THE LONG DANCE - Saturday, Sunday -September 16/17, 2023
Chiefed by Stephanie Moore
What is the Long Dance?
The Long Dance is a visioning dance held at night under the stars. The dancers move in a circular motion around the corral. It is a time to bring forth associations that lie in the subconscious mind, and by dancing them, they can be brought to conscious levels, owned, and released. It is a time to quest for your spirit, to surrender, to endure. Beautiful Painted Arrow says: In the Long Dance of Life, every- step awakens three opportunities for the human; One: placement in eternity; Two: purification of past forms; Three: new opportunities for adventure, for in the instances of eternal time, the new always refreshes and cleanses. Arrive early Saturday afternoon
and pitch your tent and help prepare the corral A Sweat Lodge follows. Then we hang our Medicine Shield Banners in the corral. Following a light supper, as night falls the dance begins and goes into early morning hours, then the dancers rest. On awakening, we have breakfast, a sharing, and return home early
Sunday afternoon.
The Tradition of the Long Dance
The first Long Dance was held in Pennsylvania in 1987 under the tutelage of Beautiful Painted Arrow. At the end of 1996 he retired to his land in Colorado.
Some people know immediately that this dance is for them while others may need time and processing to decide. Often times, people who have an initial reaction of 'I couldn't possibly do it' eventually come to understand that it is part of their destiny to dance. As with any decision, it is most important to listen to your heart. The tuition for the dance is $100. There is scholarship money available for those drawn to dance but who have financial difficulties. To register or for more information, please contact Tom at 610-469-9029, click here to
email Tom
, or Stephanie (484) 318-3637,
You can also ask Jim at
jim@malvernsweatlodge.com . About
10 days before the dance an email with final instructions will be sent. If it
works better for you, you can register on line at the link below. More about Stephanie at
https://www.stephaniemooremedicine.com/
The Medicine Shield Banner
You need to make a personal banner, 2 feet by 4 feet, with an overlap sewn across the top two foot edge. Insert a 26 inch dowel rod thru the overlap and attach string on each end of the rod to hang the banner. Any color may be used. Put artwork on it that depicts: a) where you come from; b) where you are now; c) where you hope to be after the dance. Let the making of the Medicine Shield be a way of forming your intention.