This weeks dance

SUNDay december 22nd

jami deva

Jämi Deva is a loving father and husband to our beloved Yoga teacher, Megan Cannon. We see and feel Jämi behind the scenes, nearly every Sunday as he provides the musical journey with Megan’s Yoga class. He’s a professional musician, DJ, event producer, Qigong and breath-work educator, as well as a resident Musical Facilitator at Kalani Ecstatic Dance. We love Jämi’s dedication to creating musical journeys encompassing a meditative and mystical state of being, then uplifting us into beautiful and melodic high energy beats. He’s one of our most skilled and trusted Musical Facilitators, aways creating a journey crossing the world through a wide array of genres, beats, and instrumentation. And he’ll always be adding some instrumentation himself, as a highly skilled drummer. LISTEN – https://soundcloud.com/devaliminal/oakland-ecstatic-dance-02-07-24 (https://soundcloud.com/devaliminal/oakland-ecstatic-dance-02-07-24) (Ecstatic Dance Oakland)
 
 

Upcoming music facilitators

THE MONTH of December

Musical facilitators

12/1 Qoi

12/08 Sheena Medicina

12/15 Imagika OM

12/22 Jami Deva

12/29 Tribal Dreamz 

ECSTATIC FLOW AND PRICING

  • YOGA WARMUP & DJ SET $20
  • ECSTATIC DJ SET ONLY $15
  • PARKING FREE

ECSTATIC FLOW AND PRICING

  • YOGA WARMUP & DJ SET $20
  • ECSTATIC DJ SET ONLY $15
  • PARKING FREE

About our Sunday dance...

 

Rise and shine with us every Sunday morning at the mothership of the dance that changed the world! Ecstatic Dance, birthed at Kalani, created the template for this global phenomenon of dance gatherings held as a community movement ritual. It has become a beloved modern tradition that transformed our local community and the lives of hundreds of thousands of dancers far beyond our jungle coastline. Our Sunday dances have long been the heartbeat of the Big Island dance scene; a rhythmic pulse of expression and connection, an outlet for the body, mind, and spirit. The container is held to safely move through all levels of emotional release. Let’s dance our prayers together!

The history of Ecstatic Dance...

In the year 2001, Max Fathom, who had been involved with the conscious dance community in Austin, Texas, arrived at Kalani in April of that year. He started a dance by playing world beat music by popular artists  on two walkmans and a little mixer. He had been a student of Gabriel Roth and her 5 Rhythms, and he and the dancers explored movement inspired by this. Then that fall, after an inspirational stopover at Burning Man where he first connected with electronic music, he began incorporating this and created some new elements and Ecstatic Dance was born!

The dance grew and more people got involved with refining the practice. Eldon Lee and Elizabeth Betwixt were instrumental in this early phase. Elizabeth became Max’s co-pilot in curating and gelling the ritual and community aspects. In 2007, Max left Hawai’i. In 2008, Ecstatic Dance also expanded outward, first to the California Bay Area, and then quickly spread all around the globe. Ecstatic Dance at Kalani lives on and continues to see 200-350 dancers every Sunday.

Format: the wave, circles & guidelines...

As this practice has spread around the world, some aspects of the ritual have gotten lost in the transmission, and some of the key elements of the practice have not transferred over to all the dances. They still might be wonderful dances in their own ways, but Ecstatic Dance at Kalani values holding true to the roots of the original structure and guidelines and honors the work put in place by Max, Elizabeth, and the community here over 20 years ago. 

 

Classically, Ecstatic Dance has 3 main sections: opening circle, the dance journey, and closing circle. There has also traditionally been a yoga class in the earlier morning that many dancers attend. Further, the dance journey facilitated by the DJs (AKA musical facilitators) follows a wave pattern. Max was influenced by his teacher, Gabriel Roth, and the wave is loosely inspired by her 5 Rhythms work. The 5 Rhythms are “flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness.” It also is similar to an ocean wave that rises and crashes against the shore. It also has some similarities to the plotline of a story in literature: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 

 

Within the opening circle, there is a community-led Invocation and sharing of the guidelines. The closing circle includes 3 rounds: first, Shareback of the experiences of the dancers, then sharing names, and finally community announcements. The Voice of the Circle for the day helps to lead both circles and keep things on track and timely.

 

The original guidelines:

  1. No talking
  2. Sign in
  3. Make a contribution (Dance used to be by donation only, and “contribution” meant money, if you could, and/or contribute in other ways)
  4. Respect the space (No photography/videography, respect Kalani’s no drug/alcohol policy, be barefoot, etc.)
  5. We balance our own individual needs and desires with the needs and desires common to the group.

 

Every dance has its own variation of the guidelines. The guidelines we have adapted to our current time and space: 

  1. No talking 
  2. No photos or videos (please keep cell phones put away)
  3. We dance without shoes, unless there’s a medical need
  4. Get non-verbal consent before dancing with someone
  5. Non-verbally indicate a “no thank you” if you don’t want to dance with someone
  6. Please wipe up sweat or water with towels provided
  7. No smoke or scents in the dance space
  8. No smoking, vaping, intoxicants, etc. inside or outside the dance
  9. Please leave pets at home
  10. Children are welcome and please supervise them

Our team...

