DOORS CLOSE: 8PM ON SATURDAYS 10:15AM ON SUNDAYS TO KEEP OUR SPACE SAFE
Infrared heating - many benefits
We're delighted to share with you the extensive health benefits our infrared heating system offers at St Mark's Community Centre. This system not only enhances your physical and mental well-being but also offers aesthetic advantages:
- Deep Muscle Relaxation: The heat penetrates deeply, relieving muscle tension and improving flexibility and
We're delighted to share with you the extensive health benefits our infrared heating system offers at St Mark's Community Centre. This system not only enhances your physical and mental well-being but also offers aesthetic advantages:
- Deep Muscle Relaxation: The heat penetrates deeply, relieving muscle tension and improving flexibility and ease of movement.
- Enhanced Circulation: The warmth promotes blood flow, aiding muscle recovery, and reducing soreness, essential for your dance performance.
- Detoxification: By promoting gentle sweating, infrared heat assists in eliminating body toxins, supporting overall health.
- Immune Boost: Enhancing your immune system, the heat helps in keeping illnesses at bay.
- Stress Reduction: The calming warmth reduces stress, aiding mental tranquility and wellness.
- Mental Health Support: It helps alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, boosting your mood.
- Improved Cognition: The warmth supports a focused environment, enhancing concentration, memory, and engagement in dance.
- Improved Skin Tone: The infrared heat can help purify your skin, enhancing its tone and elasticity, and contributing to a healthier, more vibrant complexion.
- Reduction in Aging Signs: The gentle heat can stimulate collagen production, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and promoting a more youthful look!
Our Personal Favourite:
Energy Efficiency: Our infrared heating is energy efficient, maintaining a warm, welcoming red glow on our dance floor.
We invite you to experience the full spectrum of benefits, from physical to cognitive to aesthetic to environment, that our infrared heating provides during your dance sessions. Embrace the enhanced
Our Personal Favourite:
Energy Efficiency: Our infrared heating is energy efficient, maintaining a warm, welcoming red glow on our dance floor.
We invite you to experience the full spectrum of benefits, from physical to cognitive to aesthetic to environment, that our infrared heating provides during your dance sessions. Embrace the enhanced comfort, health, and beauty it brings to our dance community.
Dates & Contact Us
NEW EVENTS: Come & Join Us! All - Abilities, Ages, and Backgrounds are Welcome!
We love all our dancers, and love meeting those new to conscious dance.
Venue: St Marks Community Centre, Bath, BA2 4PA
Saturday Evenings: Our next Saturday evening: 18th May 7:30-10pm
Sunday Mornings: Our next Sunday morning will be 26th May 10am-12pm followed by Yoga, 12:15-1pm
COLLABORATION
We are passionate about Ecstatic Dance and keen to collaborate and support other Ecstatic Dance Facilitators/DJs, including sharing and promoting others.
Open today | 19:30 – 10:00 |
Book Tickets
Cash/card on door (LIMITED TICKETS) £10, £12, £15
£12.00
Online: eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ecstatic-dance-bath-tickets-556133298667
What Is Ecstatic Dance?
- Ecstatic dance is a type of dance which unlike other traditional, well established forms of dancing has no set moves or choreographed steps. Instead participants are encouraged to let go, to move freely - in unstructured, untethered movements. In doing so dancers can express themselves freely.
- When we allow our body to move freely, free of judgement in a safe space - this allows the release of pent-up emotions, and tension which gives the dancer a sense of euphoria.
- Many dancers come feeling tense after a heavy week, and state they leave feeling relaxed and calm.
- The dance space is held carefully, locked, no alcohol or other substances, no mobile phones, no talking on the dance floor. Dancers are encouraged to dance in a way that feels safe and comfortable for them, whilst respecting the space and boundaries of others.
- There are many therapeutic benefits, it's sociable, and can help to grow connection and a sense of community in what can feel like a very disconnected modern world.
In conclusion, ecstatic dance is a wonderful activity which promotes self-expression, in doing so helps stress release, helps us connect, whilst enabling us to maintain our boundaries, practice our nos in a safe space. This dance also helps to create a sense of community and therefore is gaining popularity.
