Sacred Dance Guild Festival 2012
July 24-29, 2012
Hope College
Holland, Michigan
Dancing a World of Hope - Exploring Hope!
Afternoon Workshops
The Dancing Word: Bringing Life to Stories and Stories to Life
Betsey Beckman
 Our mythic stories from scripture and other sacred texts give us meaning and reference for
our daily lives. We call upon these characters, memories and narratives when we need to
reawaken mystery, hope, and transformation in our lives. Worship gatherings often include
the dry recitation of story - without the dynamic and embodied gift of prophetic
proclamation. In this workshop we will explore re-inhabiting our bodies, voices and stories
as a way to source the playful & passionate energy of hope. One - 2 hour workshop
Betsey Beckman, MM, has been dancing sacred stories for most of her life. From
classrooms to convocations, cemeteries to sanctuaries, retreats to reconciliation services,
Betsey has honed the skills of storytelling, artistry and inspiration through the gift of
embodiment. Along with her background in dance, she weaves the skills from her Masters in Ministry, certificate in Movement
Therapy, practice of Dancing Spiritual Direction and her InterPlay leader certification.
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Paths of Radical Hope: Labyrinth Dances
Barrie Carter Gibby
 Using labyrinth designs provides a vehicle for concentrated movement vocabulary for extreme intentions of hope for personal healing and in larger world issues of today. Hope is a movement
word. In its most radical state, hope stimulates motivation for the dynamics of change. The scope of
labyrinth designs allows for multi-dimensional journeys, linear, 2D and 3D, a symbol of Hope to be
celebrated. Dancing the labyrinth separately and collectively, following virtual and physical paths,
celebrating ancestors, naming fears to leave behind, offers the ultimate of radical expression - the
powerful vibrating mutuality between our bodies, words, and spirits, a mutuality we often forget.
Labyrinths offer a singular circuitous path to walk, breathe, and quiet the mind away from the chaos
of our lives, symbolic of the journey to renewal, a pathway to spiritual transformation, opening our
hearts to new dimensions of Spirit. One - 1 hour workshop
Barrie Carter Gibby: Dance/Creative Movement Specialist; Educator; Experienced Movement &
Labyrinth Facilitator of Embodied Spirituality Retreats nationwide for 30 years; VeriditasTrained
Labyrinth Facilitator; Choreographer; graduate studies in theater/design/sacred dance; Founder/Director Orchesis Sacred Dance
Co. in PA.; events designer/coordinator; past three-year President Sacred Dance Guild; past Regional SDG Rep/Texas & Carolinas.
Promoting the creative edge and connection to spiritual growth, Barrie integrates her extensive background in theater, sacred
dance, education, arts administration and design to build community through embodied meditation. Barrie has traveled to
Chartres, France several times to study the labyrinth extensively. She recently built a stone labyrinth there with a small team from
five countries and has facilitated numerous retreats related to building community through movement and labyrinth journeys.
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Explore Physically Integrated Dance
Dancing Wheels
 A workshop facilitated by members of The Dancing Wheels Company provides participants of mixed
abilities an opportunity to discover physically integrated dance. Participants will explore adaptive
translation, integrated partnering techniques, and the opportunity to try dancing in a wheelchair.
Two - 1 hour workshops
Special Note: An audition for male and female stand-up and sit-down (wheelchair*) dancers will follow the conclusion of the 3-4pm workshop. If interested in auditioning, please bring resume, headshots and a prepared one-minute solo if applicable. *Dancers with disabilities who are not everyday wheelchair users, but willing to adapt to wheelchair technique are also welcome.
Dancing Wheels: If dance is an expression of the human spirit, then it is best expressed by people
of all abilities. That is the fundamental belief behind the Dancing Wheels Company & School. Considered one of the premier arts
and disabilities organizations in the U.S., Dancing Wheels is a professional, physically integrated dance company uniting the talents
of dancers both with and without disabilities. To date, the Dancing Wheels Company’s inspirational mission has touched over 4.5
million people through performances, school assemblies, residencies and workshops. Millions more have enjoyed their artistry via
appearances on CNN, Good Morning America, and the TV special "Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope." Our facilitators for
the Festival workshops will be Mary Verdi-Fletcher, President/Founding Artistic Director, Mark Tomasic, Artistic
Advisor/Guest Performer/Choreographer and Daniel "Isaah" Henderson, Company Member.
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The Effective Use of Performing Space
Maxine DeBruyn
 Sacred Dancers frequently find themselves in performance spaces which are not ideal. Maxine DeBruyn, assisted by Hope College Dance students, will offer a presentation/discussion/workshop on extending God's words though movement and using performance space effectively - including the why and how!
