In our conversation, Cynthia and I talked about what she thinks attract people to join Ecstatic Dance, how community dance has the power to facilitate freedom of expression and how the stories of the ED participants inspired her to continue the dance events and workshops.

Most of the participants admitted to have experienced different internal and external changes while they were dancing as part of the ED classes. One of the most common feedback Cynthia has received from her course participants is the freedom element, which they feel on the dancefloor by letting go of any inhibitions. For example, one of the ED participants, reconnected to her inner child through dance at Ecstatic Dance and allowed herself to be relaxed again. Through raising her awareness and integrating what she learnt at ED, the ways in which the participant perceived her body have changed. Moreover, she rediscovered her femininity and the joy behind embracing her sensuality.

How was Ecstatic Dance Bucharest born?

Ecstatic Dance Bucharest was created in 2015 with the aim of sharing what I learnt in Nevada City, CA, USA in 2014. The main desire I had when I started the community was building up a community which unites people with a passion for dancing as a spiritual and embodiment movement practice.

How does Ecstatic Dance Bucharest facilitate the connection between people, music, dance and healing?

Ecstatic Dance Bucharest offers all the necessary ingredients to the participants: non-verbal space, specialized DJ, loud & clear music, space holding and rituals including cacao and face painting. Not only does Ecstatic Dance offer the chance to transcend certain psycho-emotional limitations facilitated by unchoreographed movements, but it equally creates a safe-space where no prejudice exists for 2 hours. The songs are curated carefully in such a way that each one of our participant is inspired to let their body flow to the rhythm, no matter how diverse they might look from one another.

What type of visitors does ED community usually have?

Most of our participants are not professional dancers. They usually come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, they have different ages and passions. I never placed a label on any of our dancing groups, but what most of these people have in common is an interest for self-acknowledgement and the connection to their bodies which transcends the mundane lifestyle. Most of their shared experiences show that these people are trying to enjoy their lives to the fullest potential and go back to their inner child through self-acceptance and forgetting about any social stigma.

Where do the ED participants come from?

Our participants are mostly Romanian, but ED equally hosts tourists who are visiting Romania or foreigners who come to our events to experiment a different approach to movement.

How would ED participants describe their journey with dance?

Most of our participants have described their experience with dance at ED as an awakening which changed their perspective on how they want to live their life and become n-tune with their energy. For some, these feelings come at the end of their journey with Ecstatic Dance.

How does the community element serve in the dancing process at ED?

For most participants ED is about community. I believe that community facilitates this ‘oneness’ which participants would not experience on their own. All these common elements of having a body one can enjoy and letting go of any prejudice alongside others connect our participants.

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