Austin Ecstatic Rhythms offers weekly dances on Sundays 10am-1pm at Go Dance North, in Austin, Texas. We welcome all walks of life. Locals and visitors enjoy our free Private Group on Facebook, with 2.5K+ members.
What is Ecstatic Dance?
Here in our Austin Ecstatic Rhythms community, our offering is a safe, sober, and sacred Sunday morning dance party. Ecstatic dance is an ancient practice of moving freely as the music naturally moves us, leading to a feeling of ecstasy. The dance serves as a form of moving meditation, helping people to cope with stress and attain serenity. A typical ecstatic dance “Wave” takes about an hour to dance.
“We are building community through dance, sustaining what it takes to be a human in the world through movement and practices that foster mental health.”
—Keith Paolino
“Dance when you’re perfectly free.”
—Rumi
What Makes Ecstatic Dance Work?
These guidelines give participants an opportunity to co-create a space in which everyone is able to express themselves freely and safely.
- Be Free – No judgment. Move to express, not to impress.
- Be Present – No phones. No cameras.
- Be Clear – No intoxicants. The practice is substance-free.
- Be Embodied – No talking on the dance floor. Other forms of communication are OK.
- Be Consensual – Respect boundaries. Get consent before dancing together: 1. Make eye contact. 2. Make a request. 3. Wait for Yes. If it’s not a clear Yes, it’s a No. End your dance or connection with prayer hands.
What is Beneficial About Ecstatic Dance?
The benefits of ecstatic dance include self-care, mood boost, and social connection. We dance for greater health and well-being—mental, emotional, and physical. We dance for the fun of it too as the body releases endorphins through free-form movement, improving positivity. And we dance to feel connection by engaging with each other in meaningful nonverbal ways, through body language, rather than words.
“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.”
—Einstein
What to Expect in Ecstatic Dance?
Here in our Austin Ecstatic Rhythms community, our DJs traditionally hold a ~1-hour warmup, followed by a ~1-hour main wave. The ecstatic dance wave begins with gentle, graceful welcoming music to help dancers feel comfortable in the space. There is a rhythmic buildup to get the body moving, with a powerful peak, a steady cruise, and a light landing. Dances end in peaceful music with a reflective quality, inviting dancers to receive and integrate the gifts of their movement practice.
For more information and inspiration, see Alixir Dance, Ecstatic Dance LA, and Denver Ecstatic Dance. Also, here is a link to a Soundcloud playlist curated by one of our ecstatic dance DJs, Takuma Katagiri: Sunday In The Park 1.
“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.”
—Angelou
Contact Information
Reach AER founder Keith Paolino via email.
Or, use the form you see below.