What is Biodanza

Discovering Biodanza

I’ve loved to dance for my whole life.

I was introduced to the system of Biodanza at a dance festival around 2008. I already had considerable experience in personal development and free dance. After joining a single Biodanza session at the festival, I awoke to the power of music and movement in a new way. I experienced how music could speak to me beyond words, and how partner and group dynamics expanded my awareness of the way we live life together. I felt free to play and express myself through dance, overcoming barriers around bias and tuning in deeply to my instincts and the language my body was speaking.

There were some aspects of the system that I found immediately challenging, and I continued to explore Biodanza, wanting to grow through all aspects of the practice. I enrolled in the teacher training, which takes a minimum of three years to complete. I took my time, qualifying as an International Biodanza Federation-registered teacher in 2014.

The teacher training journey had a profound impact on my life. I later gained further specialist qualifications in working with human instincts and elements, and in teaching adolescents and children.

My facilitation has evolved through many years of embodied practice, informed by my background in human development. It emphasises consent, personal boundaries, choice and sensitivity to individual experience as people explore their inner worlds, their relationships with others and their connection with the world around them.

You can read more about Biodanza and scientific research here.

Hear Maritza from Denmark speak about her experience of attending a “Conscious Wellbeing Event” in Greece with me!

A progressive journey

Long before I began teaching Biodanza, I practised yoga and led music and movement sessions for children using the HighScope key experiences. I also regularly danced Changes and 5Rhythms, jived and danced salsa, and worked with the Workshop 42 approach.

I am a qualified coach, NLP Master Practitioner and CNVC Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and I facilitate Authentic Movement workshops. My experience across these fields informs how I teach and integrate principles of embodiment into my work.

During the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, Julia Hope Brightwell, whom I had met during our Biodanza teacher training, invited me into a conversation about developing a new dance system. This led to us creating the Dance Connection system.

I lead workshops and retreats in the UK and Greece, bringing together NVC and a variety of movement and dance approaches. I also work one-to-one with people.

Here, I talk with Mark Walsh about my work with NVC and Biodanza on the Embodiment Podcast Series.

You can read more about how I work with Movement and Dance during workshops and retreats here.