The Natya Sastra, the most comprehensive ancient text on sacred dance and drama, describes this sacred art form as a spiritual practice, linking it with yogic philosophy. It was Brahma himself who is said to have brought sacred Indian dance to the earth. The dancer pursues harmony with the divine. The goal is to reach an elevated state of consciousness, to achieve a true unison of the inner self and the physical being with the divine, to immerse into divine consciousness, becoming one - as in yoga ('union').
In this workshop we will become ‘devadasis’ (servants of God). In ancient times, the devadasis were married to Shiva and were offering their art in the temple with devotion and surrender as a pooja for the divine.
We will explore the concept of the Shiva Nataraj, the Lord of the Dance, whose dance is said to be the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe. We will explore the depths of this dance as a spiritual practice as described in the Natya Sastra, linking it with yogic philosophy, meditation and tantric practices such as transfiguration. But of course we will dance, dance, dance!
The main focus in this workshop will be on Bharata Natyam, South Indian classical temple dance. Bharata Natyam is said to be the mother art for most of the other sacred Indian dances and is the main source of inspiration for sculpture, painting, and icon-making. We will focus on the mudra's (sacred hand gestures used for telling mythological stories), basic rhythmic patterns (reflecting Shiva's sacred tandava dance) and karana's (sacred poses of the temple in Chidambaram).
These will be integrated in different small choreographies, such as:
- a flower pooja (opening) dance which is meant to sanctify the dance space, dancing yantra's on the dance floor and ritualising the space
- danced prayers
- intricate rhythmic dances reflecting the cosmic dance of Shiva
Apart from Bharta Natyam, there will be a little bit of Kathak (North Indian classical dance), and... a short Bollywood choreography, modern Indian dance that borrows heavily from Indian classical and folk styles... A devadasi performance will be held at the end of the workshop!
ABOUT GWENDA
Gwenda has always been a dancer, since the age of four. She did 14 years of ballet, but also trained in contemporary, African, salsa and lots of bellydancing. However, her main focus has been on Indian dance.
She started Bharata Natyam at the age of 16, and was trained in the Dandayudapani style in Belgium, and later in India in Kalaksetra style with P.R. Rajesh and Mrs. Gauri Deshpande. She also did some workshops in Padma Subrahmanyam style. She has been teaching and performing Bharata Natyam for 13 years. She also did some Kuchipudi and trained in Kathak, North Indian classical dance, with Saswati Sen and Shila Mehta, as well as with The Dancing Nikita Company in London. She also started teaching and performing Bollywood more and more, and trained and performed/performs in Kalbelya dance, Rajasthani folk dance.
From 1995 until 1999 she studied Art History and Anthropology at the University of Ghent, Belgium, and did a second master in non-western art and anthropology at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK (1999-2000). After that, she was a PhD candidate at Ghent University, Department of Comparative Cultural Sciences for four years. Her PhD focussed on Indian dance and globalisation. She wrote and still writes several articles on the topic (I refer to my CV for more info).
Gwenda also discovered yoga, through her dance practice. She had a profound interest in Iyengar for years and decided to do a teacher training. She shifted her focus from Iyengar to other styles and trained at the Chi Yoga School in London (www.chiyogaschool.com) in Ashtanga and Seasonal Yoga Flow.
Even though she left Iyengar yoga behind, it deepened her ashtanga and flow practice and teaching. A workshop about chakras, yoga and music meditation inspired her and led her to Agama Yoga in Thailand (www.agamayoga.com). After the First Month Intensive, she decided to pursue her studies with Swami Vivekananda Saraswati and subscribed for the teacher training, which she finished in 2010. She studied at Agama up to month 6 (inclusive). In the same year she started her own yoga and massage studio, together with her partner. www.mysticyoga.net
The in-depth traditional Tantric approach on yoga made her realise what yoga was all about: personal and spiritual evolution, balance and purification, getting in touch with your true essence and being in harmony with everything that surrounds you Yoga is the path to find peace, harmony, and happiness!
Her development as a yogi and the chakra-based hatha yoga has also brought her to teach chakra dance. Her yoga and dance practice has brought her to investigate the relationship between yoga and Indian classical dance, more particularly the relationship between the devadasi tradition and the Tantric Yoga tradition, as written amongst others in the ancient Indian Agama texts.
She is teaching and performing regularly in Belgium, France, UK, Senegal, Mauritania and Thailand.
Web:
Dance website: www.danceyourlife.com
Yoga studio in Belgium: www.mysticyoga.net