One - 2 hour workshop
Maxine DeBruyn is the founder of the Dance Department at Hope College. Maxine holds several positions in
dance education associations, most notably as President of the National Dance Education Organization,
national chair of Little Footsteps To Go for the National Dance Association, and as the IS representative
for Dance and the Child International (daCi). In 2004 she received the Life Time Achievement Award in
Dance Education for the Michigan Dance Council. She is also the director of the Sacred Dance Company
at Hope College and a past president of the Sacred Dance Guild.
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Eternal Spirit
Carla DeSola
 Eternal Spirit is a danced version of the New Zealand Lord's Prayer, first performed at Grace
Cathedral in San Francisco 2011, set to chant with voice, flute, shruti box (drone instrument) and
projection. Through dance meditation, inspired by music and word our prayer embodies hope
and serves as a bridge between heaven and earth as we seek to hallow God's name in its many
manifestations. When we believe enough to dance a prayer, we embody faith and hope and love.
This workshop, is in the form of a rehearsal for an offering at the final concert - one hour
working with mixed level dancers, a second hour with those who identify as trained/experienced
dancers (others can attend), each group learning material for 'Eternal Spirit"and a third hour
working with participants from first 2 hours to put it all together and a final 1 hour rehearsal. All
are welcome for the entire time. In preparation for performance, participants should bring black
tops and pants. Three - 1 hour workshops and One - 1 hour rehearsal
Carla DeSola is a pioneer in contemporary liturgical dance. She is a dancer, choreographer,
teacher and author. She has a Diploma from Juilliard, and an MA from the Pacific School of Religion (PSR). Carla founded the
Omega Liturgical Dance Company, in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for 25 years, and directs
Omega West Dance Company in Berkeley, CA. She also teaches courses in sacred dance at PSR and through the Center for the
Arts, Religion & Education at the Graduate Theological Union. The author of books and articles on liturgical dance, Carla also
created a video Movement Meditations to the Songs of Taize, which is available on DVD from Paulist Press.
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Dancing Connections, Building Hope
Marilyn Green
 There are two sides to this workshop: one has to do with the inherent right of anyone to experience the joy of dance, the other is concerned with the use of dance to eradicate divisions among people. The workshop will demonstrate and explore how dance can connect people. Trying to build bridges among people directly – horizontal connection - doesn’t work well; so long as people are looking straight at one another, the things that have divided them remain. However, a common intention to address, worship or express the archetypal brings people together as they meet at a vertical point and, once that bond is established, there is a shared consciousness that cuts through the personal and social issues that separate us. There we can meet and go on in a different hopeful way. One - 1 hour workshop
Marilyn Green is the director of NYC Trinity's Movement Choir. Her background is in Laban and Butoh and she danced with Fanchon Shur's company in Cincinnati in the 1980s and solo and with small ensembles in Washington, D.C., New York and Colorado since then. Marilyn is well known as a visual artist and holds degrees in music. She taught Humanities, Fine Arts and Multimedia in universities from Bellarmine University and University of Cincinnati to New York University. Marilyn has been a President's Scholar, a Ford Foundation Fellow and a government funded artist-in-residence, and has received a number of grants and awards in fine arts, humanties and multimedia projects.
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African Dance
Cherie Hill
 In this workshop we will practice traditional West African Dance moves to the beat of live drums. In
addition to warming up our bodies and voices, we will explore self-expression in relation to rhythm,
prayer, and community. Be ready to dance and sweat! Two - 1 hour workshops
Cherie Hill is a creative artist, dancer, choreographer, performer, teacher, and scholar, whose art
explores human expression and how it is conveyed through the body in collaboration with nature,
music and visual imagery. Ms. Hill’s somatic technique, Movement, Meditation, Mindpower (MMM),
blends studies of yoga, Alexander Technique, Movement Ritual and Dance is Life Process developed by
Anna Halprin. A certified Planetary Dance facilitator, Cherie's research on dance and somatic practices
have been presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities (2010), as well as
the International Association of Black Dance Conference (2009). Cherie is currently a Co-Resource
Director for the Sacred Dance Guild and the creator and author of the blog, Sacred Dance Trends.
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All Our Relations: Native American Perspective of Creator Through Dance
Carolynn Hine-Johnson
 This workshop will draw upon Native American views (and those related to St. Francis of Assisi) of the
four elements: earth, air, water and fire, as they glorify the Great Spirit. Native Americans use the
phrase "All our relations" when referring to nature because the Great Spirit has created all of us.
