Bless the beginning of the growing season, honor the water, pray for peace and spread joy.
Earth Day with Wisdom Dances
Join Wisdom Dances for a roving dance celebration dedicated to bringing life and vitality to our community.
Dance is not only an expression of aliveness; to dance is to participate in aliveness. Life is a dance and by dancing we give energy to life. You are not the only one who is renewed and energized through the joy of dance. Explore consciously directing the power of singing and dancing for the benefit of all beings.
This celebration draws inspiration from springtime dance traditions from the Balkans where girls would dance from house to house in the village to bring blessing to each member of the community. The simple traditional circle dances in this celebration emphasize connection and presence and are inclusive of all ages. Female-identified and non-binary folk are invited to dance with us. Men are welcome to accompany us in support.
Musicians Greg Herriges (bouzouki & guitar) and Amina West (percussion) will be accompanying us. In celebration the Wisdom Dances “bees” will be dressed in our Bulgarian-inspired ritual costume. It will be a festive day!
Our Route & Intentions
Our Earth Day Celebration begins at East River Flats where we will honor the water that gives us life. We will carry this water with us throughout our celebration.
1st stop: Dowling Community Garden. We will share some dances dedicated to planting, honoring bees (there is a honey bee hive in the garden), and evoking rain.
2nd stop: Wabun Picnic Area. On this bluff near the Veteran’s home we will dance for peace for all peoples. This stop has great parking and is near restrooms.
Final stop: Hidden Falls. We will return the water to the river in gratitude. Time for some celebration dances!
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9:00 AM – Noon
We will begin gathering at Hidden Falls Park in St. Paul at 8:30 AM
We will depart by carpool at 9:00 sharp. Carpooling will help us stay together and concentrate the joy. Folks who are dancing (women and non-binary), please wear a skirt. Black, white, and yellow are our unofficial colors.
Please pre-register so you receive final event details and weather related updates.
This event is all gift, made possible thanks to the gifts to Wisdom Dances and Eye of the Heart Center.
If you are interested in being with us in support, reach out and let us know and we can share more details.
Earth Day 2022
Earth Day 2019
April 2019. There are many Bulgarian spring-time traditions that involve young girls visiting every house in the village and offering them a dance or song. Inspired by this care given to the community, and trusting that our dancing and singing makes a difference for others, we set out to create a version of the tradition for our community in Minneapolis.
The night before our celebration we met at a water pump by Lake Harriet. In silence we drew up water from the aquifer. Under the light of the newly risen full moon, we each placed a piece of jewelry into the water vessel and let the vessel stand outside under the moonlight.
We met before dawn at the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. We listened to the roar of St. Anthony Falls and watched the moon set.
Finally, the sun rose.
We rolled in the dew.
Before we had a chance to dance for our first friend, she served us breakfast, including banitsa, a Bulgarian breakfast food with phllyo dough, egg, feta, and yogurt.
“I literally don’t know how to thank you. You brought such joy to me, to my husband and to my friend.
I could not imagine rolling in the dew like you did, and I have an amazing video of this rare and joyful experience you shared.”
We danced for the Mississippi River
We were greeted with flowers and treats as we visited one member of our community.
“My deepest gratitude to all of you for lighting up our home and making me feel connected to the moon, the sun, the dew of new life. [I am] unable to leave my home, yet I completely feel as if I traveled with you and was an active part of this beautiful spring ritual. Beloved Dancers you are truly blessed and you inspire joy and power as you touch the earth and draw out its gifts for all of us.”
We lent our dancing energy to the May Day workshops at In The Heart of the Beast Theater.
We visited a friend recovering from surgery.
We made Beatles references.
We surprised another dancing friend who was home sick.
“Oh my! Your visit to my home was such an amazing surprise for me! I LOVE surprises! I couldn’t stop smiling all day just remembering your lovely, healing dance around me! And, I’m SO envious of your hats! THANK YOU for coming to bless me!”
We thanked the water we had gathered the night before and returned it to the watershed.
It was a beautiful day and we will do something like this again. Stay tuned!