Dance of Oneness®: Body of Light Dance Pilgrimage to Turkey
Part I: August 5 - 10, 2012
Part II: August 10 - 15, 2012
Two 5-day Dance Retreats
Followed by a 7-day Sema, August 16 - 23
Trip to Konya, August 24 - 27
Info & Registration: +1 310 499-7100 Email
Location: Mutlu Baba Cultural Center, Gokcedere, Yalova, Turkey
Finding your dance at the crossing of the eternal unchanging stillness
and continuous movement
"Come into the Heart, where the Great Mystery lives!" - Rumi
Open your being to the realization that you are Light and here to bring Light. Through peaceful groundedness, powerful embodiment and passionate engagement, dance and whirl to live your Light and fill our world with Light. Guided by the Love poetry of Rumi and Hafez, explore Love’s intoxicating power and Light's crystal clearness through movement that is 100% grounded and centered, and 100% abandoned. Develop a keen awareness of your energy anatomy while dancing the passion in your Heart, transforming sensations of fatigue, depression or anxiety into lasting exuberance, joy and serenity.
In Part I, we explore the foundations of Dance of Oneness through a focus on the 7 Chakras with movement and teachings corresponding to each and how to develop presence in the body.
In Part II, we focus on the body as host to the Divine. We engage in dance and movement sequences designed to encompass all the Chakras in the body and improvise with the material learned to truly come into a state of being danced - the experience of Light upon Light so central in Sufism. We will also explore in depth the significance of the Sema and the complete spiritual path as outlined by the ceremony of Sema, the embodiment of Light.
Our setting is a Sufi/Dervish House or Dergah, a true tavern of love, beyond any particular religion and open to all lovers and messengers of Light.
Both Part I and Part II are mixed levels
Part II is in continuation of Part I, but both are complete retreats onto themselves and can be taken without the other
Part I is Open to All / Part II is open to those who take Part I and to students who have worked with Banafsheh in past workshops or have some background in dance or movement
If you really feel called and wish to participate in Part II and have not taken classes with Banafsheh or don't have a background in movement, please Email your inquiry first before registering.
Our days are a balance between dance, yoga, chanting, music, meditation, sharing, soaking in the nearby natural springs, expressing our own creativity and the chance to explore individually the beautiful beaches, villages and sites of Turkey’s exquisite Marmara region.
Part I of the retreat begins at 8:30 PM on August 5th and ends at 2 PM on August 10
Part II of the retreat begins at 8:30 PM on August 10th and ends at 2 PM on August 15
Following the Dance Retreat, you can join the Sema (whirling ceremony) which starts on August 16 until August 23. You can elect to stay for this donation based ceremony from one hour to the full 7 days
Fee for 5-day Dance Retreat:
*$600 (the equivalent in Euro) including lodging and meals at the Dergah (communal sleeping, separate women's and men's quarters)
*$850 (the equivalent in Euro) including hotel lodging and meals at the Dergah
Fee for 10-day Dance Retreat:
*$1050 (the equivalent in Euro) including lodging and meals at the Dergah (communal sleeping, separate women's and men's quarters)
*$1550 (the equivalent in Euro) including hotel lodging and meals at the Dergah
Above fees do not include airfare, visa and round-trip transportation from the airport to the Dergah
Register early as prices will rise by $65 (50 euro) after July 1, 2012
Please book your flights to and from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul
Planning For Part I:
Arrival - please plan to arrive no later than 12 pm on August 5
Bus taking people to the Dergah from Istanbul's Sultan Ahmet area will depart at roughly 4 PM (fare for this trip is $25 / 45 TL)
The first session begins at 8:30 PM following light dinner at 6 PM
Departure - August 10 in the evening (if only staying for Body of Light Part I), August 15 in the evening (if staying for Part I & II)
Planning For Part II:
Arrival - please plan to arrive no later than 12 pm on August 10
Bus taking people to the Dergah from Istanbul will depart at roughly 4 PM (fare for this trip is extra)
The first session begins at 8:30 PM following light dinner at 6 PM
Departure - August 15 in the evening (if only staying for the Dance Retreat)
Download Registration Form on the bottom of the page. Please sign and email to the email address on the form.
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7-Day and Night Sema
Mutlu Baba Cultural Center (Dergah)
Gokcedere, Turkey
August 16 - 23, 2012
Immerse yourself in the amazing continuous 7-day and night Sema with live music led by Sufi Sheikh Oruc Guvenc and Tumata to deepen your learnings from the Dance Retreat. The Sema is open to all, and the lodging and meals at the Dergah are offered on a donation basis. You can choose to stay from one hour to the full 7 days! The duration of your stay is your own decision and we can accomodate your departure at anytime.
Visit www.tumata.com for more information.
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Trip to Konya
August 24 - 27, 2012
Following the Sema, take a sacred pligrimage led by Oruc Guvenc and Tumata to Konya, where one can still feel Rumiﾒs magical influence. We will visit the tomb of Shams and Rumi, witness some of the original manuscripts of the great Mystic's works, shop at the bazaar they frequented, visit sacred Sufi sites and take part in wild Sema and Zikr/chanting gatherings.
Fee for Trip to Konya:
*250 Euro including shared hotel-room lodging, meals and transportation to Konya and from Konya to Istanbul, payable to Tumata in Turkey.
Departure - August 28th or after
For more information visit: www.tumata.com
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For Body of Light participants, you have lots of options. You can choose to only attend a 5-day Dance Retreat, a 10-day Dance Retreat, or the Dance Retreat and Sema together, or all the planned activities. If you are planning to participate all the way through Konya, please book your return flight on August 28th or after from Ataturk airport, Istanbul. We will return to Istanbul from Konya. Hotel lodging in Istanbul is not included in the price of the trip to Konya.
