Wales and Borders Regional Day, 28th September 2013

by Nigel Lees

We held this Regional Day in Cardiff on a lovely Saturday in September, Both Neesa Copple and I were grateful to host the day and welcome Dance Leaders from the area: Dilwara Sita and Bob from West Wales, Mike (Karim) and Susanne from Hereford, and Matthew from Bristol.

Neesa and I have been dancing in Cardiff for about four years and, like many small group leaders, really appreciated the support we received from all the other Dance Leaders. We were so excited by the day, and joyful to dance in a circle of 25 people, our best yet. Many thanks to Sandra Sunfire for inspiring us to create the day and to the DUP Network for so generously gifting us a bursary of £100. Without this financial support I doubt we could have done it. Thanks also to Lorna Edwards and Maxine Bennett for all their work on the day and throughout the years we have danced together. The day would not have worked without Neesa, who not only started the Cardiff group but also brings her love and clarity to everything she does. Both Karim and Lorna share their reflection of the day.

From Karim:
We gathered in Cardiff for what I think was the 7th Wales and the Borders Regional Dance day. These days are a bit of an adventure and, in my experience, have always provided a rich opportunity for mutual support and sharing in the journey towards the One. They are a great way of supporting evolving musicians and leaders and give a boost to a local Dance group. We also have a really good time together doing what we love.

We arrived at the Bridge Cottage Woodland Retreat, a magical place oddly situated between a garage and a railway bridge. The feeling was immediately good and only improved at seeing the beautiful dance room and feeling the warmth of the growing circle of dancers. It was clear that Nigel (supported by Neesa and local dancers Maxine and Lorna) had put a great deal of loving care into planning the day and it showed.

We were blessed with a rich variety of musicians and Dance Leaders and the day flowed quite naturally with leaders stepping forward spontaneously to take us through what seemed a well-balanced sequence of 13 Dances. I certainly left feeling nourished in body and spirit and I think others did too. Let’s do it again soon!

From Lorna:
The Regional Day in Cardiff was for us (Nigel, Neesa, Maxine, the regular dancers and me) a flowering of several years of sowing seeds. Neesa and Nigel have gently and patiently worked with us over four years and this enabled us to immerse into the Dances in more depth. Live music, combined with the presence of 7 Dance Leaders and musicians, brought forth a powerful earth-sky intimacy.

Those Dances that had a particular resonance for me were: The Ocean Refuses No River (Matthew); Mother Earth is a Great Big Ship (Dilwara Sita); Bethlehem Lord’s prayer and Christ Has No Body (Susanne); Michael of the Angels (Neesa); Medicine Buddha (Karim); Angelic Bismillah (Nigel).

Nigel Lees

The day was beautifully held by Nigel who organised the event. ‘Old comers’ and ‘new comers’ were made equally welcome and so skilled were the Dance Leaders that there was no difference. Thanks to all Dance Leaders for a beautiful and profound experience.

“May all beings be well, may all beings be happy, peace, peace, peace.”