After reopening the dance post-pandemic in April of 2022, a few old-school dancers in the community stepped up to help in guiding the ritual elements and articulating the guidelines for the musical journey. From this, in August of 2022, the Kalani Dance Council organically formed to assist with creating and holding the container. Movement Church also came and brought a beautiful yoga warm up before the dance.

We value the original intentions and guidelines created by our founders in this space. We strive to continue the legacy of the inspirational movement ritual which started here, and honor its origins by holding true to the classical structure, as well as educating others on what makes Ecstatic Dance more than just a buzz word for any “conscious dance” experience. The council meets bi-monthly and reviews ideas and concerns to collaboratively make decisions which help to keep our dance true to our roots, safe, and of the optimal standard for participant experience. 

Current Council members include (in alphabetical order):

Josef Schnieder

Kris Williams 

Kristen Ten O’Guin

Lily Cash

Monika Mana

Sky Makai

In addition to the council, many others help make the dance happen. The Musical Facilitator Committee helps to book DJs, approve new DJs, and guide them on creating the wave for the musical journey. The Resolutions Committee assists with preventing and following up with any incidents that occur during the dance or pose any risks to the sanctity of the container. The Safety Crew is made up of some of the council members and other dancers who have consented to be available any time during the dance for anyone who might need support. 

We also have dedicated dancers who help to create the altar, sweep the floor, and attend to the needs of the space in other ways, and are on call to help as needed. Kalani staff also helps out with parking and in other various ways.

Ways to participate...

Visit our dance! Every Sunday morning yoga starts at 10:00am and opening circle starts at 11:00am. See the top of this page for information about upcoming dances. 

If you would like to DJ a future dance, volunteer for dance passes, or if you have any other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] 

See you on the dance floor!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ecstatic Dance is a movement practice where people can dance and move however they naturally feel inclined. All dancing must be safe and consensual, but otherwise, it’s a safe space for all types of dancing, whether you think you can’t dance or you’re a pro. It’s a space where depthful states of being can arise. Many people experience healing and transformation through this practice. It’s healthy for the body, mind, and spirit.

The music is carefully crafted by a DJ to carry dancers on a wave-like journey. The music is very diverse with different genres, tempos, and energy levels.

Yes, and it’s important to honor the guidelines to create the right container for the dance. 

  • No talking during the dance
  • No pictures or video, please keep cell phones put away
  • We dance barefoot (unless you have a medical need for shoes)
  • Get non-verbal consent before dancing with someone
  • Non-verbally say no (with “prayer hands,” e.g.) if you don’t want to dance with someone
  • No burning of anything inside or outside of the dance, no strong scents  
  • Please leave your pets at home
  • Children must be supervised at all times

Dance begins with opening circle at 11:00am. Coming to opening circle helps people acclimate to the dance and the community. Then after a short invocation by community members, the dance lasts for 2 hrs 15 min. At the end of the dance we have closing circle, which helps people integrate what they have just experienced and ground the energy that was created. Also, if you enjoy yoga, please come before the dance for yoga at 10:00am.

Every Sunday morning.

We live in a sub-tropical climate and dance in a jungley environment. The ‘āina (land) here is quite beautiful, and healing. The walls of the building are screen, allowing in the ocean breeze. Like many islands, dancers dress for warm weather. Fortunately, our climate is warm, but not hot.

Classes and events welcome drop ins and do not require advance registration unless otherwise mentioned on our calendar descriptions. Payments for classes are made directly by students to teachers in class unless an online payment or ticketing option is mentioned on our calendar description. Class schedules, upcoming events and class descriptions can be found on the Calendar page of our website. 

Yes! You just need to follow the guidelines.

This practice called Ecstatic Dance was actually created on the Big Island here at Kalani, back in 2001, by Max Fathom. The community here has an incredibly tight and potent container for the dance, having done this practice for so long. Of course dancing on an active volcano certainly makes the dance special as well, and we are humbled to be on this land.

There’s no dress code, except you want to wear clothes that are easy to dance in. Bring a water bottle; you can fill up at the dance if needed. Come sober. If you feel awkward at first, that’s okay! It’s an incredibly non-judgmental space, and there are great benefits to moving beyond your inhibition to dance without depending on intoxicants.

Many people help put on the dance. The Kalani Dance Council watches over many aspects of the dance. The Voice of the Circle is the most visible regular steward. They facilitate opening and closing circles and are available to welcome new folks and support dancers as needed. The musical facilitator (AKA the DJ) creates and guides the musical journey for the dance. The musical facilitator changes from week to week, but we do have many who play regularly. The sound peeps are also crucial for stewarding the dance each week. Beyond these main stewards, we have several long-time dancers who help, and many community members help create and hold the dance every week. 

You can email us at [email protected] for all your Ecstatic Dance inquiries!