Blog Archives

From the Archives; The First Newsletter, May 1958

“The annual meeting of the Eastern Regional Sacred Dance Association was held Feb. 10, 1958 at the Unitarian Church in Winchester.  ….  “  “The new by-laws were read and discussed at length, much time being spent on the question of a suitable name for our organization. 

It was voted that the name of the organization shall be – “The Sacred Dance Guild”.

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Posted in Body Prayer, Christian dance, Dance, folk dance, Liturgical dance, Movement Choir, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

Requesting New Volunteers and Board members

As we reflect back on the 65 year history of the Sacred Dance Guild, we recognize many changes and shifts that are part of our story since the beginning in 1958.    During the last two and a half years of

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Posted in Dance, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

Dance, Leadership and Outreach in Africa 

BERTIN KASOLENE is a young leader, art­ist, African contemporary dance choreographer, dancer, performer and activist, born in Goma town in Democratic Republic of the Congo…Bertin has initiated many diverse activities that inspire youth to be positive leaders for their communities.

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Posted in Choreography, Dance, Global OutReach, modern dance, Sacred Dance, World Dance

Senior Capstone Interview Questionnaire:  Elaine Herg Sisler

During our Sacred Dance Guild journey to the UK in 2017 a Mercyhurst College senior, Sarah Ruesch, asked if I would fill out a questionnaire regarding liturgical dance. I agreed and therefore it became part of her research for her senior capstone project.  

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Posted in Choreography, Christian dance, Circle Dance, Dance, Global OutReach, Liturgical dance, modern dance, Religious dance, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal, World Dance

Healing Performance and Somatic Choreography

One day in November 2017, I had decided to participate in a meeting and dance workshop offered by the Sacred Dance Guild, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting dance as a sacred art and as a means of integrating the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental aspects of the self.  I had researched and written about sacred dance, but had never experienced it physically.

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Posted in authentic Movem, Dance, Global OutReach, Nia dance, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM

Bharatanatyam dance explores the path towards Spirituality. Dance is a form of praise, a way to connect with the divine. The purposes of the practice of a religion are to achieve the goals of salvation for oneself and others. Salvation, for the Hindu, can be achieved in one of three ways: the way of works, the way of knowledge, or the way of devotion.

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Posted in Body Prayer, Choreography, Dance, Liturgical dance, Religious dance, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal, World Dance

The Sacredness of Nature and Dance

Dance can be a profoundly personal experience of transformation. But when we dance for others, it is important that we become vessel for the prayer or healing to move through us and touch others. We start by remembering that indeed we are in ritual to illuminate for others.

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Posted in Art, authentic Movem, Choreography, Dance, Drama, Global OutReach, modern dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

Let Them Praise God’s Name in the Dance (Ps 149:3)

as we engaged with open welcome in a dance workshop in a space where faith has been expressed in many ways over centuries, at least one woman from the local area found a renewal of faith expression through movement that had lain dormant for some time. As we engaged the mysticism of Julian of Norwich in a circle dance, those present connected with the spiritual ancestry of our context.   

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Posted in Body Prayer, Christian dance, Dance, Liturgical dance, Religious dance, retreat, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

Marian Chace Foundation Lecture 2020 Trauma-Informed Dance Movement Therapy: Real Life Trainings with Syrian Refugees, China and US COVID-19 Hotline

by Ilene A. Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT Over the course of the last twenty years, I have had the opportunity to get more experience working with intergenerational trauma, starting in Israel in 1986 through Dr. Vivien Marcow Speiser and Lesley University.

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Posted in authentic Movem, Body Prayer, Dance, Drama, folk dance, Global OutReach, moving meditation, Religious dance, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal

LIVING ART

The dance that evolves from my practice is a Sacred dance that embodies all the struggles and empowerments of selfhood and identity as well as the liberation of transcendence. These experiences are all interwoven and are integral to my divine journey.

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Posted in Art, authentic Movem, Body Prayer, Choreography, Dance, Drama, moving meditation, Sacred Dance, Sacred Dance Guild Journal