OPIS

Many people think that community is created when everyone adapts appropriately. When we kind of “grind down” each other. I prefer to think that we don’t become better members of the community by limiting ourselves, but by growing into this situation. We don’t need to smooth ourselves out, but rather grow those parts of ourselves that help us connect without diminishing who we are. We don’t need to hide ourselves in order to blend in, but rather show ourselves clearly and attentively notice others who are also showing themselves. We are not pebbles that are rubbed and smoothed together by the waves, but living beings that support and nourish each other.

Dance creates a space where we can practice nourishing togetherness without words. We can develop and grow those parts of ourselves that make us more capable of connecting, and thus we can be even more alive when immersed in community.

Gabrielle Roth’s movement map will be our guide. This decades-old method provides a solid foundation and much inspiration for all of us in dance. The rhythm of chaos invites us to surrender to the unpredictable whirlwind of life, to throw ourselves into whatever feels good. As Gabrielle Roth, creator of the 5Rhythms, wrote:

“Chaos can be wild and expressive, but it can also be a less physically demanding dance, an inner process of shaking, vibrating, and letting go. Either way, the mind empties from the head into the body, awakening our intuition.”

No prior knowledge or dance experience is required, everybody's welcome.

"For Lakotas, one of our common mantras is Mitakuye Oyasin — we are all related. All of us, no matter who you are (person), or what you are (grass, trees, rocks), are the same. Some say related — I like to say enmeshed because it really is. That is why when you speak with a Lakota person, you will get the story you are asking about, but then about fifty other stories, because the one story you are asking about is enmeshed with all the others." (Mary Black Bonnet)

(The cover photo was taken by Péter Fejér in June 2025, during our summer solstice celebration at the Danube.)