Orisha Dance - Summer Garden Gathering

Summer is finally here! Join us (Mica Francis-Angel and Blake Avenue) for our first outdoors Orisha Dance! 

Immersed in nature, in our favourite secret garden location in North London, we invite you to come together for a nourishing day of celebration and wellbeing, connecting with our vibrant roots and culture, honouring our ancestors, exploring different aspects of holistic wellbeing and spirituality from across the black diaspora, and sharing an uplifting and fun experience with likeminded sisters.

INCLUDES:

- EMBODIED MOVEMENT & DANCE

- VISUALISATION MEDITATION JOURNEY

- PLANTBASED SOUL FOOD LUNCH & BOTANICAL ELIXIRS

- MINDFUL STORYTELLING

- COMMUNITY CIRCLE

* This is a space for black and brown female / femme / non-binary folks *

Why 'Orisha'?

An orisha may be said to be a deity. Yet defining an orisha as a deity does not do justice to the concept, in large part because the term deity often suggests a sort of anthropomorphic supernatural entity. An orisha may be said to arise when  a divine power to command and make things happen converges with a natural force, a deified ancestor, and an object that witnesses and supports that convergence and alignment. An orisha, therefore, is a complex multidimensional unity linking people, objects, and powers...

Orishas play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several belief systems of the African diaspora that derive from it. They are said to be representatives of Olodumare, the Supreme Being, who placed the Orishas on Earth to help and supervise humankind. The Orishas are mediators between the human and spiritual realm, and are the major source of communication with the Supreme Being. The Orishas traveled to the Americas and the Caribbean between 1640 and 1807 and their worship has since intergrated into practices by people around the world in a number of forms (that you may not realise they stem from) including the systems of Santeria, Candomblé, and Vodun, as well as nominal Catholics, Christians and those who identify as Neo-Pagan, Wiccan, or New Age practitioners. In the modern day, people invoke the Orishas in personal or communal rituals for spiritual strength, enlightenment, or assistance in daily challenges.

We chose to embrace the Orishas as inspiration for our offering, to empower us with a sense of the divine and multidimensional unity. Each Orisha respresents different meanings and powers, connecting us to a multitude of energies, nature, inner strength, inner softness and ancient wisdoms. Often as black and brown folks (through long term effects of colonisation and systemic oppression) we can feel somewhat pigeon-holed, when we know we are multi-faceted beings with so much richness in our roots. Taking all of this and blending our own modern and unique knowledge, skills and style to our holistic wellbeing practices and healing modalities, our aim is to bring together a soul awakening experience of joy, liberation, healing, deep  release, empowerment and connection in a safe space of sisterhood.

EMBODIED MOVEMENT & DANCE

Every dance tells a story. Dance recounts history, conveys emotion, invites release and liberation, celebrates rites of passage and helps to unify our communities. Together we will flow through an embodied movement and dance practice,  sharing some traditional moves and their history, inspiring us to incorporate these deeply rooted expressions of inner freedom into our movements, before free-flowing through a range of themes, energies and emotions,  all set to an eclectic, multi-genre mix of worldly rhythms centred around black artists. In this uplifting and expressive somatic healing practice, we will dance barefoot in the grass, with an invitation to ease out of your mind, tap into your body and step out of your comfort zone. Releasing stagnant energy, embodying different energies, and elements inspired by our Orisha of focus, harnessing the transformative, primal powers of music and movement, the divinity of dance and having a whole lot of fun too! 

GUIDED VISUALISATION MEDITATION JOURNEY & HEALING FREQUENCIES

To close our practice, we will immerse ourselves in deep meditative rest, integrating in the energies after dancing and moving our bodies, and leaving you feeling grounded and renewed.

MINDFUL STORYTELLING

We will be mindfully sharing traditional tales to bring deeper understanding and connection to our ancestors, inspiring creativity and thoughtfulness - delving into the story of a specific Orisha (Their number is usually given as 400+ but seven are understood as most powerful and have become the most popular among modern-day adherents) and learning more about what their representation can teach us to improve our wellbeing and oneness in our daily lives.

PLANTBASED SOUL FOOD LUNCH & SNACKS

We will share a delicious, flavour-packed, plantbased lunch and snacks, catered by Mica, inspired by much loved carribean and african dishes, with a few health-focused and modern twists. Expect to feel nourished and belly full of goodnes!

COMMUNITY CIRCLE

We will open and close our gathering with a sharing circle, holding space for one another as we weave our stories together. Sharing reflective thoughts and feelings from prompts provided as well as grounding practices to connect with our intentions and the present, and later 

If you're feeling the call to join us - Book your space today