Likewise, St. Francis reflected this in his canticle "Brother Sun and Sister Moon". One - 2 hour workshop
Carolynn Hine-Johnson holds a Doctorate in Dance Education from Temple University, Philadelphia,
PA and is Assistant Professor of Dance in the Ernestine Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University,
South Bend. Carolynn has an eclectic background in dance genres including ballet, pointe, modern
dance, tap, flamenco, Mexican, African, and Native American dance. She studied with American Ballet
Theatre in New York City and has performed throughout the United States. For 18 years she operated
her own dance studio and performed children’s programs with her late husband, Scott. She choreographs musical productions,
researches and writes articles and presents papers on multi-ethnic dance education, empowering women through dance, and
sacred dance. She performs Native American dances for schools, libraries, and pow wows.
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Hope in Our Journey – Faith in Our Path
Lisa Hunt
 Connecting the experiences of our past, and viewing them ALL as divine preparedness for our present, extracting our stories and
examining our life experiences, enables us to see how we are all in constant preparation for our path. Our stories are used to build
choreography and the movement is examined in constructs and accompanied by verse and music. This is reminiscent of the
Mobius strip, because as we move through our lives our experiences from our past are in constant continuum to shape us for our
futures. One - 2 hour workshop (outdoors)
Lisa Hunt attended Cleveland State University (CSU) - Dance Minor. CSU Dance Theatre Collective Dancer 2003 to present.
Independent Minister of Dance- 1995 to present. Dance Ministry Instructor/Consultant- 2000 to present. Choreographer/ Dancer
2001 to present. In 2004, Lisa was accepted into the Jacob’s Pillow Choreographer’s Lab.
Hope for a Dance Ministry!
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Choreography to Go
Mary Kasakova
Many dancers hope to start a dance ministry but struggle to find something that is easily acceptable, easy to learn and easy to
integrate into church services. Three easy pieces for Christmas Eve, Palm Sunday and Pentecost should get you started. The
dances work for large or small groups and are danced to well-known music familiar to all Christian denominations.
One - 1 hour workshop
Mary Kasakove – studied at the professional level at the American Ballet Theatre School, taught Pilates in NYC for 25 years, and is Director of the Messengers Dance Ministry of Abiding Peace Lutheran Church, Budd Lake, NJ. She was originally opposed to
dance in church but attended a Sylvia Bryant workshop and she has been a devotee ever since.
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Dance to Deepen Your Inner Wisdom & Dance Your Way to a New Relationship with Money
Lisa Michaels
Dance to Deepen Your Inner Wisdom
 Intentionally connect with nature’s elemental forces -- Earth, Water, Air, Fire & Spirit -- to increase
your inner wisdom and access more personal power. Activate your body as a sacred vessel of creation
and a living divine bridge between spirit and matter. Uncover how consciously dancing with the forces
of nature can help you expand your creation abilities to more gracefully bring your desires into being.
One - 1 hour workshop
Dance Your Way to New Relationship with Money
Discover how dance can help you clear your old limiting money patterns on every level -- physically,
emotionally, mentally, energetically, and spiritually. Use conscious movement and nature's elemental
wisdom to open for more financial success, improve your abundance, and breakthrough into a new
sacred relationship with money. One - 1 hour workshop
Lisa Michaels, has a lifetime of devotion to dance - as a dancer and as a co- owner/director/teacher of a 500 pupil ballet school. Her products for the early childhood dance classroom have been featured in leading dance publications and have won a National Parent award. For the past twelve years she has used dance as a transformation tool in numerous workshops and facilitator
trainings. Lisa was chosen by the leading publisher Hay House as one of their 2010 movers and shakers. Ms Michaels has trained
both dance teachers and workshop facilitators over her prolific career. She is currently serving as the Vice President of the Sacred
Dance Guild. You can find out more about Lisa on http://naturalrhythms.org.
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Learn a Hopeful Dance- Choreography to Go
Marcia Miller
 Here is an opportunity to learn a "hopeful" dance to share in your church. Participants will learn one
or both of these dances: Let There Be Peace On Earth and All Is Well. One - 1 hour workshop
Marcia Miller is a dance teacher with 25 years of experience, has her own liturgical dance troupe,
and teaches jazz and tap in a studio. The summer of 2011, Marcia taught at a Worship Arts week at
Lake Junaluska, NC. She has served on the executive of the Sacred Dance Guild.
