The first Sunday of each month a group of sacred circle dancers meets in Amesbury MA, facilitated by Francis Bone. These events are open to the public. Francis told the Boston Pagan Examiner about the energy and dances of this circle.
“This circle has the ability to create intensity. In addition to holding hands in a circle we like to dance paying attention to each other and harmonizing the energies of our individual dances with each other, creating a synergy that carries us all.”
The Examiner asked Francis if he would call the circle pagan. “The circle dance is a way of raising energy and developing both self awareness and dissolution of self. As pagans, we are very aware of what we are doing and have a common understanding of how we use the experience. Others may not be able to describe that, but are aware that they feel more ‘alive’ at the end of the evening. At every dance there are moments where there is an enhanced awareness of each other, and the connection we hold in the circle. We are a diverse group of dancers open to the public, so it is more appropriate for us to let people find their own experience in whatever spiritual framework they practice than to overtly define a context.”
The circle does both fast exhilarating dances that have “overt physicality,” as well as meditative ones that demand “equally intense internal discipline,” says Francis. He adds, “Any dance is a conversation; with each other, and with ourselves. We are looking to get the most out of all the dances we do.”
This particular circle is not necessarily the best place for a person who has never done any kind of dancing before. Francis says, “Anybody who is not already comfortable in their body and used to physical activity and rhythm would probably find it rather challenging.” There are other circles in the area more appropriate to those unaccustomed to dancing. For example, see www.examiner.com/pagan-in-boston/new-sacred-circle-dance-circle-meets-regularly-harvard-square.
Francis encourages anyone who can lead a favorite sacred circle dance to bring it with them when they come.
The circle meets at Great Bay Tai Chi & Yoga Center in Amesbury MA from 7 pm to 9 pm. Donation is $10 to $15 per person. For more information, email Francis Bone at febone@yahoo.com.
[Please note: The previous Amesbury circle, led by Ashara Stansfield, dissolved in Spring of 2011.]
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