If you are looking for something new, an outlet to express yourself, to connect with others, it may be worth giving ecstatic dance a try?
Release Tension, Meditate Through Dance - The Ultimate Journey to Deep Relaxation
Embodiment: Our bodies crave freedom from confinement, when allowed the magic happens, tension is released and the healing begins. We provide a safe space for your body to move, unrestricted. No judgement.
Embodiment refers to the idea that our physical bodies play a crucial role in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and experiences. It is the concept that our bodies are not just passive vessels for our minds, but rather active participants in shaping how we perceive and interact with the world around us.
Embodiment theory suggests that our sensory experiences, bodily movements, and physiological states are all interconnected and influence our perceptions and behaviors. For example, the way we move our bodies can impact our mood, and our physiological responses to stress can affect our decision-making abilities.
Integration: The process of integration after an Ecstatic Dance practice, is an important part of the experience. Integration refers to the process of bringing the insights, emotions, sensory and somatic experiences gained through the dance into daily life.
We Integrate after our dance via:
- Taking time to reflect: After the dance practice, we simply lie or sit quietly in silence, allowing the mind/body to process the experience. When we get home, we may decide to journal.
- Engage in self-care: It's important to engage in self-care activities after a dance practice, as it can be a powerful and sometimes intense experience. This may include activities such as taking a bath, going for a walk in nature, or spending time with loved ones.
- Integrate the insights: Take the insights and emotions gained during the dance and apply them to daily life. This may involve making changes to one's daily routine or relationships, or simply bringing a new awareness to one's feelings, thoughts, connections with others and behaviours.
- Practice gratitude: Expressing gratitude for the experience and any insights gained can help to solidify the learning and create a positive mindset for future growth.
- Continue the practice: Regularly engaging in the dance practice can help to deepen the integration process and provide ongoing support for personal growth and healing.
Overall, integration after a dance practice involves taking the time to reflect, care for oneself, and apply the insights gained to daily life, leading to a greater sense of self-awareness and personal growth.
Each Dance is DJ'd with a Unique Playlist - Eclectic/World Music
Each dance with its very own unique playlist. DJ NavaSkye (Abi) will at times share her playlists so you can recreate your dance at home, in your bedroom, kitchen, living room, garden when out on walks.. wherever you fancy!
NavaSkye, plays guitar, saxophone, sings and is learning to play the piano and has an eclectic taste in music, she creates diverse playlists. By incorporating music from all around the world, she can create a rich and varied soundscape that can help participants to connect with their bodies, emotions, and the wider world.
Carefully using (avoiding misappropriation) music from different cultures can also be a powerful tool for building empathy and understanding among participants. It can help to expose people to new perspectives and ways of being, and can foster a sense of connection and shared humanity.
Moreover, NavaSkye's approach can also help to break down cultural barriers and promote inclusivity within the Ecstatic Dance community. By valuing and celebrating diverse musical traditions, she can help to create a space that is welcoming and affirming for people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
With an eclectic taste in music she helps to create a unique and transformative Ecstatic Dance experience that can help to promote personal growth, connection, and community.
The only music we won't play is music that incites negativity, contains swear and/or derogatory words, or music which could be deemed as misappropriation..
Ethical Statement: DJ NavaSkye purchases all her music. By buying our music we support the artists who create it, this ensures that they receive fair compensation for their work. Furthermore, purchasing music from legitimate sources such as Bandcamp also helps to ensure that the artist gets the financial return they want, that the music is of good quality and is free from any copyright issues.
In addition, buying music for Ecstatic Dances can also help to create a more curated and intentional experience for participants.
Barefoot
Let 'movement medicine' in and shake off the burdens of everyday life... our dances are barefoot, this helps stability, safety and grounding!
Dancing barefoot has a number of potential benefits:
- Helps Balance and Stability: when we dance barefooted we are more connected to the ground, this helps our balance and stability. Also helps us to ground.
- Improved Freedom of Movement: helps us to let go, and be more expressive and authentic in our movement.
- Strengthens muscle tone of Foot and Ankle: without shoes our feet have to work harder to maintain our balance - therefore muscle tone is improved over time.
