their bodies, their tears, their sounds, or a combination. The group moves closer and closer to the ground, though some remain standing in stillness or moving extraordinarily slowly as they continue upright. Now, total stillness. Most of the room is on the ground, some are standing still, connecting with themselves, and closing out their dance journey in a way that is meaningful to them. What a wild two hours that was!

Ecstatic Dance — Then and Now

Let us look deeper into the word ecstasy. Mythologist and storyteller, Michael Meade, explained the etymology of the word ecstasy: “to step out of your usual position, to leave your usual self behind and step into an entirely different world. This other world that is deeper as well as higher, that is richer as well more subtle” (2011). He continued by explaining that

Traditional cultures would have many ways of stepping or slipping out of their static roles (everyday identity) and into these other worlds — in order to completely renew one’s consciousness. It’s like swimming in the divine. The goal is to get out of one’s usual position, the ego identity. (Meade, 2011)

There is not adequate space in this essay to discuss the history of dance throughout early human civilizations, though it would not be irrelevant to do so. As Meade explained, dance, along with various other ecstatic and trance practices and altered states of consciousness, have long been a staple in the human experience in the form of ritual. It is important to note, however, that ecstatic dance is a substance-free practice and only uses the experience of dance and music to alter consciousness. Highwater (1978) shared that “ritual is a complex, pervasive, and remarkably human process which exists everywhere in history and everywhere on earth” (p. 14). Humans enact ritual because it gives them “access to the ineffable and it provides them with ways of dealing with forces which seem beyond their comprehension and control” (Highwater, 1978, p. 14). When speaking of the ineffable quality of ritual Kachina dances of the Pueblo people, Highwater (1978) stated that “nothing can make an ‘intelligible’ experience out of an illogical but meaningful ritual act any more than it is possible to explain a poetic metaphor which exists, because it embodies something beyond the grasp of logic” (p. 17). The dance serves as a doorway where one’s usual mode of sensemaking is not at the forefront, and other modes are more accessible.

Movement is an ancient form of being human. In terms of evolutionary theory, “bodily movement is humanity’s most fundamental and expressive act” as it came before verbal language (Highwater, 1978, p. 23). Highwater and other anthropologists, psychologists, cultural historians, etc., have discussed that indigenous human cultures lived in tune with nature and natural cycles and rhythms. This was also reflected in their relationship with dance, as dance has been a necessary ritual in the lives of most indigenous people all over the world. Highwater (1978) stated that the basis for the “ritual relationship of primal people and nature” is that “the world does not consist of inanimate materials and living things; everything is living and everything can, therefore, be of help or cause harm” (p. 26). Through shamanic and nature-connected practices, primal people “often imitate and transform themselves into things of the natural world that invest them with strength and vision” (Highwater, 1978, p. 26). These practices include singing and dancing, where they “receive power” and “touch unknown and unseen elements” (Highwater, 1978, p. 26). He suggested that “modern dancers have consciously rediscovered this same process: they do not simply perform the movements of a choreographer — they become the movements, through intense kinesthetic projection of ideas and feeling as pure bodily expression” (Highwater, 1978, p. 26). Like ritual, which in modern time, “is produced by all peoples still in touch with the capacity to express themselves in metaphor”, dance practices have been modified, yet still hold the same opportunities for people who engage with them (Highwater, 1978, p. 14).

Then use of the word ecstatic in the name of this practice is not a coincidence. This type of dance does invite individuals to leave their usual selves at the door and step into a world that is extraordinary. Of course, this is not the easiest process for everyone. For some, it is incredibly challenging. The body is very commonly intermingled with trauma. Either someone may have trauma stored in their body, and evoking movement brings too much to the surface that they do not know how to consciously work with, or someone may have trauma about their body and how it looks or feels. Assuming individuals are willing to engage with this and are resourced enough to handle whatever arises, the dance floor can be a potent healing temple. As people confront what is stored in their bodies, or the feelings associated with their bodies, they may find ways to physically move and/or release in ways that end up translating into their daily lives. For many, myself included, this practice becomes a necessary and regular way of processing all of life’s circumstances. It becomes another form of weekly therapy, just nonverbal.

