Ecstatic Dance
The Backstory
In 2002, our co-founder, Shannon Gill (Jones) received her degree in Dance, Movement Music & Art Therapy from Naropa University (& the Chögyam Trungpa Institute). The seeds for the original dance were planted with Shannon, after being inspired by “The Matrix: Reloaded” tribal dance scene. She began hosting regular dances in her home in the mountains in Boulder, Colorado, not knowing that a global ‘movement’ was, simultaneously taking place. In 2006, a team was gathered and Gypsie Nation, LLC was created for the container, which merged with the early ‘ecstatic dance movement’, becoming the first in Colorado. They quickly outgrew her home and rented the Avalon Ballroom, a 5,000 sqft location, which they prepared and facilitated every week.
Word spread to dancers in Denver and the weekly program of dancing to ‘honor the sacred masculine & feminine’ along with the post-dance ritual of seated commune and shared food was co-created in this was formatted. The name was changed to Rhythm Sanctuary, LLC, and a team was cross-trained for the seeding of the Denver ecstatic dance. Rhythm Sanctuary Denver, which still runs 200-300 dancers strong today.
In 2015, Shannon moved back to her hometown of Austin, Texas to be closer to family, bringing the seed energy of Rhythm Sanctuary (RS) dance with her. As well as co-founding The SHIFT and her private counseling practice, she facilitates many styles of sacred dance through The Shift Foundation | RS-Illumination Dances.
Why we DANCE!
We dance to embody the energies of 'higher consciousness and to make space for the shared experience.
We are currently calling in the “seeds” for the next incarnation of Rhythm Sanctuary with the RS | “Freedom Church” & RS | Groove Tabernacle (mobile dance), in & and around Wimberley, Texas. If you are in the TSF | Hill Country Texas group and want to help plant the seeds for the next regular dance, feel free to get in touch at contact@theshiftfoundation.org.
Shannon Lei Gill
Founder
Russell von Ohlhausen
Team-Dj
Sujata Redden
Team