What is Sacred Circle Dance?

For millennia, dance has been an integral part of life across cultures.

Teachers in the Sacred Circle Dance Tradition have collected dances from all over the world, some attributed to specific choreographers, others passed down anonymously throughout the generations.

This modern Western practice was revived in Findhorn, Scotland in the 1970’s by German master ballet and folk dancer Bernhart Wosien. Since then, the movement has grown into a network of dance communities worldwide.

Why Do We Dance in a Circle?

Dancing in a circle is a time-honoured human tradition around the world.

The circle itself is a symbol for unity and wholeness, a state in which all things are present and nothing is missing. There is no hierarchy in a circle. Everyone is an equal contributor.

We join together to form something greater than ourselves, transcending our individuality while having our own unique experience.

Sacred Circle Dance is a gentle, graceful and fun way to share with others the experience of bringing together body, mind, and Spirit.

We Dance With Intention

Dancing together creates and can strengthen connections to each other, to the rhythms of nature, and to ourselves and/or to Spirit.

Sacred Circle Dance is not affiliated with any religion or set of beliefs; rather we express universal themes and ‘Sacred’ and ‘Spirit’ are used in the broadest sense.

There are dances from many Traditions for celebration and ceremony, for rites of passage, in greeting, in joy, and in sorrow. There are dances honouring the seasons; dances to symbolize transitions in life; the elements; the directions; the sun, the moon; global gods & goddesses, etc….and some are just for the fun and joy of dancing!

Some dances are slow and meditative while others are peppy and get your heart pumping. Most of the dances are simple and all the dances are accessible enough for anyone to be able to participate.

Let your body flow with the music and let the energy of the dances embrace you.

Each dance is taught during that specific gathering with enough time to learn the moves. No previous experience is necessary.

Carrie Fawcett, M.Mus. B.Ed., began exploring more seriously her long-time attraction to dance with classes starting in her early thirties, with World Dance styles including bellydance, Bollywood and flamenco. She was eventually introduced to Circle Dancing, which has remained her focus ever since, because of its beauty, its accessibility to so many people, its versatility, and its effectiveness as a tool for transformation.

Alongside and through her offering of dance, Carrie is a Ceremonialist and Certified Celebrant based in the Ottawa region. With a creative and credentialed background in the arts and education coupled with a desire to serve her community, her work involves co-creating with clients, personalized and meaningful ceremonies that support their growth and wellbeing.

Through working with Carrie, clients are supported in marking important transitions in life, from memorials and funerals, to weddings and vow renewals, to other rites of passage and earth-honouring events. Ceremony has been used since time immemorial as a very versatile and effective tool for our evolution.

www.carriefawcett.com

TESTIMONIALS

from our 1st Annual Sacred Circle Dance Retreat ~ Inspired Dances for Inspired Living: Dancing the Heroine’s Journey

August 4 - 7, 2023, in Arnprior, Ontario

Some of What participants Had to Say - Music to Our Ears:

"It's the first time I've ever felt glad to be a woman" ~ "It's the first time I've ever felt unconditional love when dancing the outdoor dance process" ~ "It's the first time I've ever had a sisterhood experience" ~ "I have had some difficulty over the years doing some of the dances but I feel so much more balanced now" ~ "I feel so much more at one with The Mother and the Sacred Feminine" ~ "I can see how the masculine was seen as superior and now I see the masculine as an equal" ~ "There is a path [for me] and I am not completely lost" ~ "I feel lighter; a lightness of being" ~ 

Some Feedback About the Shamanic Dance Ceremony Itself:

"It was magical! Everything about it. Each song chosen resonated with [the associated stage of] The Heroine's Journey, both at the personal level and the interpersonal level. Having gone through The Heroine's Journey many times over the years, and now having gone through it as an old woman, I can hardly describe how immensely impactful this was" ~ "The songs chosen to reconnect to The Feminine were unbelievably appropriate. Actually, all the songs were like that" ~ "The Ceremony opened the floodgates of grief, and it continues. However, afterwards I felt a shift to the impersonal Archetype of Mother and what women go through in the world" ~

Some Feedback About the Evening Meditation:

"It was wondrous! I saw many dimensions including that I went back in time and danced around the fire in a ritual with others" ~ "I actually felt that I was in a cave and got the sense that we are all enough" ~ "The evening meditation was incredible; that’s the only word but it doesn’t even come close to what I experienced" ~

Some Feedback About Using The Labyrinth Onsite for Even More Personal Transformation:

"I felt a chain on my foot connected to my family and I let it go" ~ "I forgave my Mom" ~ "I met my inner child, embraced her; then met my wounded teenager and brought her with me and she now knows I'm there for her" ~ 

Some Feedback About Gaia Sacred Circle Dancers:

"I felt safe and welcome the whole time and there were no big egos involved" ~ As one who organizes retreats, I am blown away by all the work you three did and that's not including all the work of choreographing the dances and the ceremony too" ~ "Barb and Carrie are great teachers! They were unbelievably clear in how they taught the dances and that made it so easy to learn them" ~ "Thank you, Kathleen, for the Sacred Feminine teachings; it was really helpful" ~