Though it is not at all associated with any religion, ecstatic dance practices are a doorway to connecting with the sacred. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear these types of spaces and communities be referred to as ‘dance churches.’ Founder of 5Rhythms, Gabrielle Roth, (1997) expressed

To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, pearls of liquid that release your past, anointing all your parts in a baptism by fire…The more you sweat, the more you pray. The more you pray, the closer you come to ecstasy. (p. 1)

Hartley (2004) elaborated on a belief that there is a “great longing that exists within each of us to belong” and that the cultural quest for individualism has been extremely detrimental to this need (p. 67). She said that “we have sought to develop personal consciousness, but a tragic result of this has been loss of the sense of belonging, loss of the embodied experience of belonging to a tribal body, and to the earthbody itself” (Hartley, 2004, p. 67). Dancing together creates a sense of belonging for us. It helps us to remember a deep belonging beyond the stories of our lives. We become a part of a community, of an entity. We can come home to our ancestry as humans.

*****

The music grows wilder and so do my movements. I lose myself, but not to escape. I am taken down, down to the heart of it all. This place can feel like either the underworld or paradise. There is memory there, but it is not always my own. Humans have done this for a long time, forever. It is what we know in our bones, to dance together/ I am taken to a place where the vision is clear. We are dancing around a fire, the village. The drumming takes us in, the ceremony is open. This memory lives in me when I stomp and pound. And scream and cry. My body unlocks these memories. Which take me out in order to bring me back in. The dance reminds, the dance awakens. Transported, transformed. know better who I am, when I am a part of this web.

*****

Somatic Psychology

Today we in the dominant culture are living under the impact and consequences of centuries of Cartesian dualism. Somatic Psychology is the study of the body, particularly in relationship with the mind. It studies the interconnection between the two. Coming from the Greek word soma, which is defined as:

‘The body experienced from within’ and reflects the efforts of modern bodywork practices and somatic movement therapists to move away from the dualistic splitting of mind from body, towards a model of integrated functioning of the whole person, psyche and soma. (Hartley, 2004, p. 11)

Kaparo (2012) explained that soma, at its essence, is not actually synonymous with the “third-person image of ourselves“ that we commonly think of when we hear the word ‘body’ (p. 5). Rather, she uses it “to refer to how we sense the unfolding of life from within. Somatic, therefore, is a first-person, here-now, all-at-once, embodied intelligence — how we sense, feel, and know ourselves on a process level — from the inside out” (Kaparo, 2012, p. 5).

Though this paper does not directly explore the practice of somatic therapy, it is important to note some basic concepts from this field. There is a specific field called Dance Movement Therapy which utilizes dance as the main pathway to healing, through somatic theory. When describing the power and potentiality of dance, Roth (1989) stated that “our bodies get locked into patterns. We get stiff with repetition. Our hearts become rigidified with automatic routines. We’re soon numb, insensitive to what we really feel. Our minds are quickly blinded by unquestioned assumptions and guiding attitudes” (p. 5). Dance, especially a free-form authentic dance, has the capacity to interrupt these habitual patterns and create new pathways for how to move, both literally and metaphorically. Expressive arts therapist and author, Daria Halprin (2003), expressed that “through movement and multimodal art mediums, we are able to bring forward the material of our lives, reveal what has been hidden, and express old stories in new ways” (p. 21). This is constantly happening for people on the ecstatic dance floor, and often, it can come as a surprise. People, especially when first getting to know the practice, assume they are attending a recreational dance party, and are surprised at the level of depth they touch through the dance and how it ends up making a difference in their daily lives.

One of the foundations of somatics is that there is wisdom in the body and that it is accessed either through movement, bodywork, or simple presence and attunement with the body. Within the field of somatics lies the idea that the body holds memory. “Since movement is the primary language of the body, moving brings us to deep feelings and memories. The way we move also reveals disabling and repetitive patterns” (Halprin, 2003, p. 18). This can lead to both positive and negative experiences and some that are a mix of both. Halprin (2003) stated that “a dance becomes the field of play upon which we are able to safely project our response and relive some of the disturbing situations in our lives” (p. 19). It can happen that a particular movement holds a precious memory from moving this way in the past. It can also happen that that memory is associated with pain, trauma, or difficulty. Sometimes, the movement and the memory that arises have no obvious relationship, but it emerges in a way that feels important to acknowledge and follow. The memory can also hold no personal significance, but is a more ancestral memory. It may have the sense that one has done this before. It can take one into the realm of the archetypal, and the memory storage of the collective unconscious. It can also occur that the memory which arises is so deep and challenging that it needs proper care and holding from a trusted ally or practitioner. Often, I have heard from others or I myself have had experiences of liberation from feeling stuck, or newfound empowerment and freedom on the dance floor which could easily be seen mirrored my life.

