Sacred Dance: Cultivating Collective Transformation and Individual Expression

Centering my practice within the realm of the sacred presents many possibilities for cultivating collectivities while allowing the individual to also blossom. The spiritual systems that have served communities across the Afro-Atlantic are inherently participatory. They call us to assemble, to enter a divine circle – a place of intimacy, safety and above all else, inclusivity. While occupying that space we are moved to share our innate gifts unfettered by an external pressure to perform. Moving from a space of grounded-ness and stillness to mindful action, my dance classes encourage students to work from the inside out. This means tapping into that inner energy before expressing it outwardly.

This is achieved first through activating their breath and then progressively moving towards channeling that breath through their movements as individuals and also as part of a collective working in a space of communal reciprocity. In my own explorations and development of my dance practice I start from the premise that we all have a divine purpose and internal light that when ignited has tremendous transformative potential. Each individual has her/his own gifts, idiosyncratic style that when placed in conversation with another extends the range of aesthetic possibilities and meanings.

My movement vocabulary is inspired by the sacred geographies of BaKongo, Fon and Yoruba religious cultures that find expression in the Afro-Atlantic through the dance traditions found in Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago.