Circle Dance, Sacred Dance
The Newsletter of the group that has been dancing continuously in the Bay Area since 1985
Winter 2005-6, Volume 14, No. 1
BAY AREA CIRCLE DANCERS CELEBRATE 20th ANNIVERSARY
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1985. Ronald Reagan began his second term as president. Mikhail
Gorbachev rose to power. Gasoline was $1.10 a gallon and bread was 50
cents a loaf. San Francisco won another Super Bowl. Rock Hudson died of AIDS.
Amadeus was the most popular movie, Lonesome Dove was the most popular
book, scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer, new Coke was a marketing
disaster . . . and in the village of Berkeley, in an old wooden building
on 10th Street called Finnish Hall, a group of about twenty gathered on a
Friday evening for the first-ever circle dance evening on the west coast. We knew nineteen dances, which we had learned earlier that year when Colin Harrison came from England to Berkeley, and we did our best to remember them all: Enas Mythos, King of the Fairies, Misirlou, Bojarka, Condor, Nebesko Kolo, Shalom Aleichem, the Wise Man and the Fool, and others. The evening went well, so we decided to do it again the next week, and the next, and the next, and the next. Indeed, we have now danced for more than 1,040 consecutive Friday evenings, which works out to twenty years, clearly time for a celebration.
|  Sienna and Stephanie, photo by Peter
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And so, on Friday evening, September 30th, nearly fifty people gathered at the other Finnish Hall (Berkeley has two, and we moved from one to the other fifteen years ago) to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Four organizers from the original evening were present and accounted for: Howard, Marina, Gwen, and John, and other 'old timers' came by as well: Linnea, who has "only" been dancing for nineteen years, and Moira Seraphin showed up for the first time in seventeen years.
The program for the evening was as close a reproduction of that first Friday in 1985 as we could manage. But instead of going out for pizza or Chinese food afterwards, as we used to do in those ancient times, we 'dined in' on the large vegan chocolate cake Marina baked, and many other goodies. A fine time was had by all. Mark you calendar books for Friday evening September 28, 2035, for our 50th!
The 19 Dances We Learned from Colin in 1985
Bach Sun Meditation, Bojarka, Condor, Enas Mythos, King of the Fairies, Menoussis, Misirlou, Nebesko Kolo, Nigun Atik, Oneg Shabbat, Pachelbel Meditation, Sadi Moma, Shalom Aleichem, Shoofly, Tiene, Tsadik Katamar, Tsigane, Unicornis Captivator, Winds on the Tor.
MARTINE WINNINGTON SHARES MORE BACK FLOWER DANCES
More than fifty dancers joined the circle on October 22 and 23 when Martine Winnington once again came from Switzerland for a weekend workshop focused on the Bach Flower Essence dances. There are dances associated with each of the 38 Bach remedies, and between Martine's visit two years ago and now, we've done them all.
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On her second visit to the western U.S., Martine gave generously of her
time. Indeed, having traveled for nearly 24 hours, she arrived at SFO late
on a Friday afternoon and came straight to our regular Friday evening
dancing in Berkeley, then joined us on the beach at Alameda a few days
later. And then she took off to see some of California's beauty: a train
ride to Nevada City in the gold country, home of the main Bach Flower
Essence supplier; and then a whirlwind trip up the coast to Mendocino,
courtesy of Sally Sommer. The concept of "coast" is a novel one in
land-locked Switzerland, and the long ride up Highway One was thoroughly
enjoyed. We have a few leftover CDs from Marine (with very detailed step books): two with the Bach dances (2 on one, 18 on the others), and one of miscellaneous other beautiful gentle dances, available at $15 each (CD + booklet) or $40 for all three. Details from John Bear (510-528-4253 or john.bear@mac.com).
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FUTURE NEWSLETTERS
We are glad to keep sending hardcopy of our newsletters, which come out 3-4 times a year, to anyone who requests it. However, if you do not wish to continue receiving these please do let us know. This will save resources such as time, money and paper.
Our newsletters are online at www.circledancing.com for all to see. Please let us know if "electronic" works for you and we can save even more resources. To those already receiving this newsletter via the internet....THANK YOU!
This newsletter will be the last edition for me. After initiating the first Bay Area Circle Dance Newsletter in 1990, and sharing editorship with others, I will be permanently turning over the job of editor to John Bear. Please contact him for future submissions, corrections, and info. (510-528-4253, john.bear@mac.com) -Howard
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Hillside Church 1422 Navellier St., El Cerrito
No dance experience necessary.