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Reiki Dance and Ceremony of Hope
Mary Joy Neuru
 This workshop combines the energy of Reiki with physical movement (similar to the structure of a
traditional modern dance class) in order to help our bodies adjust to the energies of these interesting
times; thereby creating a heightened experience of the Divine within the physical body. In addition
to regular movement exercises, the class will allow for the processing of specific energy aspects
lodged within the physical, mental or emotional bodies that need upgrading, healing or
transformation. The Ceremony of Hope will be the culmination of this experience, created through a
process that includes experimentation and improvisation, solidified for presentation with love and
hope for humanity. One - 2 hour workshop
Mary-Joy Neuru is a Reiki Master, dancer, teacher, choreographer, and theatrical lighting designer
(MA in Dance, MFA in Theatrical Lighting). She has worked with Healing energies since 1979,
becoming a Reiki Master/Teacher and Bio-Kinetics facilitator in 1992. Mary had combined 30 years of
teaching and performing dance, with a deep commitment toward spiritual growth, to provide the
space in which a healing relationship with the body can begin. As a Reiki Master, she connects into
source and adjusts for the individual. Exercises are designed to enhance work on BODY, MIND &
SPIRIT.
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Linking the Four Worlds of Jewish Renewal through Dance
Eve Pinsker
"Hope" implies healing -- repair both of the world (what Jews call "tikkun olam" in Hebrew -- the repair/healing of the world)
and of the individual's relationship to God, God's world, and to other people. Without the possibility of healing, there could be
no hope; and techniques for healing give us means to realize our hopes. In many traditions, liturgy - a communal response to
the sacred -- gives congregants a way to heal the rifts in themselves and in their community. In the Jewish Renewal
congregations, the traditional structure of the Jewish liturgy as a bridge between the 'Four Worlds' of the physical, the
emotional, the intellectual and the spiritual, is intentionally used to heal -- to render whole - the individual and the community,
and to give congregants the hope and strength they need to go out and join the work of healing the world. One - 2 hour
workshop
Eve Pinsker received her PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1997. For the past 20 years, her
professional work has focused on program evaluation and program development, mainly on projects connected with community
and public health and health leadership development in the U.S., Eve has studied and performed many genres of dance,
focusing on dance traditions connected with ritual and the sacred. She is a member of the Makom Shalom Jewish Renewal
congregation in Chicago and the Zen Life and Meditation Center in Oak Park,IL.
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Stillness Moving Ever Still
Susan Pudelek
 "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10) The human body is a seat of wisdom. In
stillness we encounter the One Who Loves Us and calls us to move this love out into the
world. Physicality and spirituality are intertwined, one impacting the other in unending
interconnection. Paying attention to one’s own movement experience and interaction with
others, then reflecting upon it and sharing, can bring new insights and unleash the creative
power of human potential. This can effect profound personal, familial, cultural and societal
change. We are the hope of the world, if we only know and believe it! Shape and stillness,
silence and song, movement and storytelling are our guides. One - 2 hour workshop
Susan Pudelek is a bridge builder whose ministry unifies a deep spiritual awareness with the performing arts. She is a teacher, preacher, writer and presider leading retreats and workshops in movement prayer and the spirituality of giving. She has traveled extensively nationally and internationally as an artist and educator and was on the program staff of the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, responsible for the artistic aspects of that event. Susan holds the M.Div. with a Concentration in Word and Worship from Catholic Theological Union and a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago. She is currently director of
pilgrimage ministry at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii in Chicago. Susan is an InterPlay Leader-in-Training.
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Flash Mob Dance: Dance a World of Hope and Joy!
Elaine Sisler
These "easy-to-learn" movements will be taught and then will be offered at the "FLASH MOB DANCE" the Sacred
Dance Guild will be having on Thursday evening in downtown Holland. A combination of gesture, sign language
and large group dancing will rock downtown Holland from our SDG theme song "Moving Mysteries" to Lionel
Richie's contagious and celebrated dance-song "All Night Long". The workshops are open to all Festival
participants and to anyone locally registering for this event only. Two - 1 hour workshops (plus a group rehearsal)
Elaine Sisler is an experienced dancer, teacher and arts advocate. She believes that dance should be integrated
into daily life regardless of age and ability. Elaine is an arts integration specialist and teaches at Endicott College in
the Creative Arts and Learning graduate program, at Studio Ballet of Hudson and as artist in residence in many
Massachusetts school districts. Elaine is a member of "Skyloom" Sacred Dance Group, "Encore Dance Ensemble"
and serves on SDG's Board of Directors as co director of public relations.
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