Ecstatic Dance UK • The Evening Sessions Cacao Ceremony Special 16th August

**SPECIAL CACAO CEREMONY & DANCE - Evening Session with Medicine Festival's Deya CacaoAmor & Spanish Musician, DJ & Producer David Amores + special international guests!

The secret is getting out; this is the dance with more space, magic & an ethereal atmosphere, that's fuelled by passion (& cacao!) - with the opportunity to go SUPER deep at night!

We use the industries best quality & custom built EPIC surround sound system for this indoor/outdoor dance. We will also use our top of the range headphones and transmitter to dance in the GARDEN at The Baths for these warm summer nights (whilst giving dancers the choice to dance inside or out - SPEAKERS/HEADSETS).

EDUK in Hackney; dancing every Wednesday for our EPIC early evening Ecstatic Dances!

NOTE: To assist with creating a container that feels safe for all, please arrive in the space for the opening by 19:05pm latest. This is an important & valuable part of the practice. We will now be closing the doors to the dance space (for your 1st entry) at 7:20pm.

The dance area is non-verbal & without shoes or phones please, you can chat in the cafe/hangout area if you like - Thank you for your understanding

FORMAT

18:45 Arrive, drop into the space & move to the warm-up music

19:10 Opening circle & Cacao Ceremony led by

20:00: Ecstatic Dance & Sound Healing with DJ/Artist

21:40 Closing circle

WHAT IS ECSTATIC DANCE / A CACAO CEREMONY?

ED is a type of free-form dancing inviting people to connect to themselves and to others through music and movement. It takes places over a 2-hour live DJ set and starts and finishes with an opening and closing circle led by a Ceremony Leader. There is no teacher as such, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1. No talking. ED is a silent practice -you are welcome to communicate with others with your body language, but please keep words outside the space.

2. No shoes. Barefoot dancing helps us ground ourselves by creating direct contact between our feet and the earth

3. No drugs/alcohol. ED is a conscious practice embracing mindfulness.

4. Phone-free zone. Encouraging safety & presence. Be here now. (A member of the team may take a short clip/photo for future promotion) - please see team after if you wish to remain out of that material.

5. Respect of self and other. We ask participants to take responsibility for themselves, but also to watch out for others and be mindful of their personal space.

6. Stay dressed please; tops on (indoor dances) for men and women alike.

The Cacao Ceremony

The Ceremony will be a spiritual and physical journey with Cacao; We will connect with their spirit as a Sacred plant medicine and ally, with the intention of connecting to ourselves and each other.

Deya and Amores will create a safe and playful container to open our hearts and minds to explore movement and our different selves. Once we set our intentions and drink our Cacao, we will practice some guided movement to support the cacao's assimilation in our system.

Amores will then take us on an Ecstatic Dance journey words fall short to describe, you will have to come and experience it for yourself.

We will finish with a meditation to integrate our journey and send love out to all the world.

Q&A

-What to bring? A large water bottle (preferably reusable, we've put enough plastic on this planet) and a blanket to lie/sit on.

-What to wear? Dress ready to move, in layers and according to the temperature. Dress however you wish, but stay dressed please; tops & bottoms on for men and women alike (outside; you may remove tops if you wish, but please consider those around you). Most dancers probably come dressed as they would for say a yoga or fitness class, or for a festival boogie. :)

- Why do the doors close at 7:20pm, what if I just want to drop in at any time? This is a practice (albeit a great fun one!). We ask all dancers to be in the space ready to begin at 19:05pm. 7:20pm allows for those who have genuine reasons for being late, but really must be taken as the cutoff time to promote safety, a held container and to allow the fullest & deepest experience for all.

-What kind of music? ED music is eclectic and not linked to any specific genre. We start with ambient, chillout tunes then bring you on an ecstatic journey with electronica, EDM, world music and ethnic beats before bringing you back down with downtempo tracks and finish with gentle sound bath music.

-What is your refund policy? We don't offer any refunds, but if you can no longer make it, you can transfer your ticket to any other Evening Sessions (£1 fee) or SUN•DAY (£3) dates. Please note we no longer do manual ticket transfers. You have to transfer your ticket BEFORE the dance's start time, otherwise you'll lose your ticket. For instructions on how to transfer your ticket, please click here.

PRICES - ALL include your ceremonial cup of CacaoAmor Cacao

£18 In advance

£21 On the door (card only, no cash)

£21 Pay-It-Forward (for those who wish to help a fellow dancer who is financially struggling)

£16 Concession. These limited tickets are part funded by our Pay-It-Forward scheme. Please only choose this ticket type if really in need.

£16 BIPOC Community - As we strive for more colour diversity on 'conscious dance' floors

Please note that by purchasing a ticket you agree that Ecstatic Dance UK is not liable for any injury or harm that you may incur at this practice/class (dancing only exactly as YOU feel to, on a traditional wooden floor) & you agree to take full responsibility of yourself, your health, your well-being and all of your belongings whilst at the session. Thank you.

See you on the dance floor!

Richard, Deya, David & the EDUK team

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Baths, 80 Eastway, London, United Kingdom