- Friday, July 18, 2008
- Saturday, August 2, 2008
- Thursday, August 7, 2008
Dancing with Gabrielle
Reflections on Summer Intensives with Gabrielle
By Joanne Winstanley
The moment I spotted the write-up for Gabrielle’s first August intensive in 2000, a bell went off in me: I knew I would be there. I wanted to be there. I already was there.
My entire being resonated with this amazing opportunity: a whole month with a teacher whose medicine soothed the seeker in me and the restless dancer/athlete alike, whose work called me home like no-one else’s ever had. I remember having a simple thought: “I’m on the planet, she’s on the planet; this isn’t going to last forever. It’s time to go work with her.” Something called me and, not knowing how many calls a person gets in a lifetime, I decided to answer.
And it was amazing.
There were eighty of us on that first intensive, people who had traveled from all over North America, South America, Europe, Asia and beyond. There were seasoned teachers and neophytes, wallflowers and drama queens. Walking into this mix felt like the first day of high school: Who are the cool kids? Where do I sit? Where is my place in all of this? The answer turned out to be simple: my place (and everyone else’s, too) was on the dance floor.
And we danced. Deeply, every day. Went home to eat and dream and rest. Returned the next day and, whether we were eager, vulnerable, weary, sexy, grouchy, or willing (or all of the above) we danced some more. Each day Gabrielle folded new teachings, new ingredients into the mix, alternately stirring the pot and letting it simmer.
The rhythms worked their way through us. Before rigor mortis had a chance to settle in, we’d come back for another session (and another), working out the knots and creases ‘til, eventually one or two of those knots forgot how to re-form themselves entirely. Gradually, the dance got deeper under our skins.
Five years later, Gabrielle’s August programs have become an annual pilgrimage for me: a place I return to for tribe and transformation, to dive into the teachings of Gabrielle’s work and, simply, to be with her while I can. I go to reconnect with the mystery of this work, this life, this body, to renew my commitment to the dancing path, and to practice, over and over again, the essential art of opening to the unknown. I have shed many skins on those California dance floors: I have grieved hurts and losses, risked vulnerability, and celebrated the life-force that has carried me this far. I have unveiled new (and long-forgotten) pieces of myself and I have had many, many beautiful dances. Witnessed, over and over again, the awesome transformations and the exquisite connections that happen when people come together to do this work.
What I love about the intensives is that we have so much time. Time to move through our own reluctance and fatigue, to surrender to unhurried moments of ecstasy. Time to get intimate with the stuck and stagnant places in us, to truly get sick of our patterns. Time to explore and accept and resist and release, to unfurl at our own rate. Time to erode our resistance to ourselves, to one another, to our breath, to the dance. Time to fall deeply and fully into bliss with one another.
Whatever this deep daily practice stirs up in me is there, already in motion, the next time I dance, and the next–waiting to be met and moved, to be surrendered to and released. The dance patiently rocks me when I am weary and rises up to meet me when I finally break free, sweeping away whatever sediment I’ve loosened up until something in me runs clearer, less gummed-up, less obstructed than before.
It’s incredible to be with Gabrielle as she explores the frontier of her current fascination, whether it’s the ego, the body, our relationship to the chaos of the world, or the sacred artist that lives within each of us. The intensives are an opportunity to join Gabrielle in a place where she can relax and let her work unfold at a leisurely pace. Guided by her powerful instinct, and supported by a circle of teachers who are each gifted and inspiring in their own right, every summer has been a deeply rewarding and nourishing trip.
By Joanne Winstanley
The moment I spotted the write-up for Gabrielle’s first August intensive in 2000, a bell went off in me: I knew I would be there. I wanted to be there. I already was there.
My entire being resonated with this amazing opportunity: a whole month with a teacher whose medicine soothed the seeker in me and the restless dancer/athlete alike, whose work called me home like no-one else’s ever had. I remember having a simple thought: “I’m on the planet, she’s on the planet; this isn’t going to last forever. It’s time to go work with her.” Something called me and, not knowing how many calls a person gets in a lifetime, I decided to answer.
And it was amazing.
There were eighty of us on that first intensive, people who had traveled from all over North America, South America, Europe, Asia and beyond. There were seasoned teachers and neophytes, wallflowers and drama queens. Walking into this mix felt like the first day of high school: Who are the cool kids? Where do I sit? Where is my place in all of this? The answer turned out to be simple: my place (and everyone else’s, too) was on the dance floor.
And we danced. Deeply, every day. Went home to eat and dream and rest. Returned the next day and, whether we were eager, vulnerable, weary, sexy, grouchy, or willing (or all of the above) we danced some more. Each day Gabrielle folded new teachings, new ingredients into the mix, alternately stirring the pot and letting it simmer.
The rhythms worked their way through us. Before rigor mortis had a chance to settle in, we’d come back for another session (and another), working out the knots and creases ‘til, eventually one or two of those knots forgot how to re-form themselves entirely. Gradually, the dance got deeper under our skins.
Five years later, Gabrielle’s August programs have become an annual pilgrimage for me: a place I return to for tribe and transformation, to dive into the teachings of Gabrielle’s work and, simply, to be with her while I can. I go to reconnect with the mystery of this work, this life, this body, to renew my commitment to the dancing path, and to practice, over and over again, the essential art of opening to the unknown. I have shed many skins on those California dance floors: I have grieved hurts and losses, risked vulnerability, and celebrated the life-force that has carried me this far. I have unveiled new (and long-forgotten) pieces of myself and I have had many, many beautiful dances. Witnessed, over and over again, the awesome transformations and the exquisite connections that happen when people come together to do this work.
What I love about the intensives is that we have so much time. Time to move through our own reluctance and fatigue, to surrender to unhurried moments of ecstasy. Time to get intimate with the stuck and stagnant places in us, to truly get sick of our patterns. Time to explore and accept and resist and release, to unfurl at our own rate. Time to erode our resistance to ourselves, to one another, to our breath, to the dance. Time to fall deeply and fully into bliss with one another.
Whatever this deep daily practice stirs up in me is there, already in motion, the next time I dance, and the next–waiting to be met and moved, to be surrendered to and released. The dance patiently rocks me when I am weary and rises up to meet me when I finally break free, sweeping away whatever sediment I’ve loosened up until something in me runs clearer, less gummed-up, less obstructed than before.
It’s incredible to be with Gabrielle as she explores the frontier of her current fascination, whether it’s the ego, the body, our relationship to the chaos of the world, or the sacred artist that lives within each of us. The intensives are an opportunity to join Gabrielle in a place where she can relax and let her work unfold at a leisurely pace. Guided by her powerful instinct, and supported by a circle of teachers who are each gifted and inspiring in their own right, every summer has been a deeply rewarding and nourishing trip.
