International Circle Dancing with Stefan and Bethan Freedman

www.worldance.org

World Dance with Stefan and Bethan

Accessible, celebratory multicultural dance

     World dance is like having a wardrobe of a thousand colourful costumes, some velvety, some outrageous, some impressive others humorous, to try on. The keynotes are celebration, rapture and community.

     Some of Bethan and Stefans workshops also include a deeply peaceful element. Here the dancing at times becomes like a moving mandala. Participants may find a dimension of inner peace such as can be experienced in Yoga or meditation. At the same time there is a sense of physical security and connection with others, interlinked in the circle.

     World Dance, when this gentler, harmonious aspect is featured, is widely known as Circle Dance or Sacred Dance.

     Bethan and Stefan travel the world leading dance and other workshops from complete beginner to advanced levels as well as celebrations and festivities incorporating live music and displays. Their dances use evocative music from all continents.

     Stefan and Bethan employ a "feelgood" approach which includes people of all ages and abilities learning stylish sequences to strong, earthy rhythms. No prior experience or partner is required. The participants get to meet each other, have a delightful time and a good "shake out" while encountering contemporary and traditional dances from places as diverse as Uzbekistan, Algeria, Japan and Wales.

     They are widely celebrated for vivid choreography - fiery, playful, poignant or ceremonial.

     Bethan and Stefan are passionate about developing dance to promote connection and harmony between people of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. They played a key role in a Middle-East Peace conference (IFLAC London 2002) and a humanitarian educational congress (SEAL, Derby 2002), an international NVC conference on conflict and communication (London, June 2004), the Scouts International Jamboree (Chelmsford, August 2007). In 2005 and 2008, Stefan led "peace, culture and dance" events in Israel.

     They are also avid cultural researchers and dance collectors; Stefan's degree is in Social Anthropology, Bethan's is Contemporary and Historical Dance).

     Specialist workshops include

•Gypsy (Rom) Dances

•Mediterranean Dance (Greece, Turkey, Armenia +)

•E. European Dance (Bulgaria, Romania & Russia +)

•Canaan Confluence (Arab & Hebrew dances)

    Stefan and Bethan have collected a library of rare recorded music for both traditional and contemporary circle dances. They include songs and live music played on accordion, guitar and frame drums. A diversity of ethnic percussion instruments are available for participants who like to join in.

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Copyright Stefan Freedman ©2007