St. Peter’s Church Street View:

Our Mission:

To invite pure, unabashed self-expression through movement, in a warm, permissive, nonjudgmental space.

Location:

St. Peter’s Church, 240 College St., Cobourg, ON, K9A 3V2

Sheppard Hall Auditorium (2nd floor). Enter via parking lot entrance. Doors close at 7:15 pm.

Upcoming Dates:

March 14, 2025, 7-9 pm

April 11, 2025, 7-9 pm

May 9, 2025, 7-9 pm

June 20, 2025, 7-9 pm

Ecstatic dance is a form of conscious dance in which we move with full awareness of the body and breath. The dance is designed to invite stuck emotions and sensations to move as they need to, unrestrained by our usual inhibitions and social norms. We create a safe and nonjudgmental environment, in which bodies can move exactly as they want. The weirder, the better! The term “ecstatic” in this sense doesn’t mean “happy” or “joyful,” but rather refers to the experience of feeling emotions and sensations (even painful ones) to their fullest.

This is a dance intended for all bodies, and St. Peter’s Church is an accessible space with an elevator. There are no "moves" or "steps," but rather just an invitation to do what feels right. This kind of dance can look like anything – it can be big, small, upright, or lying down. As long as you are moving and breathing, you are doing it right.

The dance will be introduced with a few shared agreements, to create a safe and consensual space, and then we will begin with some grounding through music and proceed through a wave, in which the intensity rises gradually and then falls toward the end. The wave meets you where you are at and then invites a journey into something new. Everyone will be encouraged to pay attention to their own physical and emotional needs and limitations.

I do provide some verbal facilitation during the dance, which differs from the average ecstatic dance. I find that facilitation enhances the experience, reminding people to return to their bodies when they get distracted, for example.

You can access a video description of this kind of dance as well, in an Instagram post I made for my summer event, “Move With The Earth:”

What to Expect:

Please arrive early so that you have a chance to stretch and so that we can begin the dance right at 7:00 pm. The doors to the church are locked and volunteers will be there to let people in only until 7:15 pm at the very latest. The dance is about 1.5 hours, and it begins with a guided grounding practice.

This is a sober space, with no substances, including alcohol, permitted.

Following the dance, there will be an opportunity to gather in a circle to share and process the experience, with my facilitation, for those who wish.

What to bring:

-          Comfortable clothes for dance

-          Footwear that works best for you (the floor is vinyl over hardwood, and you can use socks, bare feet, or clean shoes)

-          Snacks and a water bottle

-          Earplugs if you have sensitive hearing and might struggle with louder music

-          Avoid wearing strong scents for those who are sensitive

-          An open mind!

Note: we must leave the space in the same condition in which we found it.

Cost: $20.00 per person with sliding scale upon request. Children can dance for free (if you are considering bringing young children, be mindful that some songs may contain adult themes).

SAFETY:

-          COVID-19 Policies: Out of respect for each other, you should only come to the dance if you are at low risk for recent exposures, and if you are feeling well with no symptoms. Currently, masks are optional.

-          St. Peter’s Church offers a warming room for the homeless from 8 pm to 8 am during the winter months. The church has a security guard present at all times, and the entryway for the warming room is separate from the entrance we will be using.

Your DJ and Facilitator:

Justine is a passionate artist, a DJ, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. She discovered ecstatic dance during the first months of the pandemic, having never danced in her life, and having never listened to anything other than classical music...and she fell in love. She has been compelled to continue dancing daily ever since that first moment, because this dance has changed her relationship with her body, the world, and existence itself.

She trained to become an ecstatic dance leader and a DJ so that she could incorporate this into her work and more deeply into her life.

Her dream is to introduce others into this beautiful tradition of honouring the body’s desires, needs, and impulses, and to letting the body take over in a way that both liberates us from our habitual, restrictive thought patterns and connects us to each other more deeply.

Justine has danced for hundreds of hours in the modality she now offers. She offers therapeutic dance groups and workshops, and a monthly ecstatic dance event in Cobourg, ON. Her training was through Powerhouse DJ School, run by world-renowned DJ Tasha Blank, who also has an extensive background in somatic and spiritual practice.

More Information:

Feel free to email me at Justine.dembo@mail.utoronto.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_justinedembo/

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bart-holomew-874630625?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

To sign up:

*NOTE: the capacity of our space is limited to 30 people; therefore, please register ahead so that you can ensure you have a spot.

Please email Justine at: Justine.dembo@mail.utoronto.ca

Payment is by e-transfer to this same email address, or by cash at the door.