Dance as Epiphany by Festival 2015 Presenter Deborah Mauldin

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Sacred Dance Guild — Leave a comment

Dance as Epiphany

by Festival 2015 Presenter Deborah Mauldin

I had never had a dance lesson, but one of my earliest of memories is dancing in the moonlight in front of a mirror in the middle of the night as a 4 year old – doing chasses and entrechat quatres and all! The moment was so notable and powerful, that even as a 4 year old it was impressed upon the soul.

While going to Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. as a Theatre major, we had dance lessons and I was cast as a nymph in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”. A second dance epiphany occurred while struggling to master a required move from that show: I prayed and focused, demanded and intended…and in the mirror saw myself literally begin to glow golden like some Egyptian statue and fully open up into the move. I knew then that dance/theatre as communicating with and for Divinity was my purpose.

So what is an epiphany? A divine experience…an experience wherein all the locks and bolts of your soul come into perfect alignment…a personal experience that transcends space, time and usual Earthly parameters. And it is indeed available to each and every one of us if we wish that inner experience.

Sacred dancers know this and own it, it is with all artists. As you realize spontaneous inspirations, remarkable events, unexplainable talents and untiring passions, and there not only explore the most fruitful and deeply layered aspects of your soul, but glorious and direct connection with All That Is.

Deborah Mauldin in “The Exoneration of Henry Walker Byrd”

BALLET TO BUTOH | DEBORAH MAULDIN
This class will explore dance composition and technique, from ballet – a 200 year old system of training for the mind, body and spirit that can express the highest, lowest and deepest of emotions – to the modern dance styles of Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham and Eric Hawkins – and how they used the human body to express emotion. Building on these techniques, dancers will experience Japanese Butoh, with its incredible variety, complete immersion, and artistry straight from the spirit.

Deborah Mauldin is a gifted modern dance leader who pioneered the Japanese art form of Butoh in Alabama. She has been Executive Director of the American Dance Guild, as well as President of both the Sacred Dance Guild and the Alabama Dance Council. In 2006, she founded the company Bearing Light Butoh.

Artist Bio:

Deborah Mauldin trained in Butoh with Maureen Fleming in Miami, Butoh artist Ephia in Birmingham, Saga Kobayashi in San Francisco, and Washington State artist Joan Laage, studied Graham and Hawkins technique with Gerda Zimmermann and Pamela Sofras. Deborah, who has a Master of Science in PE and Dance, and a Bachelor of Creative Arts and Dance, teaches Modern, Classical Ballet, Liturgical Dance, Choreography, Body Therapies, Aerobics and Ballroom dance. She teaches at the University of Montevallo, and has been on the boards of many local, regional, national and international Dance Service Organizations.

Deborah worked with the Sacred Dance Guild as Regional Director from 1998 until 2005, and owes her involvement in the SDG to beloved friend and mentor, Past President Joann Flannigan.

Performance History or Awards and Events:

Producer/Dancer, 2007, 2008 and 2009 American Dance Guild Festival, NYC

Dancer/Choreographer, The Mary Anthony Studios Spring and Fall Performance Series, 2007, 2008 and 2009, 736 Broadway, NYC

Choreographer, BAMA Mix – 2006, Birmingham Alabama

Dancer, Birmingham City Stages – 2000, 2002

Choreographer, Birmingham International Festival – 1998, 2000, 2006

NDA presenter – 2004, Dallas, Texas

Choreographer, The Politically Incorrect Cabaret – 2006-2007, Birmingham, Alabama

Faculty – ACDF, Athens, GA – 1995. 1998

Deborah Mauldin’s Bearinglight Butohdance Theatre is based in Birmingham, Alabama. BBT is spiritually and faith based, and works to witness and attest to the power of the Creator. BBT can work with almost any denomination such as Methodist or Baptist, or spiritual paths such as Native American or Hindu. Repertory ranges from such works as Amongst Countless Millions, a saga of ancient ritual and truth, to The Exoneration of Henry Walker Byrd, the tale of an innocent man murdered because of racial bigotry. The Artistic Director is available for classes and choreography.