LAURA SHANNON

FOLK DANCE - CIRCLE DANCE- SACRED DANCE - WOMEN'S RITUAL DANCE

Women’s Ritual Dances: 2-Year Trainings for Women

[For information in German please click here]

This training offers an intensive exploration of traditional women's ritual dances, within the supportive environment of an ongoing closed group. These dances have survived since ancient times, carrying messages of connection, joy, sustainability and healing that are still relevant - even essential - to our lives today. Often they embody sacred patterns connected to the archetypal image of the Great Mother Goddess, who was revered throughout the same geographical area where the dances have their roots and still survive. The dances can be seen both as a nonverbal language and as a form of spiritual practice; through loving attention to their style, symbolism, and history, we can learn to listen to this language and bring its hidden wisdom once again into the world.

CLICK HERE FOR PDF OF TRAINING FLYER.

The curriculum includes:

    • Traditional Balkan, Rom, Armenian, & Greek women's dances
    • Archaeological images and antique textiles as they relate to the dance
    • The secret language of dance steps, song words and textile motifs
    • Basic teaching skills in the transmission of traditional dance material
    • Dances of exile and homecoming, and the invitiation to return to the inner homeland of the dancing body
    • Middle Eastern Garden, a creative movement meditation for women
    • Relevant teachings of women spiritual guides from diverse traditions

I have been developing this training since the year 2000 and have trained hundreds of women in numerous groups in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Canada and the USA. The training is designed equally for teachers and for dancers committed to deepening their skill and understanding of dance. Women who have graduated from the training are eligible to participate in annual Deepening Intensive Reunions to continue our focused work with the women's ritual dances.

The next German-speaking training will begin in October 2022 in Bad Herrenalb, Germany. Dates and information can be found on the German trainings page (click here). The next English-language trainings will most likely begin in 2023 in Quebec (Canada), the US (Washington, D.C area) and the UK (click here for information). Any woman who has danced with me before is welcome to apply for a place on the training.

The training comprises 6 sessions over 2 years (2x 5-day sessions, 4 x 4-day sessions).

The pandemic has delayed plans for our trainings in English. As the venues we had in mind are no longer available, we are looking for suitable residential venues in the US (East Coast) and the UK (locations with good links to international transport). Please let us know if you have any suggestions!
  
If you are interested in the trainings in the US or the UK, please contact Laura (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

For more information about the training in Germany (in German), (please click here).