The power of dance

The very word ‘Ibiza’ is synonymous with dance. Decades of discos, house parties, trance parties and super clubs stand as testament to this. Often overlooked, and yet growing daily in popularity here, are a wide range of dance and movement forms that profoundly stimulate the senses without any chemical or alcoholic intervention at all. Centuries of Shamanic Trance Dance, movement meditation and, more recently, the likes of 5 Rhythms dance and contact improvisation, have all led to dance and movement being used as powerful teaching tools too. Many find these approaches to be a far more manageable way of absorbing and applying information than relying on verbal or written prompts alone.




Resident of Ibiza and creator of IntroDanza, Carolina Corada, can certainly attest to this. Born in Venezuela, Carolina later lived in the USA, Spain, Brazil and then back in Venezuela where she studied Performing Arts, Contemporary and Ethnic Dance and languages. From there, she climbed a highly corporate career ladder in the oil industry, ultimately finishing up at BP Oil as a Corporate Communications Executive for many years. At 30, Carolina, like so many others, officially embarked on her profound spiritual journey which had gently begun in her early teens. From Tai Chi through Biodanza, yoga, movement, art and meditation, she quickly found her way to a fundamentally happier and more fulfilling existence.
 
Since then, Carolina has concentrated her focuses on helping others. Offering herself and her own process back to peace being the guiding inspiration, she encourages people to live a more appreciative, forgiving, non-judgemental and, thereby, happier life. It’s no surprise that many have said of Carolina that she “walks her talk.” Her particular inspiration is ‘A Course in Miracles’, the all-embracing spiritual teachings of which she has converted into easily graspable movement forms. These movements are designed to help participants explore their thoughts and emotions and, in so doing, make gentler choices about themselves, others, life and relationships. Her carefully tailored workshops and conferences have proven invaluable for thousands of people ranging from those just looking to explore their spiritual horizons to prison inmates, people in rehab, abused women, stressed executives and disgruntled company employees with whom she has worked with extensively the globe over in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
 


As Carolina and so many others appreciate, movement and dance serve a strong purpose in opening up our spirits, lowering our barriers and shifting our perspectives. Indeed, something as simple as consciously straightening one’s back and lifting one’s head high has immediate positive effects on our emotional wellbeing. So, it is hardly surprising that the abandoned physicality of dance takes this theme a significant stage further. Even more so, when supervised by a trusted teacher in a secure environment: a place where dance and seemingly more bizarre concepts like planting a loving embrace or appreciative prolonged stare on a complete stranger, suddenly become surprisingly normal and strikingly meaningful.




As William W. Purkey so rightly suggested:
“Dance like no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, live like it’s heaven on earth.”
 
I know that I am not alone in admitting to many secret dance sessions directed at my own reflection or enthusiastic vocal outbursts in the shower. From IntroDanza, 5 Rhythms, Shamanic Trance Dance, to vocal, movement or contact improvisation classes, these approaches are certainly proving to be a most enjoyable route to many people’s own personal heaven, whatever that may be.