Bay Area Circle Dancers
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Stefan and Bethan 10th Anniversary Weekend
El Cerrito, February 11 and 12, 2006
Click here to save your space or for more information.
NEWISH TEACHERS
Sienna Wildwind and Gwen Heckeroth with be rejoining our Circle as Teachers/ Facilitators starting in January.
Both Sienna and Gwen were facilitators in the late 80ıs and early 90ıs and have recently agreed to take on this loving task again. Welcome back!
BEACH DANCING
(An exercise in visualization)
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What do get when a bunch of circle dancers head for the lovely beach at
Alameda, overlooking San Francisco, for a late afternoon of dancing, and no
one remembers to bring a camera? Answer: a lovely afternoon of dancing,
and no pictures. Well, that's what happened on Saturday, October 8th. We had a
delightful time, adjourning after a couple of hours to Cindy Hughes' condo
right across the street for a splendid pot luck supper. But no pictures.
So here's your exercise in visualization. This is an actual photograph of the
beach at Alameda at sunset. You know what circle dancing looks like. So
please imagine a group of dancers having a fine time at this exact
location. There. That's just what it was like.
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AU REVOIR FROM HOWARD
This year marks the end of 20 full years of continuous Sacred Circle Dancing in the Bay Area. I have had the pleasure and privilege of being a part of this since itıs inception in 1985 when John and Marina Bear invited Colin Harrison from England to teach a weekend workshop in Berkeley. Our group has grown from a dozen or so dedicated dancers who showed up each Friday to form a new community, to a family of over 200 dancers worldwide who reunite for our special events. Our core group has spawned many other groups not only in California, but in other parts of the US. As of December 31 of this year, I will be retiring as one of the regular teacher/organizers of this special group.
I have been considering "retirement" for some time now. My reasons are many, but mainly it seems right after 20 continuous years. I do plan to continue teaching in Pacifica (3rd Saturday of each month), and will visit the East Bay once in a while on a Friday night and even more often for ³special² events. Sienna Wildwind and Gwen Heckeroth have rejoined our Circle as Teachers/Organizers. Please welcome their efforts and consider stepping forward yourself to teach and/or start a Circle in your own community. If you need help in doing this, just ask.
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Circle Dance has opened many doors for me. I was, and still am, shy
and
not very comfortable in large groups. Surprised? I really get a wee bit
nervous each time I plan and teach an evening. Will it go right? Will
anyone
show up? Will I forget the steps? It has always worked out, but the
nervousness has never gone away completely. I consider myself a mediocre dancer. Circle Dancing has allowed me to "open up". It has just enough structure to make me comfortable, and other dimensions that fulfill me. As Iıve often told the group: "first there is the music; then there is the movement, and finally there are the feelings". It is a package deal. If you are lucky enough to get all three, thatıs great. But if you get two out of three, thatıs great too. For most of my life, I lived mostly in my head. School, graduate school, engineering jobs all encourage that. Circle Dancing helped me move some of that attention to my body. I am no longer ashamed to close my eyes and just absorb, move to and feel the dance. I have tried to spread this not only when I teach in Berkeley, El Cerrito or Pacifica, but to other communities such as Menıs Gatherings, Schools and Religious groups. So a big thank you to all for allowing me to be a part of this Circle and who have grown with me over the years. Love and Hugs to you all. Au revoir. Howard
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Winter 2005/6 Circle Dance Schedule
January, February, March, April 2006| 12/30/05 | Sienna | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 1/6/06 | Gwen | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 1/13 | John | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 1/20 | Mo | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 1/27 | Marina | Potluck, Hillside, 7pm |
| 2/3 | Sienna | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 2/10 | Gwen | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 2/17 | Marina | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 2/24 | Sienna | Potluck, Hillside, 7pm |
| 3/3 | John | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 3/10 | Mo | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 3/17 | Sienna | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 3/24 | Mo | Potluck, Hillside, 7pm |
| 3/31 | Gwen | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 4/7 | Marina | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 4/14 | John | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 4/21 | Maureen | Finn Hall, 8pm |
| 4/28 | John | Potluck, Hillside, 7pm |
| 5/5 | Sienna | Finn Hall, 8pm |