Our NYC teachers service the dynamic, diverse and dedicated tribe you could expect to make their way onto our dancefloors here. It provides a refuge of rhythm for those who are hungry to maintain a real self within the creative pulse, urban edge, and tribal soul of Manhattan. There is no more exciting place on earth, as it perfectly mirrors the complexity and challenges we face when we look within. Our NYC offerings of daily classes, short and long form workshops are available to dance you through all levels of the 5Rhythms every year.
Dear Dancer,
Please accept this is an invitation to join a treasure hunt for delight.
Sincerely,
Yourself
Huh? What on earth? Did I send that?
Well no you didn’t. But maybe without even knowing it you have been on that quest. Or maybe you’ve known it but have been too busy to surrender to the question. Or maybe you just don’t remember the last time you laughed uncontrollably,
Do you remember the last time that you baltered (Definition: to dance artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.)? That you felt the weight fall off of your shoulders? That your chest felt loose and your feet fleet? That your face relaxed and your eyes widened with wonder?
In this weekend workshop we will replace work with curiosity and enter into the curiosity shop that is our relationship with the big, possibly heavy weight of the word Joy. We’ll wrestle it to the ground and tickle it to life. We’ll tiptoe around it, get in its face, rock rattle and roil it, and dance into the lightness of being.
“Allow yourself to trust joy and embrace it. You will find you dance with everything.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
~~~
Light of Heart: a 5Rhythms® Heartbeat Joy-quest(ion)
A weekend long 5Rhythms Heartbeat workshop led by Tammy Burstein in New York City
We are living in turbulent times. You, me, & we are being called to reckon with tidal shifts in consciousness, individually & collectively. At times it feels like every detail of reality has gone under the microscope for inspection, & the truths being revealed are sometimes more than we can bear. At other times, it's as if blankets of blindness have been cast over whole swaths of people & everyone acts as if transfixed by a powerful spell. The oscillation between illumination & unconsciousness, between calamity & inspiration is giving us whiplash.
At no time has the import of the old Alchemical adage "as above, so below; as within, so without" been more pressing. The events on the world stage are not exclusively out there, but reflective of a deep psychological reality, one which we each have the privilege of coming to consciousness of in this lifetime. This process of coming to consciousness, historically & psychologically, is the experience of apocalypse.
The word apocalypse comes from the Greek apokálpysi, meaning "to remove the covering"--that is, to reveal. Thus, an apocalypse--which we often experience as a trauma, tragedy, horrendous downfall, or egregious global atrocity--is also an opening to see a deeper truth. In the breakdown, more light can shine through. Personally, these sorts of revelations occur when our outdated personality structures clash with the larger life in front of us. Conflict ensues. Globally, apocalypses herald the dawning of a new structure.
In this workshop we will explore our apocalypses--both individual & collective--by moving with themes such as navigating conflict, embodying our authentic instincts, showing up responsibly, & surrendering to what wants to happen. To explore these themes we will use 5Rhythms® dance, guided imagery practices, & ritual theatre. We will dive deep, fly high, play hard, & discover new aspects of humanity in a safe container. You will see, feel, & experience yourself in new ways & learn to relate to your old patterns with new skillfulness. The poet David Whyte writes that "revelation must be terrible," and while he is not wrong--revelation is indeed terrible--it is also true that "one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious," as C. G. Jung famously said. In this workshop, we will explore the pain & beauty of revelation in the name of making the darkness conscious & thus embodying the light more fully.