Socially Distant Ecstatic Dancing

Also taking to the great outdoors this week is the Santa Barbara Ecstatic Dance Co-op, which features music programmed by members of the community who are encouraged to express themselves through their choices of songs, rhythms, and beats. Its last dance took place at Divinitree Yoga studio the first Friday in March before bowing to the pandemic. Now host Michael Love has announced a pilot ecstatic dance in person for this Friday, May 22, at 6 pm, at the big meadow at White Rock Los Padres off Paradise Road, opposite White Rock Recreation Area.

Dancers should follow the trail to the center of the meadow and find a spot to get your groove on – either on the trail or somewhere in the wild grass – either way respecting proper social distancing of keeping at least six feet apart from other people who are not in your household. The plan is to put a speaker in the middle of the meadow and stage a 90-minute dance as the sun sets. “This is more of a flash mob than an organized dance,” according to the public Facebook event page, and attendees should take care of their own needs regarding water, clothing, etc. “Let’s come together to celebrate our love and good fortune and dance it through our bodies, hearts and souls as we are able to at this moment.” Visit www.facebook.com/events/243347886769817.

Meanwhile, Santa Barbara Dance Tribe, the granddaddy of the local ecstatic dance community having celebrated its 15th birthday not long ago, continues to meet online via Zoom in its regular time slot of 11 am to 1 pm on Sundays. Up to 70 or more dancers have been showing up each week, moving and grooving with each other from home via the miracle of online meetings, and most of the participants keep their cameras on to create a strong sense of community. Visit www.sbdancetribe.org for details.