"Imagine darkness so intense and so complete covering you like a velvet blanket. A blackness that cuts you off from the everyday world, forcing you to draw deep into yourself, a blackness that makes you see with your heart instead of your eyes. You can't see, but your eyes seem open. You are isolated, but you know you are united with all living things. And out of darkness comes the roaring of the drums, the sound of the prayers. And among these sounds your ears catch the voices of the spirits, ghostlike, whispering to you from unseen lips. You feel the wings of birds brushing your face; feel the light touch of a feather on your skin. And always you hear the throbbing drums filling the empty space inside yourself, making you forget things that clutter your mind, making your body sway to their rhythm”. -Robbie Robertson

Trance Dance: Entering Our Body/Mind Consciousness
From the beginnings of recorded history we find evidence of dance. It seems that our original relationship to dancing was for the purpose of worship and healing. In this ancient time our ancestors viewed nature and all of its elements as an expression of God. To duplicate or `mimic' nature through movement and sounds was their first and highest way to connect with spirit, and was the origin of dance.

Spiritual dancing is a cross-cultural phenomenon, a testament to its power and authenticity. Cultures from every continent on this planet simultaneously embraced unique dance forms based on the animals and elements of nature present within their domain. Their purpose in dancing was to `enter the consciousness' or `become the spirit' of the sun, moon, and various animal and plant life. Through these dance rituals they believed that the spirits within nature could empower them with abilities such as courage and compassion, as well as reveal insights into the future.

For thousands of years spiritual dancing remained an integral part of how we maintained and enhanced our relationship to the earth. To `dance like nature' was to vibrate at the same rate as the creator, much the same as any newborn child will mimic its environment out of love and appreciation for its existence. Dance was synonymous with what we would call prayer, a demonstration of reverence, and to dance regularly promoted spiritual and physical health and vitality.

"By dancing within the seclusion of darkness we discover parallel realities where solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems are possible." Wilbert Alix

In addition, dance was a doorway to the soul or `spirit within', and to dance oneself into a state of trance was to connect completely to the healing powers of spirit. It is from these `shamanic' perspectives that we approach Trance Dance .

Trance Dance is a unique blend of healing sounds, dynamic percussive rhythms, transformational breathing techniques and the innovative use of a blindfold or bandana - together stimulating a 'trance' state that promotes spiritual awakenings, mental clarity, physical stamina and emotional well-being. Driven by unique musical soundtracks recorded specifically for this method of healing, Trance Dance takes participants on an 'inner journey' not limited to our normal perceptions of space/time. Ritual trance journeys have been a vital part of shamanic and eastern dance cultures for thousands of years. Our contemporary approach to Trance Dance brings together the richness of these ancient rituals with some startlingly effective modern techniques. One of these is the use of a blindfold or bandana which covers the eyes, thereby shutting down the major source of distractions to the brain and stimulating an 'inner vision' that reveals hidden meanings and answers to many of life's most compelling questions. In more ancient times `trance dance rituals were done primarily at night because darkness was a necessary context for participants to focus on their inner experience or `visions'. Darkness creates a state of suspension or `stopping time', an altered state or `trance state' where there is no one but one's self. It is within this inner journey that we connect with spirit and the truths it reveals. The bandana therefore becomes a spiritual tool allowing each participant to block out all distraction and to become a witness to the richness of his or her own experience.

Trance Dance's primary focus is on healing and our relationship with spirit. By dancing within the seclusion of darkness we discover parallel realities where solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems are possible. Through Trance Dance we `disappear', become more like our spirit, and simultaneously less attached to our difficulties, making it possible at these moments to let these problems go.

Author's Bio: 

Wilbert Alix has earned international recognition as a contemporary healer and teacher of progressive psychology and neo-shamanic studies. A prominent figure in the emerging science of body-centered psychology his presentations are accentuated with intellectual depth and a unique insight into the relationships between traditional shamanic healing, western science and eastern mysticism.

Wilbert Alix is a 7th generation native of New Orleans... born into a culture rich in shamanic tradition, ritual trance, sacred music and ecstatic dance. Also a trained academic, Wilbert has explored eastern transformational mysticism, contemporary psychotherapy, western medicine and shamanic ritual healing techniques... all beginning in 1968.

Throughout his 36 year career, Wilbert Alix has created numerous medical, social, mental health and alternative approaches to cultivating physical and emotional well-being. From 1975-86 his work at Baylor College Of Medicine and the University Of Texas Health Science Center ranged from cardiovascular research to organ procurement & transplantation. From 1990-1993 he served as president of the Capital Area Mental Heath Center, one of the largest psychotherapy programs in the United States. He is the creator and director of the 'Common Ground Project'; a conflict management program that successfully brings together opposing groups through innovative use of transformational therapy, an education in the principles that govern spiritual integrity and training in creative problem solving techniques. His popular TV show 'Awakening The Mind' has aired on public television since 1988.

Beginning in 1981 Wilbert served as director of the Natale Institute International (founded by now deceased Frank Natale), a worldwide network of education and training programs that have empowered tens of thousands with the ability to transform their thoughts into reality. He continues to re-create the institute’s tri-level curriculum that emphasizes the enrichment of body, mind and soul. For over 25 years participants have learned to achieve greater self-esteem, to communicate more effectively, to transform stress and anxiety into positive energy and to transform goals into concrete results. In 1990 this program expanded into the mystical worlds of shamanism, organic healing and transformational music. CDs such as Shaman's Breath, Medicine Trance, Rites Of Passage and Spirit Animal were created to help facilitate TranceDance as a viable tool for spiritual healing… and introduced thousands to the world of shamanic healing.

Wilbert Alix has pioneered the professional application of Trance Dance and other shamanic techniques as legitimate healing and therapeutic tools. He conducts workshops and trains professionals throughout the USA, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America. He frequently appears at professional conferences and expos, as well as teaching educational 'mind/body science' programs to individuals and corporations.

"My intention is to bring into simple and clear focus the enormously complex worlds of mysticism, psychology, shamanic spirituality and science for the purpose of clear direction and achievement”.
- Wilbert Alix
www.trancedance.com