In the context of dance, Jeanne Schul (2010) described a process that she called ‘embodying the unconscious’ which is when “dance transports one’s inner life into the outer realm and holds the potential of presenting one’s sense of self in the public domain” (p. 2). Though Schul’s focus is primarily on choreography with an audience, this is something that happens regularly on the dance floor, whether intentionally or not. Schul described choreographing a dream she had and turning it into a performance. In doing so, “the dancer is able to explore the dream image as a nonverbal form of active imagination” (Schul, 2010, p. 2). Whether a dream, a current life circumstance, a past trauma, or a vision one received, individuals are constantly, often spontaneously, playing out and working through unconscious content on the dance floor. Again, one can either be embodying their personal unconscious or a thread of the collective unconscious. Fascinatingly, this can play out relationally as well. A couple of dancers, or a group, may find themselves engaging in a dance together that feels deep, and as though they are channeling something, playing it out together, but they are not consciously aware of where the movements, sounds, and expressions are coming from.

It is common for individuals to mirror one another on the dance floor as a way of engaging by moving their bodies in a very similar or identical way to the person next to or in front of them. This ends up amplifying the movements for both people, and the original author of the movement is able to witness themselves through the other. This can produce a healing or expansive quality to the original mover as, now, the other is carrying out whatever was being unconsciously embodied or brought to the surface. It can, of course, be uncomfortable to feel so seen, which may or may not also come with a healing breakthrough on the other side of the discomfort. There are countless ways that somatic wisdom reveals itself in this improvisational dance space.

The Collective Field — One Heartbeat

As long as I have been participating in these kinds of dances, not only ecstatic dance, but also 5Rhythms, Soul Motion, and Open Floor, I have been fascinated by the group experience. By group experience, I do not just mean being in the same room with others doing the same practice. I am referring to the field that is created by a group of people all focusing their energy in a similar way, and all attuning their hearts, bodies, minds, and souls to the same music. There is absolutely nothing choreographed about what occurs in this type of setting, yet the coherence that takes place is remarkable. There is a palpable energy that many, or most, can agree is present in the space.

Hartley (2004) explained that

As movers in a group learn to witness each other and themselves, the power of the witness circle grows; it becomes strong enough to contain the energy of the transpersonal and collective processes, as well as material from the collective unconscious. (p. 67)

Though this is not necessarily the explicit intention, it happens quite often on the ecstatic dance floor. There is not a designated witness circle, and though it is encouraged to allow everyone to be themselves without judgment, witnessing does occur. Individuals, or clusters of people, begin to embody and express movements, sounds, and emotions that are, at their core, so incredibly human that others around can relate, empathize, and feel. Personally, it is very common for me to move through what I refer to as primal feminine rage, or all of the suppressed, repressed, and mistreated aspects of what it means to be a woman in dominant society and throughout history. I have noticed, and have been told that others can feel this through my movements and sounds. Both women and men have shared that they can resonate with what I am expressing, and/or they have joined me in this somatic expression. Often, as a witness, I can also connect with what others are channeling through their dance.

Beneath the very real bodies dancing on a real wooden floor in a giant room where one person is controlling the music, I have often felt the realness of a more subtle process taking place. It is invisible to the eye, but it is undoubtedly alive nonetheless. The DJ is orchestrating an experience that gives birth to the heartbeat of the room through the music. Each and every individual becomes attuned to this heartbeat so that the whole room is pulsing to the same beat. The collective becomes one organism, with one heartbeat. I would like to suggest that this has a profound effect on the individual psyche and body, and simultaneously on the group field.

Research has been done to explore the implications of synchrony on groups of people enacting the same movements or expressions at the same time. An essay by Wiltermuth and Heath explored this synchrony and performed several experiments where it was tested in various contexts to prove the positive effect on group cohesion.

This physical synchrony, which occurs when people move in time with one another, has been argued to produce positive emotions that weaken the boundaries between the self and the group, leading to feelings of collective effervescence that enable groups to remain cohesive. (Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009, p. 1)

They went on to say that, for example, “Andaman Islanders have been said to become ‘absorbed in the unified community’ through dance” and they suggest that “people must occasionally lose themselves in a larger social organism to achieve the highest levels of individual well-being” (Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009, p. 1). Beyond the powerful impact of stepping out of one’s usual way of functioning, there is also a dynamic impact that occurs when one experiences a strong group field. In a culture that emphasizes the individual, and encourages people toward competitiveness, to only rely on themselves, and to create nuclear units around themselves and their families, a genuine group experience is rare and novel. However, its influence is vast, and beyond rational comprehension. In terms of the greater ripples this can have, Wiltermuth and Heath (2009) ended their essay by stating that:

Our results suggest that cultural practices involving synchrony (e.g., music, dance, and marching) may enable groups to mitigate the free-rider problem and more successfully coordinate in taking potentially costly social action. Synchrony rituals may have therefore endowed some cultural groups with an advantage in societal evolution, leading some groups to survive where others have failed. (p. 5)

