Yesterday was our first dance at The Green Church in Waimea. We opened our dance to family and had three children move with us. Our three year old daughter Mina and another three year old named Portia and her seven year old sister Meira. We set up a play area on the stage with mats and art supplies. They quickly settled into a motion of being on the stage coloring, building forts with the mats, and dancing on the floor with each other and us. Eventually, I will bring my BrainDance props so that there are scarves, instruments and other movement related toys available.
Adding children certainly brings an element of chaos to the mix as well as joy. There are challenges to holding the space for people in a safe and sacred way while including the whole family. The benefit is that the dance becomes accessible to new people who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend. And, of course, I can dance with my family as a Sunday morning ritual! Each parent is responsible for their children during the dance and is encouraged to be aware of others needs, especially around noise levels during our slowing down time at the end of our dance. We included the girls in our opening and closing circles. For the closing circle, their word was "Blah" with their tongues sticking out. Deep gratitude for the children, for opening our hearts ever more, for increasing our flexibility and giving us an appreciation of the unexpected!
I've found few ecstatic dances that integrate children into the moving meditation practice. One recent example that I experienced is the Santa Fe EmbodyDance. I'd love to hear of other experiences and dances that include all ages. Enjoy dancing with your family!
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