It’s 8:30 on a Sunday morning and one hundred and fifty people slowly approach and reverently remove their shoes before entering the gymnasium at Martin Luther King, Jr. elementary school in Sausalito. They have come to pray, but this isn’t church. Instead, for the next two hours, they will move their bodies to music. Call it moving meditation. Some call it transcendental dance or ecstatic dance. Either way, Sweat Your Prayers is a way to get out of your head and into your body in order to connect with the soul. To better understand the scenario, think of a nightclub, then make it day, take away the shoes and the alcohol, and you’ve got the picture.

For many local dance enthusiasts, the nightclub scene, with its alcoholic excess, gritty, sticky floors, and never-ending pickup vibe is not an attractive alternative. Sweat Your Prayers, an offshoot of Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms dance philosophy, is just one of the many freestyle dance experiences that have cropped up all over the country. The demand for a more meaningful experience using dance has prompted a plethora of barefoot, alcohol-free dance events where you can dance your heart out with a group of like-minded movers and shakers.

The bottom line is that it feels good to move. Moving with purpose and an eye toward higher consciousness feels even better. For many, Sunday mornings are a sacred time to connect with the Higher Power of choice. Sweat Your Prayers offers another road to arrive at the same destination.

For more information about Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms and Sweat Your Prayers, visit: http://www.gabrielleroth.com/

To purchase Gabrielle Roth’s books:

Sweat Your Prayers: Sweat Your Prayers

Maps to Ecstasy: Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement

A 10-Minute taste of the 5 Rhythms:

I knew Pilobilus dance company by sight long before I knew them by name. One particularly spectacular image showed a group of dancers with their bodies fused together , creating the shape of a giant skull. But seeing them live is a whole different story.Their energy, athleticism, humor, and unique choreography has been driving audiences to return since 1971.

In the beginning, the company consisted of four men, and two women. The dancers lived together communally in New Hampshire, and choreographed collaboratively. In their own words they “ Made our own circus then ran away and joined it”. The desire to do things differently drove them to create an entirely new dance vocabulary with entirely new names, including galloping sofas, fat gnomes, and body floss. Their daringness translated into weight-sharing, and entwining bodies into crazy, dynamic shapes. At times, dancers climb up and over each other, and balance on each others’ bodies. It all boils down to strength, skill, timing, and absolute faith in your partner.

The original group of dancers later became artistic directors and choreographers.Today’s dancers are still choreographing together. Each piece begins with improvisation and playing. They start building movements together, then show them to the directors, who shape it into finished work.

Pilobilus dancers are said to be the strongest, most versatile dancers in the business. It can also be said that they are strong in character as well, for the choreography demands a level of intimacy that might make lesser mortals cower: face in butt, or groin, grabbing any and all appendages, foot in face, and more. There is no room for embarrassment.

Perhaps no modern dance choreographer exists that has not been touched by their new way of moving.
And they are busy sharing their methodology across the world by teaching it all in workshops, exploring the themes of how to be a leader and a follower, and implement creative thinking.

To learn more:

http://www.pilobolus.com/

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