Here they are referencing an ‘economics issue’ when using the term free rider problem, which is unequal wealth distribution as a result of certain individuals acquiring more wealth. I find this essay to contain a critical bridge between somatics and sociocultural issues which is an uncommon, though critical, integration to explore. It proposes that there is something crucial that exists within the body which has the capacity to make immense change happen, both on an individual and collective level. It encourages us in the fields of somatic and depth psychologies to continue to create intersections between somatics and other more mainstream paths of cultural change. As Hartley (2004) reminded us, the goal is to

Work against centuries of dualistic thinking that has split asunder mind and body, spirit and matter, function and structure; we are working in the shadow of mainstream culture, and the integration we seek will take time to evolve as we work to heal the fundamental split within ourselves and deep within the cultural mind” (p. 13).

*****

Dance is the disguise; the doorway into my cosmological self and an activation of my primal human nature. Since I have deepened into relationship with dance, I have become aware of the visions and transpersonal experiences that have been arising in that space. The most common experience I have while dancing is a vision of women dancing naked around a fire, toes stomping through the sand, drums banging, beneath a full moon. I still can’t distinguish if this is a vision, a remembrance of a personal past life or the remembrance of the collective past life of the wild feminine. I don’t need to distinguish it. I understand it in every cell of my being. I am there. This is my resource. This is where the wisdom of the Earth moves through me and aligns me to my very center, at her center. (Kalashyan, 2018)

*****

Conclusion

Ecstatic practices which appear, in some sense, in all cultures are the variety of ways that people have used and now use in order to reach the joy that’s at the center of creation and in order to feel, again, the pure exuberance of the gifts of life… and to renew one’s eyes for beauty and one’s feeling for being alive. (Meade, 2011)

Why have I chosen to write on this topic? Why do I feel strongly about what appears to be a giant dance party? Why should anyone consider the significance of such a practice? Well, I believe that humanity, and specifically western civilization, is in a crisis (or crises) that stems from the severance of humans from the greater whole in which they are embedded. Healing is the task of not just realizing our connection, but aligning our consciousness with it, and embodying it. I believe that our bodies know, that our bodies remember.

My intention is to use the information in this essay as supporting evidence for why the study, consideration, and use of ecstatic states, such as dance, are an important counterparts to the field of depth psychology. Incorporating the body, Hartley (2004) stated that

Jung’s primary contribution [to somatics] was the search to heal the split in the psyche of modern man and woman that alienates us from deeper roots of in soul, in the archetypal realms, in the spiritual dimension of being, and in our connectedness to the whole of life. (p. 23)

I do believe that practices such as ecstatic dance hold the doorway to healing this split. We free our bodies and move in ways that we have felt stuck, shut down, or rigid. We release emotions, perhaps even trauma, with our movements and our voices. We connect with something that is deep within us, yet takes us out of ourselves as well. We connect with others without the barriers of language and identities. We see one another’s movements in ourselves. We witness the beauty of another moving in a way that is perfectly authentic to them. We connect as souls rather than solely egos. We come together in a way that reminds us of our ancestry, our humanness, and a more indigenous way of relating. We let the beats and rhythms penetrate our hearts and guide our journey. We let ourselves move and be moved, to trust the wisdom of the soma to lead the way, even when discomfort arises. Together, we create an organism that reminds us of what we are capable of and brings us closer to the core of life.

References

Halprin, D. (2003). The expressive body in life, art and therapy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Hartley, L. (2004). Somatic psychology: Body, mind and meaning. Whurr Publishers. Highwater, J. (1978). Dance: Rituals of experience. Oxford University Press.

Kalashyan, R. (2018, May 15). Dancing with the Gods: Sex, Death, and A Reclamation of the Dark Feminine. Medium. https://rosiekalashyan.medium.com/dancing-with-the-gods-14f34996ea5f

Kaparo, R. (2012). Awakening somatic intelligence: The art and practice of embodied mindfulness. North Atlantic Books.

Meade, M. [Mosaic Voices]. (2011, August 9). The need for the ecstatic. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0dlM6Ii3ww

Roth, G. (1989). Maps to ecstasy. Nataraj Publishing.

Roth, G. (1997). Sweat your prayers. Penguin Publishing.

Schul, J. (2010). Creating dances from dreams: Embodying the unconscious through choreography. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/index?selectids=pqdtlocal1008418

Wiltermuth, Scott & Heath, Chip. (2009). Synchrony and Cooperation. Psychological science. 20. 1–5. 10.1111/j.1467–9280.2008.02253.x.