invitation
This is a call to those who want a real ceremony: ancient in its roots, contemporary in its expression, and free of dogma. No beliefs required. Just tools to experience the unbroken intelligence of life moving through you and everything else. Grounded in movement and rhythm, it re-aligns your compass and sends you back into your life resourced, resilient, and awake. It takes place in a wonderful Devon Valley called Hillyfield, the home of a wonderful regeneration and education project.
The Summer Long Dance is our flagship event. The beating heart of the Movement Medicine community. A 72-hour ceremony to give thanks for the miracle of life and to wrestle with the challenges of being human. A dedicated time to give yourself to the wide embrace of Ecstasis, be it an ecstasis of tears or joy or both. We arrive, prepare, cross the threshold together, and take time afterwards to land what has been stirred.
This is deep community in motion: dancing, singing, healing, and praying for all our relations. It is also a fundraiser for Fundación Pachamama’s Sacred Headwaters Project,, supporting indigenous-led work protecting the Amazon rainforest and the headwaters of the great river itself.
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.
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 £952,000.00 for a whole host of magnificent projects. This year, let's smash through the £1 million barrier! 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.’ You can discover more about Belen, director of the Fundacion Pachamama, who will once again be dancing with us.
Information
TRAVELLING TO HILLYFIELD WOODLAND FARM
3.00 - 6.00pm Arrive and pitch your tent, hang out with friends and make yourself at home.
You will be unable to get onto the campsite before 3.00pm. Please wait in the top carpark until registration opens at 3.00pm.
PLEASE NOTE A CHANGE IN TENTS OPTIONS
This year we will be using tipis rather than bell tents- they are still utterly beautiful!
Click the information button next to the tipi tent option for more information.
