Faith
Dance guild touts graceful worship

By Jean Chow
Advertiser Staff Writer

The idea of dancing in church has, for many, been an uncomfortable one. The two did not belong together and the whole concept was a little hard to swallow.

Workshops at the Sacred Dance Guild festival will de-emphasize talking, while emphasizing calming and renewing. Photo courtesy of RuthMarie Quirk

"Many people are scared off when they hear the word 'dance,' but the focus of the festival is to help people find the spirit within themselves and learn to use movement as a means of worship," says Lucia Samuels, 2001 Festival Big Island Director. The festival is returning to Hawai'i for a second time and will take place at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.

The weeklong event will feature spiritual dance performances, workshops, and activities suitable for all ages and levels of dance experience.

Drawing from numerous religions, cultures and ethnicities, these dances create a unique, yet diverse, festival dedicated to the experience of movement as worship, for prayer, healing and meditation. Samuels said there is minimal talk involved in workshops and that the hope is for people to feel calmed and renewed through the array of dances and other movement activities.

•	Sacred Dance Guild National Festival When: July 22-29 Where: Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, Kamuela, Hawai'i Cost: $200-$400 (discounts for Dance Guild members, seniors, students, kids) Web site: www.sacreddanceguild.org Contact: 386-8883 (cellular)

Performers and presenters will come from around the country to share their moves.

Deborah Masterson, one of several presenters from Hawai'i, will be leading a workshop in TaKeTiNa, which she describes as "a group of people experimenting with rhythms and making music, in which their bodies become the instruments."

TaKeTiNa is not necessarily a sacred dance and has nothing to do with any one religion, but is simply "an experience we have as human beings," she said.

Masterson hopes that her participation in the festival will expose Islanders to TaKeTiNa and allow them to make of it what they want, adding that the rhythmic experience can become a religious one.

"TaKeTiNa is just a completely new way of understanding rhythm and looking at life," she said.

Other dance styles that will be taught and showcased include liturgical dance, yoga and Asian modern dance.

The Hawai'i chapter of the Sacred Dance Guild is a small group at 51 members, but chapter president RuthMarie Quirk anticipates an increase following the festival, as registration equals automatic membership into the guild. Guild members come from a wide variety of religions: "Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, almost all types of Christians and pagans," Quirk said.

Quirk said there are no conflicts within the group, as the members' focus is not to force their personal beliefs on others but to dance together in worship and celebration, however they name God.

This acceptance and diversity will be reflected in the festival's daily worship services, which organizers have planned to be inclusive instead of exclusive.

Festival participants will have access to all of Hawai'i Preparatory Academy's main campus facilities, including the pool, tennis courts and hiking and equestrian activities. Registration also includes a volcano tour day with a banquet at Volcano House, a Festival Faculty Showcase Performance at the Gates Performing Arts Center, and a lu'au Saturday evening.

Though this is the festival's second appearance in Hawai'i (the first was in 1995), most of the registrants thus far are from the Mainland. Samuels said that part of the problem is simply getting the word out.

With almost half of the presenters coming from Hawai'i, she anticipates a "nice blend, with many Island folks sharing their gifts," and hopes that more Islanders will take interest in a national event occurring right in their back yard.

"It'll be great — a full week of learning, making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and more," Samuels said.