“Based on the belief that the body, mind and spirit are interconnected, “conscious dance” is a psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote the integration of a person’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being. It’s about honoring the body’s intelligence and paying attention to the body-mind-spirit connection. The human connection to body movement is ancient and may have even been one of the first ways humans expressed themselves to one another.

In conscious dance, a dynamic conscious movement-based process is set to world music… Conscious dance combines structured movement and freestyle elements that help participants to clear their minds, get into their bodies and release anything that no longer serves them. The practice is evolving very rapidly, and there are now more than 100 modalities of conscious dance. Its benefits of holistic healing and expression are backed by validated research, making it an essential fit for the spa wellness world, which is now increasingly focused on the complete concept of body, mind and spirit.

Conscious dance acts as a catalyst for each participant to celebrate the magnificence of their body and their life. It significantly improves quality of life by promoting the following benefits:

• Physical health and vitality. Dance is multi-directional, engaging a variety of muscles while working the cardiovascular system to strengthen the heart, burn body fat and increase oxygen for better circulation. It also can be very therapeutic in easing physical tension.
• Mental clarity. Dancing improves brain function on a variety of levels. Recent studies show how the endorphins and adrenaline that are released while dancing have a unique effect on the brain by blending cerebral and cognitive thought processes with muscle memory and “proprioception,” which creates a deep sense of satisfaction and oftentimes a “dancer’s high,” which clears the mind.
• Emotional expression. The key to emotional health is in its expression — a healthy discharge of emotion can create the space needed to shift away from an old story into a new possibility. What makes conscious dance uniquely different is that it encourages the expression of these emotions so that participants can learn to navigate all of their emotional states in a sacred container where expression is validated without judgment, thus supporting their emotional well-being.
• Spiritual connection and creativity. Creativity is the expression of the soul and imagination is a gateway to accessing anything one wants in life. Conscious dance is an inner exploration that inspires creativity by using the body, spirit and imagination, giving practitioners or dancers the freedom to dance from within and also with others in improvisational ways, which awakens natural creativity and inner power. The use of imagination allows them to drop into deeper realms of consciousness and access higher realms of knowing that are necessary for facing, clearing and transforming whatever may be holding them back from spiritual growth.”

Liza Pitsirilos is a mindful movement enthusiast and President of Movement of Life Consulting, Inc..  Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa

We are a group of Freestyle and Conscious Dances and Dancers through The Northeast of The USA. Many of our dances are members, affiliated or friends with Dance New England.

We love dance and we love community! We come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and genders. Our dance events are typically ongoing weekly or monthly dances, but we also have some dance events that are less frequent. Many of our dances are all-ages dance events that young and old may enjoy. Generally, we have the intention of our dances being dry, alcohol, and smoke-free.

You do not need to know how to dance or anything about freestyle or conscious dance to attend one of our events. You do not need to participate in anything that does not feel “right” to you or uncomfortable. We support personal consent and freedom to choose to dance or not dance as we feel moved. Experience is not necessary, willingness to explore is helpful.

What kind of Music will I hear?

We have some amazing DJs who specialize in ever-changing tapestries of music designed to thrill the diverse tastes of all present.  We feature many different genres of music: R&B, Dubstep, Funk, House, Tribal, World, Soul, Hip Hop, Ambient, Latin, Reggae, African, Downtempo Trance, Electronica, Disco, Rock, Minimalist, Modern Classical and Pop favorites; this breadth of styles is a rare treat! Our DJs are constantly seeking hot new grooves and unearthing historical treasures and remixes. If you love dance and all kinds of music, this is the place for you!

Current circumstances have given birth to conscious and ecstatic dancing through Zoom and other platforms. We can dance with others in our living room, bedroom or kitchen!

Virtual dances create an opportunity to dance with other DJs, musicians, friends and groups that we would have never thought imaginable just a few months ago. People in Maine get to share movement with people in New York, San Francisco, Boise, Paris and Jakarta! Musicians, DJs and Dance Leaders share their gifts with other amazing people all over the globe. We can share “the dance floor” with friends, family and community members that have relocated. Now it does not matter where we live, we can move and shake with a group of humans anywhere at anytime!

Zoom Suggestions for Optimal Experiences

(compiled by our friend Moti Zemelman):

1. MUTE – I will mute everyone by default. For best sound quality please stay on mute unless there is a sharing time in which case you can unmute yourself to talk.

2. GALLERY VIEW – In the upper right hand corner push “gallery”. This will allow you to see everybody dancing on the screen at the same time!

3. SPEAKER VIEW is the default where you just see the person speaking or musician playing

4. PIN VIDEO – on each person’s video you can find this option to pin a specific person which brings only that person’s screen into view. This is a great option if you want to dance with just one person inspiring you instead of the whole gallery.

5. CHAT – Push chat and on the right hand side of your screen will appear a dialogue that we can all talk to each other throughout the dance! You can choose to chat with everyone in the group or private chat with just one person. This can be great if you want to initiate a dance with a single participant 🙂 (Also If you want to save the chat you can press the three dots in the chat section and you’ll see that option)

6. CHOOSE A VIRTUAL BACKGROUND – This is a fun option you can find on the bottom left corner by pressing the up arrow by the video symbol. You can make any photo of yours into your background!

7. WRITE US A LOVE NOTE – Yet another way to communicate – write a note or a draw a picture on an old fashioned piece of paper and hold it up to the camera for the whole group to read/see.