“The Winter Solstice falls in the heart of the winter on the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This special festival is an opportunity in our busy lives to put aside some time to pause, to appreciate the stillness and rest that is the gift of midwinter, to reflect on the old year that is finishing and to look forward with hope for the new year about to begin. It is a time of coming together, of sharing, and appreciation of all we have. It is also a celebration of our connectedness - to our family and friends, and to the Earth and her cycles”.
Glennie Kindred
We will celebrate Winter Solstice at Open House with a special ‘Ecstatic Rave’ collaboration between our Ecstatic Dance facilitators DJ Reya and Opposable Drums. DJ Reya will begin the evening with a warm up set before Opposable Drums take us on a journey through tribal percussion, techno, trance, melodic breaks and ambient soundscapes before handing back to DJ Reya for a final rave set.
Cacao
Cacao and Ecstatic Dance make a wonderful combo! Cacao is a natural drink made from the beans of the cacao tree. Unlike chocolate, it’s minimally processed and retains all the beneficial nutrients that are extracted in chocolate-making. It has gentle mood-lifting and energising properties. Drinking cacao before dance can help open the heart, relax the body, and awaken the senses, making it easier to move freely and connect with yourself and others.
For this event, cacao will be available in two sizes: £3 for a small and £5 for a large. The cacao we’ll be sharing is organic, fairtrade and ceremonial grade - which means it has been grown, harvested and processed with reverence for the plant and land. It comes from the Central Highlands of Perú and is made with love and intention by Reya using filtered water, cinnamon and ginger and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar.
There are some contraindications to drinking cacao - if you are currently taking anti-depressants or experiencing low blood pressure, please read through this: https://selenohealth.com/blogs/learn-about-cacao/safety-of-cacao and get in touch to discuss a dose that will best support you.
About this event:
Date - 6.30 - 9.30pm on Sunday, 21st December
Price - £15
Location - Upstairs @ Open House
Booking - Limited to 30 spots, to book your spot please click below
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Ecstatic Dance is a free-form movement journey and moving meditation that’s sweeping the world! Guided by the live music of duo Opposable Drums, we flow through an epic soundscape of all genres: fast and slow, classical to psytrance, drum and bass to dub - no style is off-limits! The music moves in waves; starting gently, building to vibrant peaks, and ending in stillness.
There are no steps, no judgment, no need to perform - just pure, free expression. We generally dance barefoot, without talking, in a sober, mindful space where respect and presence create a safe container. Ecstatic Dance is transformative, playful, and deeply liberating.
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To keep the space safe and enjoyable for everyone, we follow these simple guidelines:
Speech: No chatting on the dance floor - sounding is welcome but please be considerate of others.
Footwear: We like to dance barefoot to ground, but if you need to wear shoes, please bring clean soft indoor shoes and be mindful of people's toes!
Boundaries/consent: Respect others' personal space & check for consent before dancing with someone. If you're not sure whether it's a 'yes', treat it like a 'no'. There is no need to dress to impress! This is not a space where you need to look good… this is a movement meditation.
Substances: No alcohol, drugs or other substances - this is a sober practice.
Screen free: No phones or cameras during the dance - drop out of your head and into your body and give yourself the gift of switching off! The team may take short videos/pictures for promotional reasons - if you do not want to be in a video/photo, please let us know before or after the dance.
Feel free: Dance how you want; as much or as little movement as is right for you - this is a non-judgemental space. Feel free to close your eyes, bring a blindfold, dance to the wall... you do you!
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Paul Mann and Matthew Laurie have played together for over 20 years and have a long history of performing a wide range of dance music genres including dub, drum and bass, reggae, African highlife, electro, blues, folk dance, jazz and west African percussion.
Opposable Drums draws from this experience to offer 100% live electronic music to support a conscious dance space within which dancers can find freedom. Live improvisation allows for dialogue between the musicians and dancers which deepens the collective journey through a non stop set of tunes inspired by the rise and fall wave of 5 Rhythms and Ecstatic dance. Join us for an eclectic journey starting with slower ambient soundscapes rising to a peak of improvised techno and polyrhythmic percussion, and moving to stillness through tribal grooves, broken beats and and melodic jazz piano.
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Comfy clothes you can move freely in - layers are useful as you might get really hot dancing then cool down when still.
Earplugs if you're sensitive to loud music.
Your beautiful self, a water bottle (refill available) and curiousity!