Ecstasy - Artist's Statement
Dances of Ecstasy explores the way people engage dance to transcend to higher states of reality. Dance can connect people with their body, their heart, their soul, the earth and each other.
Throughout history, cultures have used dance extensively in ritual. Shamans use drumming and dance to transport themselves to other dimensions, seeking wisdom and healing to bring back with them for the benefit of their community. The whirling dervishes turn and turn until they arrive at a place where human and divine meet.
I believe that contemporary western culture often fails to acknowledge the importance of dance in our lives. From our innate human need for sense of community, connectedness, ritual and emotional healing, the Rave culture has emerged. Large numbers of people dancing, swinging and swaying together – connected to each other and all that surrounds them.
Belly dance, Flamenco and African dance are also soaring in popularity. These dances have the ability to unite the dancers, singers and musicians into a state of perfect harmony. Dance can transcend all religious boundaries and bring humans to a point of oneness with the divine – into a state of ecstasy.