The Summer Long Dance is our flagship event. It is the beating heart of the Movement Medicine community in which we dance our gratitude and prayers for Life. After the success of the Long Dance in 2023, we will return once again to Hillyfield Woodland Farm on Dartmoor in Devon UK.
The Long Dance is a 72-hour ceremony. Before the ceremony, we have time to prepare and afterwards, time to integrate. And why not stay on in good company at The Hillyfield for the weekend to relax.
APPLY HERE FOR THE SUMMER LONG DANCE!
For more information about the Summer Long Dance, here are two wonderful films made by Nikki Darling of the Summer Long Dance in 2023. The short version is on top and he full version is below if you wish to see the whole picture.
The Summer Long Dance ceremony is a way to join in deep community to dance, sing, heal and pray together for all our relations. It is also a fundraiser for the Fundacion Pachamama (Sacred Headwaters Project) supporting them in their work for the game changing work to protect the forest and headwaters of the Amazon river, working with and being led by the vision of the indigenous peoples themselves.
The Long Dance is held in a magical valley in South Devon in the Southwest of the UK, on the edge of Dartmoor. This ceremony is strongly and clearly held by Ya’Acov and Susannah Darling Khan, who bring their long experience to this role. Their guidance provides a profoundly healing, catalytic and magical space where each individual is encouraged to find their own unique way of expressing their dreams and love for life through the dance. The ceremony is grounded in Movement Medicine and the teachings represented in the Movement Medicine mandala.
We are delighted that once again this year we will be joined by Manari Ushigua, Leader and Shaman of the Sapara Peoples of Ecuadorian Amazon, Belen Paez, leader of the Fundacion Pachamama in Ecuador and Ramiro Vargas, a leader from the Achuar Tribe.
It’s an opportunity to actively remember that our own personal wellbeing is connected to the wellbeing of the biosphere and all of life, and to dedicate our dance to all our relations, past, present and future. The deeper we dance, the more we directly experience the reality of the interconnected nature of all life. This recognition is not just a blissful experience, it’s a remembering of our responsibility to honour and protect the sanctity of life, each in our own way. During the ceremony, participants fast with simple fasting food in small amounts. This will be made available twice a day for those who need something to keep them going.
This is a give-away ceremony and therefore, participants are required to raise a minimum of £400 for any charity project or projects they wish to dance for. There is no tuition fee and any monies left over at the end of the event will go entirely towards supporting charitable projects.
The Summer Long Dance has so far raised more than £700,000 for a whole host of magnificent projects. Our central project is to support Fundacion Pachamama, the Ecuadorian wing of the Pachamama Alliance, which is a prime supporter of the Sacred Headwaters Alliance.
The Pachamama Alliance was called into being by the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon to protect the forest and to change the ‘dream of the North.’ For the story of our relationship with the Pachamama Alliance and the Achuar and Sapara peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon, see the Amazon Blog (and start at #1 if you want it chronologically!).
For those moved to join us on the Summer Long Dance of 2024, go ahead and apply here.
