Sacred ritual dance attracts dedicated following
Tara Dancers practicing at Shambhala last Sunday. Tutor Catherine Callaghan standing second from left. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
A devoted group of about a dozen Golden Bay women has been meeting monthly for the last year to practise a dance that honours the Buddhist feminine divinity Tara, quite possibly the oldest goddess still revered in modern times.
Former Golden Bay dance teacher Catherine Callaghan, who is now based in Nelson, travels over to take the classes, which are held at different locations around the Bay. She says that it is a meditative dance, as the rhythmic movements and creative expression encourage calming of the mind, as well as focus, concentration and peace.
“In dancing the Tara Dance we honour our Divine Feminine. We also dance it to create a more peaceful, sustainable, joyful world for all people. It has many lessons for contemporary women. The dance has both structured and creative elements, which allows for individual interpretation and expression of Tara’s 21 qualities.”
Qualities aspired to in the dance include radiant health, joy and laughter, impeccable virtue, creative wisdom, swift protection, wisdom, compassion and power.
Catherine first heard about the dance three years ago after seeing it advertised on a poster in Nelson. She was “handed the opportunity” to teach it by Karla Dostal of the Chandrakirti Meditation Centre at Upper Moutere, and travelled to Hawaii in August 2010 to study with Prema Dasara, creator of the Mandala Dance of the 21 Praises of Tara. This is adapted from a traditional Tibetan sadhana, or practise.
“I met many women from different countries who were practising it,” says Catherine. “A delegation of 50 women had just travelled to see the Dalai Lama and performed it for him. He was very happy about the dance and gave his blessing for it to be taught far and wide.”
Although it is not designed as a performance piece, the group has been asked to dance informally on several occasions in the Bay. The last time, on the 11/11/11 full moon, was at The Sandcastle in Pohara. All of the audience of 90 joined in.
Judith Hoch of Wainui Bay has been one of the long-term regulars and says that as an artist and an anthropologist, she has always appreciated that the first divinity was feminine.
“The dance honours just this, combining body, mind and soul in all the feminine qualities of the divine. By dancing all 21 Praises of Tara we receive her blessings and empower each other. It’s an extremely uplifting experience for all those who participate.”
Catherine Callaghan, who now operates in Nelson as Dance Moves, has almost 25 years of dance teaching experience. As well as holding regular classes in salsa, bachata, rueda and wedding dance tuitions, she has offered courses as diverse as jazz and creative dance for preschoolers through to adults, therapeutic dance for the intellectually handicapped, autistic and wheelchair-based, and workshops for schoolteachers preparing to teach dance in the school curriculum. Her previous Fireworks Dance and Drama Company was well-known in Golden Bay, influencing the lives of many children and adults in the area.
“I will continue to come over to the Bay once a month, around full moon, to teach this sacred ritual dance,” says Catherine. “It’s always open to women who want to come and join us and see if it’s for them, regardless of their spiritual affiliation. At some stage an invitation will go out to all the children and men who may like to come and join us. For now we are laying our foundations.”
Catherine’s website is <www.dancemoves.co.nz>.
Gerard Hindmarsh
