by Olga Livshin
Two Mondays a month, Vancouver dance instructor Corinne Chepil leads her students on a dancing quest, sharing with them her warm heart and enthusiasm. Corinne teaches Circle Dance, a new variation of one of the oldest dance forms on Earth.
In ancient times, tribes danced in circles around the fire, praying, celebrating, and mourning. In later centuries, the advance of civilization broke the sacred circle. Disconnected from Earth and from each other, people began dancing in lines, in threes and fours, in pairs, and finally alone, although many cultures still maintained folklore dancing circles.
After studying folk dancing for many years, Bavarian dancer and choreographer Bernard Wosien introduced Circle Dance to the world in 1976, when he brought the concept to the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. A blend of traditional and modern dancing, Circle Dance spread throughout Europe and North America, reconnecting the dancers to Earth and to each other.
Corinne hadn’t learned about Circle Dance until 2001. After moving to Vancouver from Edmonton in 1986, she studied dance and psychology at SFU and found employment as a dance teacher and an arts administrator. She also dedicated much of her career to working with seniors.
In September 2001, a few days after the 9/11 disaster, she drove with friends to Naramata near Penticton for a Wise Women Weekend. One of the largest women’s gathering in Western Canada, the annual Weekend provides a variety of workshops: from knitting to belly-dancing. Corinne attended a few workshops, Circle Dance among them. That weekend had changed her life.
“After my very first experience, I knew I had to teach Circle Dance,” she says. In the terrible aftermath of 9/11, Circle Dance — holding hands with friends, moving in simple steps to the sweet, rhythmical tunes — seemed like a road to healing and peace. Therapeutic and joyful, Circle Dance links the dancers together, providing not only an exercise for a body, but an uplifting journey for a spirit as well. “No other kind of dancing offers such a delightful balance to the dancers,” Corinne says. “Circle Dance promotes a sense of community. It reignites our connection with Mother Earth. It generates tranquility. And it’s fun.” A few months after the Wise Women Weekend, Corinne flew to Findhorn to get her Sacred Dance Teacher Certificate.
Every Corinne’s workshop starts the same way. She clears a room and arranges a kind of a pagan altar in the middle of the floor. There is no religious connotation there; rather an allegory of intertwined life forces, a nostalgic reminder of heathen traditions. A green scarf, a heart-shaped rock, and a vase of fresh flowers signify Earth. A lit candle represents fire. A small cup of water stands for itself. And a tiny plastic angel symbolizes air.
People of different professions and social groups join Corinne around that altar. Most are women, although an occasional man or two sometimes wander in. The ages stretch between 30 and 90. An old retired lady with a walker and a young silversmith, a home-stay mom and a nurse, a scientist and a secretary, they all unite in Circle Dance, reveling in their sense of belonging.
Corinne greets everyone with a hug, a smile, and a pitcher of ice tea. As the name of the workshop implies, dancers dance in a circle, often holding hands. The moves are easy, and the melodies vary from slow and meditative to lively and engaging. Nobody needs any previous dancing training. There are no wrong steps, only variations — is the motto of Circle Dance.
Most people come to the workshop after a day of hard work, dull-eyed and stressed out. In the beginning, they clasp hands in a circle and close their eyes, offering their good will to each other. Then Corinne demonstrates the steps of a first dance. After a few minutes of practicing, Corinne turns on her CD player, and the dance is on. Two or three dances later, the faces lose their tautness. Eyes begin to sparkle. Smiles appear.
Sensitive to the rising moods, Corinne escalates the tempo of the dances. Half an hour into the session, the participants’ restrained attitude vanishes, replaced by exuberance. They laugh and clap their hands, whooping like kindergarten kids: “He-He! Ho-Ho!” For that one hour of the session, thanks to Corinne, these tired adults are liberated from all their worries, transformed into the young, care-free children.
Corinne doesn’t charge fees for her Circle Dance workshop. Everyone is welcome, and admission is by donation. On the first Monday of a month, the circle is held in a seniors’ facility. The entire amount collected there goes towards the senior-residents’ entertainment fund, subsidizing their art projects and outings. Every second Monday of a month, the event is held at a church. Of the money collected there, 50% goes to pay for the use of the room.
“I don’t make a living teaching Circle Dance,” Corinne says. “For me, it has never been a way to make a profit. I want it to be affordable for everyone. In our troubled times, Circle Dance is an antithesis to war. When we hold hands in a circle, we are all equal, united in harmony and joy of the dance.”
For more information about Vancouver Circle Dance workshops — contact Corinne Chepil.
Phone: (604) 254-4360
Email: dancingmachine@telus.net
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