- Greater Flexibility and Range of Motion: Improved tone, improves flexibility.
- Good vibrations/rhythm:: dancing barefoot can also help to improve connection to the music, the vibration and rhythm.
Fewer barriers - helps us connect on many levels!
Important message: if you have an ankle/foot injury the above may not apply, please do consult with a health professional if you are unsure - before starting any new type of dance class such as ours.
No Mobile Phones
Participants are encouraged to leave their phones, watches, and other electronic devices outside of the dance space.The reasons for this technology-free environment are based on the belief that technology can be distracting and can disrupt the flow and energy of the dance practice. Without technology, participants are able to fully immerse themselves in the experience and connect more deeply with their bodies and the music.In addition to eliminating distractions, a technology-free environment can also help to create a safer space for participants. Without the pressure of social media or the need to document the experience, participants may feel more comfortable expressing themselves freely and exploring their emotions and feelings without fear of judgment or scrutiny.
No Talking During the Dance
This Is a type of meditative dance, talking can be disruptive to the experience and the energy of the space. The idea is to create a safe and supportive environment where participants can connect with their bodies and emotions through movement and music.
Silence during the practice also allows for a deeper connection to oneself and to the music. Without the distraction of conversation, participants are encouraged to focus on their inner experience and let their bodies move freely without inhibition or self-judgment.
Overall, the discouragement of talking during the dance is intended to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment where participants can fully immerse themselves in the experience of movement and music, leading to a deeper connection with oneself and others.
AbouT
Abi - DJ & Facilitator
Abi is a qualified Biomedical Scientist, Occupational Therapist, Breath-Works teacher, Dance the Medicine Facilitator, Ecstatic Dance DJ, and soon-to-be-qualified Personal Trainer - which makes her a highly versatile practitioner in the field of holistic health and movement practices.
As an Occupational Therapist, Abi is trained to help people achieve physical, mental, and emotional wellness through everyday activities.
As a breath-works teacher, Abi is trained in using breathing techniques to promote relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional regulation.
As a Dance the Medicine facilitator and Ecstatic Dance DJ, Abi is skilled in using movement and music as tools for personal growth, healing, and community building.
Abi has personally found immersing herself in music and dance incredibly healing, this is her main reason for qualifying as a DJ and Facilitator. Abi is living a very healthy, active and full life despite having Multiple Sclerosis.
In her early 50s, Abi strongly believes in living life to the full, forever growing, forever learning, remaining active and interested whilst moving our bodies. Passionately anti-vivisection, Abi has vowed never to take medication, she maintains her physical and mental health solely through healthy lifestyle methods, with dance and music being significant contributors!
Venues: St Mark's Community Centre, Bath
Smooth, Clean, Sprung Flooring
Smooth, Clean, Sprung Flooring
Smooth, Clean, Sprung Flooring
St Mark's Community Centre is a community hub located on St Mark's Road in Widecombe, Bath, Somerset, UK.
St Mark's Community Centre is a detached welcoming space, at the end of a quiet residential road - only a short walk from Bath Spa Station, designated parking space which is to side and rear of the centre.
The centre is designed to provide a space for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and participate in a variety of activities and events.
These include dance classes, fitness sessions, community meetings, and other social events.
As for the dance floor space at St Mark's Community Centre, it is a large, open area intentionally sprung for dance activities. Used by well known local dance school.
Beautiful High Ceilings
Smooth, Clean, Sprung Flooring
Smooth, Clean, Sprung Flooring
When you enter the centre you will see a large reception area with an accessible WC, a front door which we lock (but can be opened if you need to leave early). Plenty of space to place coats and shoes. Large breakout room between main hall and large kitchen area where you can fill up your water bottles.
The high ceilings are perfect for our music. This is because high ceilings allow sound waves to travel further before they bounce back and interfere with the original sound, creating echoes and reverberations. The result is a more spacious and natural sound that can enhance the listening experience. The sound waves bounce off the walls and ceiling, creating a sense of depth and richness in the music.
Overall, a very beautiful space for which we feel very grateful!