Shamanic Trance Dances provide an opportunity for powerful and often cathartic experiences. Their primary purpose is to act as a major tool for the release of grievances and blockages of an emotional, mental and physical nature.
During the course of the dance, an offering of energy is made through the act of physical movement and the complete participation and total involvement of all bodies - emotional, mental and spiritual. What is experienced and channelled at any moment [anger, hatred, grief, excitement, joy, celebration, sexual desire] is literally given away, until a gap or void is created. It is in this particular space that healing occurs. Having moved through the stage of release and relinquished what was in excess, the opportunity then exists for the receiving of the gifts necessary for personal healing and transformation. This final section is often punctuated by truly ecstatic experiences and a potent remembrance of the original unity of life.
The dance is delivered using a mixture of carefully selected music and live percussion. The music employed has the definite intention of engaging both sides of the brain at the same time. Soft, ethereal, soothing sounds are simultaneously combined with those more tribal or rhythmic in nature. When both hemispheres of the brain are stimulated at the same time, the opportunity arises for deep inner exploration and cellular reawakening.
The percussive instruments [hoop drums, rattles, shakers, gongs, Jews harp...] are used to intensify the whole experience. They may be played in combination with sounds produced from a CD or simply on their own. Monotonous sounds such as drumming and rattling can produce deep states of trance. The frequency they produce does not interfere with or influence the experience of the dancer; it simply provides an energetic opportunity for deep inner exploration. Rhythmic or more melodic sounds are utilised when there is a clear intent to attract or evoke a particular energy or experience.
It is also possible to experience trance dance without any external sounds at all. On such an occasion, participants are encouraged to listen and connect with their own internal music or use their body as a source of sound production - stamping feet, clapping hands, slapping the floor, breathing in and out etc.
Trance dance information reproduced with the kind permission of Franco Santoro, developer of Astroshamanism.