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'Dancing it away:' Eugene dance event offers community and healing

A table is covered in a rainbow mandala-patterned tapestry. The lights in the room are low and warm-colored, and the corner of a stage can be seen in the right corner. Various sound and lighting equipment covers the table. A rug and altar are placed in front of the stage.
Cailan Menius-Rash
/
KLCC
The DJ booth at the Aug. 20, 2024 Coalessence dance.

When it comes to ecstatic dance, wellness instructor and longtime dancer Joanna Cashman has just one piece of advice.

“Forget every concept of what you think dance is supposed to be,” she explained.

On the ecstatic dance floor, there are no rigid techniques or panel of judges. The form, which emerged in the 1970s, is characterized uniquely by its lack of structure and emphasis on moving freely.

“There is no right and wrong way to dance in the ecstatic dance community,” said Cashman.

Instead, the dances focus on both individual experiences and community engagement, acting for many as both a spiritual and social outlet. While some call it movement, others consider it meditation.

Coalessence is Eugene’s ecstatic dance group. Facilitator Paul Deering estimates the group has put on over 1,500 dances over its 16-year lifespan.

Deering himself has been facilitating the event for four years. His journey with ecstatic dance began after a decades-long battle with a spinal disease, in which, he says, he found healing through movement arts.

Leafy branches are arranged around a circular piece of wood. Other flowers, photos, books and card surround the centerpiece.
Cailan Menius-Rash
/
KLCC
Materials arranged on the altar at the Aug. 20, 2024 Coalessence dance.

Overall, Coalessence dances have just a few rules—among them: no shoes, no phones, no drugs or alcohol, and no talking.

According to Deering, refraining from verbal communication is a common practice in most ecstatic dance communities.

“We spend most of our time in a world that is very dominated by thinking and language, verbal language,” said Deering. “So we’re interested in creating a space that provides us with a different kind of opportunity to experience ourselves and relate to each other.”

In order to maintain a private and inhibition-free environment, the use of cellphones–including for taking photos or videos–is also banned. Deering says phone conversations can be disruptive and encourages dancers to silence their phones and take any calls outside.

However, all of the event’s rules are considered moot when it comes to the dance’s most important guideline: consent.

Although some may choose to dance alone, many dancers use physical cues to initiate dancing together, often in an intimate style called “contact improvisation.”

In order to maintain and encourage boundary-setting, the guidelines for consent are reviewed during the opening circle of every Coalessence dance.

Deering says dancers can cross their arms over their chest to signify “no,” but may use words if necessary.

“We’re learning how to really respect each other even when we’re experimenting with who we are,” he said.

There to monitor consent and provide support on the floor are the dance “tenders,” two experienced dancers who are tasked with lending a hand when needed.

At a late summer Coalessence dance, the role of tender was taken on by a hospice nurse who asked that her name be withheld. She said the dances were an outlet to shake off the deep pain and trauma that she witnessed as part of her profession.

According to her, dance was “essential, as a means of managing grief.”

Anthony Ross Kennedy, a medically retired U.S. army captain and fellow ecstatic dancer, said that, like the nurse, many use the dance form as a means of processing heavy emotional burdens.

“There’s a lot of trauma in that room right there, and they’re dancing it away,” said Kennedy.

 A two-tiered table covered in a black cloth is decorated with a glowing string of lights, leaves and natural materials, as well as other items and pieces of art. The altar stands in front of red-curtained stage, and a rug lies in front of the table.
Cailan Menius-Rash
/
KLCC
The altar at the Aug. 20, 2024 Coalessence dance.

Typically, Coalessence dances are accompanied by live DJ performances.

Sessions often begin with slower, low-tempo songs before building to a high-tempo climax. The beats then slow again, creating a rolling, wave-like soundscape.

Meanwhile, dancers across the floor can be seen swaying, jumping, lifting one another or even just lying on the ground. Some move energetically around the space, while some remain for hours in just one spot.

Coalessence also incorporates the use of altars at its dances. The displays act as an area in which dancers may read, pray, or simply observe at any time over the dance’s duration.

Similar to the altars of various religious and spiritual traditions, Coalessence altars often use art and other items to invoke themes of contemplation. They are erected before each dance by varying volunteers.

“The altar space is a really important part of many ecstatic dances,” explained Deering.

The space also offers a less energetic area for dancers to sit or lay if needed. Coalessence dancers are encouraged to do whatever feels right to them.

Dancer Cale Cloutier says that freedom and non-judgment is exactly what makes the form so accessible.

“I think an invitation to the public is that you don’t have to come and be in the middle. You can come and sort of bear witness, and you can take it in doses,” said Cloutier.

Cloutier, an Albany-area marriage and family counselor, explains ecstatic dance as both recreation and sacred worship. He says the community has helped him to sustain friendships and create connections intergenerationally. Also, he adds, it’s great exercise.

“This is the most important thing to me. If I had to give up my career to keep dancing, I’d keep dancing. Because this is like a microcosm of all of life, and uh, yeah I won’t give it up,” he said.

Coalessence meets every Tuesday night in Eugene, holding dances from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Village School, located at 3411 Willamette St. Entrance fees are charged on a sliding scale.

Ecstatic dances are also offered in both Corvallis and Bend. For more information, visit Corvallis Ecstatic Dance or Bend Ecstatic Dance.

Cailan Menius-Rash is an intern reporting for KLCC as part of the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism.