Last weekend I studied Body Mind Centering w/ guest facilitator, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen at Luna Dance Institute’s family dance intensive. I like many modern dance students have heard BMC referred to in modern dance classes. I always thought core distal work while laying on the side of the body derived BMC. At the winter intensive Bonnie’s explanations of developmental movement patterns in the body were anatomically deep and genuine. She broke down postural tones, front, middle and side bodies and we re-discovered reflexes. Aligning the body and mind together felt calming and satisfying to my inner spirit.
Somatic practice is empowering because it gives us clues into our own self-knowledge. The more we know ourselves the more we grow as souls, and remember our original connection to creation. What struck me dearly was the amount of times Bonnie referred to the work we were doing as sacred. Even though I am currently Co-Vice President of the Sacred Dance Guild I hardly hear the term “sacred” used in my dance, work or casual environments. I think this is for two main reasons: for some the word is outdated, for others the term is too complicated. When Bonnie continued to say, “this is sacred” with great conviction, my spirit said, “Yes!” Our bodies and minds growing on their own natural paths of evolution are sacred along with our very existence. What I mean is our slightest functions, such as taking a breath, are embedded in sacredness. We do not have to perform a choreographed dance to know this. When our whole self is present we have tremendous potential power. I was happy to be reminded of this by BMC’s master.
Cherie Hill is a creative artist, dancer, performer, teacher and scholar, whose art explores human expression and how it is conveyed through the body in collaboration with nature, music and visual imagery. She teaches creative dance and modern dance improvisation at Luna Dance Institute, is former Co-Vice President of the Sacred Dance Guild, and a research assistant for Hip-hop dance legend, Rennie Harris. She holds a BA in Dance and Performance studies from UC Berkeley, and a MFA from the University of CO Boulder. To read more about her upcoming projects visit iriedance.com.
SACRED DANCE TRENDS 
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