Meets once a month on Sundays
(See Schedule Below)
Arrive 2:45 so we can start on time
Dance Class 3:00-4:00:
Ritual Circle 4:30- 5:30-6:00 (depends on how many participate)
with pot luck meal following.

Cost;  $12 per class.
Meets 12 times always on Sunday and held in my home studio in Fremont.
This will be the start of a women’s group dedicated to learning and practicing ritual and as applied to the seasonal wheel of the year, and belly dance. All levels and styles welcome. I am to kick this off and get it started, but my vision is to learn from each other and be creative together. I encourage experienced dancers to share what they know.

REGISTER
• Please read this entire page. (Sorry it’s kind of a lot)
• Some people are registered for a year. Please confirm each month
• New  drop-ins please call and say you plan to come. 206 632-2353.

A Few Subjects:
Physical Skills and Expression
Grounding & Centering
Opening the Heart
Music Introduction
Psychic Energy Dance
Dancing with Nature
Community Ritual and Healing Dance
Labyrinths
Guided Imagery Dance
Channeling the Devine: The Goddess in Every Woman

$ Money Note:
I am charging a small amount or my dance leadership expertise and studio space which will be the first hour but the ritual part I consider is free and open to all women who are interested. (I will host all the events in my home studio and supply utensils, cups and paper products, so a donation for these expenses will be appreciated. There will be a donation jar out. Clean up crew as well.). The dance hour will be a belly dance class and creative workout. Physical skills and N.T.P.* movement rituals.

Ritual Performance:
We will want to use our dance in our ritual hour as well by assigning a different dancer to do an opening ritual dance for our circle.                                                                                            

No experience is required to participate in any aspect of our circle.

General Time line:
After an hour there will be a 1/2 hour brake. At this time some more people may arrive, and this gives time for circle preparation. The Ritual Circle will start at 4:30 (So if people just want to join then, it’s fine). It will depend on how many people are present for each circle because we want to give each person in our circle time to address the group if need be. So I would estimate 90 minutes but we could run longer before we share pot luck meal together. Please call and let us know you are planning to attend. Email or call 206 632-2353 land line, no text.

The aim is to involve dance skills along side our ritual circle that will also involve dance .
NOTE: If I don’t charge a fee I can’t deduct my home studio expenses. However, once you enter the circle as far as I’m concerned you are a member for life. No fee is required for the ritual participation. The dance class part is optional.
There will be ritual course work and skill development as a result of participating in the women’s circle..

Herstory:   
In the late 80’s and through the 90’s I belonged to a ritual women’s circle for 7 years. I learned so much from that experience of drumming, dancing, singing,  visualizing with other women. It was a big part of my success as a career belly dance artist, producer, event coordinator, director, basic visionary. . . Most importantly, our ritual time was about stopping the clock to be in the moment with each other, our lives and the seasons. Often in our busy lives making time to do this together was sometimes a challenge. Y et, once we got there, we couldn’t believe how important it was and how thankful made it. How could we have almost let someyhing else take precedent?.Each of us on occasion had to fight the procrastination impulse; “oh maybe I’ll stay home” and when I would reflect on my all most staying home; a huge AH HA would be revealed! OMG! These circles are more than I can explain. They help us create, manifest, heal, find courage and over come challenges in our lives. Grow wiser.

Twenty years have passed and the world has changed drastically. I recently hooked up with my old circle and it was a rude awakening for us all. Where have we been? Why did we stop? We all felt like we were Rip Van Winkles and had been asleep for 20 years. I sometimes felt Half alive, busy with bull shit, not really tasting, touching seeing, being. Other women began reporting the same thing to me.
Ritual circles brings our lives in focus. It occurs to me and other women I have been talking to lately that we need this in our lives more than ever, right now!!! The world is not making sense to a lot of us. We need each other ! I do have skills and experience I wish to pass on. I know my my other circle mates from back then also wish to become involved again.
So in one breath I let go of my annual Parade Ensemble this year (over 20 years) We need grounding and in the next breath I feel I am listening to a deeper calling rising like a Phoenix!
Love to have you join me/ us!
I feel like I am standing in the middle between a younger group of women who are craving dance and ritual and an older group of experience ritualist who have a lot to share but who knees have issues. This is why the group is day is in two parts.
* N.T.P. Neighborhood Temple Priestess works and skills from Delilah’s long held ritual dance troupe.

“Belly Dance & Ritual Circle”

IN GENERAL WHAT TO BRING:

NOTE: There may be specific preparations listed per each meeting.
• Festive Attire.
• Drums, rattles, instruments, pillow.
• Seasonal decorative items to build a seasonal alter.
• Something to share like a poem song gift if you are so moved.
• Food and drink to share for Pot Luck afterward.

We will smudge outside before we formally enter our circle. (don’t worry if you don’t know what any of this means. Just come and learn)
$12 per meet.

Belly Dance & Ritual Circle Schedule 

 

 

• In our circle let us honor our ancestors. For our alter, bring photos and memorabilia of those departed and share their memories.
• Wear all white but cover with a black cloak, robe or cloth.
• Bring candles.
• We will also focus on personal notions that need incubating in the rich dark womb of the earth.
• Leave politics at the door, but we will do meditation toward peace and goodness for our world.
• Food; Bring warm, earthy, colorful and/or spicy foods to share for our pot luck afterwards.

 

RSVP

Please Email or call me if you are attending.
This ritual has a lot of set up time, so I need to know who is coming. I need at least  5-8 people

delilahbellydancer@yahoo.com

206 632-2353

Monthly Timeline note. New dates for the next 3 months will be posted after this meeting.

How it will work.

Arrive at 2:45 so we get settled and start on time.

3-4:00  Belly Dance Class with Delilah.
This hour will cover  belly dance plus NTP dance works under the leadership of Delilah. The goal is to learn meaningful movement vocabulary and experience sacred dance and creative expression. All levels may participate and this is what the fee goes expertise leadership and studio space. All said the goal is to have have all participate so teaching can be done by class members as well. Share your wisdom.

Break 4:00-4:30
4:30- 5:45 or so is Ritual Circle time. . . Pot Luck will follow.
Together we will go on to form a ritual circle that aims to stop the clock and be in the present moment together by creating sacred space. At each circle we will celebrates the current season as it travels on the wheel of the year . We will share the unique age cycles of our individual lives to serve as wisdom posts for each other. You do not have to participate in the dance part of our meetings to be involved in our ritual circles. I am beginning this circle so am taking the lead to direct it but I want to pass the leadership around once it gets established with a core.
The ritual circle portion of these meetings are open to anyone who is truly interested and it is free. (or if you care to donate that is appreciated).

Goals and Inspiration:
Share, support, connect deeply, love, enact dance! Women’s circle time is so so very important. It’s how we can support each other, pass on wisdom, and grow into people who are truly living life to the fullest. I am so thankful for the circle I was a member of for 7 years mid 80-90’s. I later moved on to become a member of the sufi/whirling dervish practice for another block of time and that was important as well, but now, I need to come back to the women. I need to pass on the tradition and knowledge to other women. We will drum, sing, share, visualize, meditate, pray, bless, and dance! ( and afterwards Eat!)
Dance is also so so very important. It is how people used to pray in all cultural beginnings! This is really not well known or admitted to in our culture. dance is an expression from inside the bodies we were gifted, by some sacred design. Dance expression is universal. It is more than a stage act.
Jesus was to have said
“ To the dancer belongs the universe,
he/she who does not dance; does not know what happens!”
Acts of John  Apocrypha ; Gnostic Gospel, found in Nag Hammadi Egypt
Early worship was ecstatic dance!