Trancedance Newsletter

Trancedance Newsletter
August 2018

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Content

•	Foreword: Trance & Youth Culture

•	Video: What is Trancedance?

•	Training: Facilitator Training

•	Retreat: Visionary Darkness

•	Music: Shpongle

•	Calendar: Events 2019

~ foreword ~
by Aernoudt Knecht

PSY-FI Festival ~ Trance & Youth Culture

Facilitating a workshop, and doing lecture, at the Psy-Fi Festival in Holland this summer, made me realize again that trance is abundant in contemporary youth culture. Especially young people are drawn to the beat, drawn to the music, to dance... to trance. Trancedancing has been an integral part of human existance since the dawn of time, but was absent in our culture for a long time. Nowadays, young people are not just rediscovering the healing effects of music and dance, but are also rediscovering the healing effects of trance, and of the expansion of human consciousness. They knów, either consciously or subconsciously, that human salvation, and inspiration for the future, can be found in the realm of Spirit... redefining ourselves as a species, and redefining our relationship with the planet.

Since 2009 I have been offering a training, for those who want to discover the multi-layered aspects of Trancedancing, and for those who want to facilitate these rituals for others. In this Trancedance Facilitator Training you will learn about the mechanics, the psychology and the mysticism, behind the process of safely facilitating a Trancedance ritual. It's a very intensive program, consisting of two modules, in wich students will, first of all, gain a lot of personal experience... participating in numerous Trancedances and other rituals, embarking on a strong journey of personal transformation and spiritual growth... exploring the spirituality of the body, and different states of consciousness and trance. And all of this personal experience will be supplemented with a theoretical framework on the psychology, the physicality, and the mystisism of trance, music and dance. Feel welcome to join!

~ video ~

"What is Trancedance?"

Have you ever wanted to explain to somebody what Trancedance is, and searched for the right words? An image says more than a thousand words, they say. In this video you can see beautiful images of a Trancedance, with some powerful music. The images are interspersed with parts of an interview in which Aernoudt Knecht explains what Trancedance is, and what the training is about. Feel free to share it with your friends!

~ training ~

Trancedance Facilitator Training
Intensive training for dancers and facilitators

Module 1: 7 days – March 4-10, 2019
Module 2: 4 days – July 25-28, 2019

Central themes:

•	A safe and sacred space

•	Trance, movement and breath

•	Blindfold and Sacred Darkness

•	The Archetype of the Shaman

•	Sound and Music

•	Ancestors and Spirit Helpers

•	Growth and Healing

•	Science and Mysticism

•	Dancing the Dream read more>

Participation includes:

•	training in 2 modules

•	11 days and nights of accommodation

•	tasty and vegetarian meals

•	professional guidance

•	practical exercizes and internship

•	curriculum course book

•	certificate of participation

•	participation in network of facilitators
•	... and more

Training: €1190 - Accommodation and meals: €490

Paid before January 4: €100 discount!

Info & registration:
Trance-dance.net/Events/Trancedance-Facilitator-Training/

~ retreat ~

Visionary Darkness Retreat

A magical workshop! A unique experience!

Coming Home at The Source

In this special retreat you spend most of the time in complete darkness. A short period of darkness, such as during a meditation or blindfolded Trancedance, can already be very beneficial. When you are in darkness for a longer period, your mind drops to a deep relaxation, and there is clarity and space for deep contact with the source of vitality and creativity within yourself.

In Darkness we become Visionaries

Ceremonial darkness has traditionally played an important role in meditations and shamanic work. When the mind can safely release the images of the visible world, invisible landscapes of creative inspiration become visible. read more>

We offer a safe framework in which you can surrender yourself to your inner journey. Moments of silence alternate with activities. We dance, meditate, make musical dreamtime journeys, stimulate our senses and are creative in different ways. We discover new ways of perception and make deep contact with our vitality. To be reborn from the womb of darkness in the light at the end of the retreat.

Contribution:

accommodation and meals: 250 euro - retreat program: 445 euro

Info & registration:
Trance-dance.net/Events/Visionary-Darkness-Retreat/

~ music review ~

Shpongle

Following the Psy-Fi Festival, and the Psychedelic Trance music genre, this time I will discuss the music of Shpongle. Shpongle is a British band, consisting of Simon Posford (Hallucinogen) and Raja Ram (The Infinity Project), and one of the most influential psychedelic chillout acts of the last years. Their music is a mix of Western psychedelic music from synthesizers, and samples from Eastern instruments, supplemented with texts by, among others, Terence McKenna (an American mystic, psychonaut, teacher, author, ethnobotanicus, and advocate for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants).

The debut album "Are You Shpongled?" was released in 1998 (Twisted Records), and was one of the most progressive at the time. "Are You Shpongled?" and Shpongles first downtempocompilation "... and the Day Turned to Night" had a big impact on the psychedelic scene in 1998 and broadened the downtempo genre.

In 2001 the second album was released, "Tales of the Inexpressible". This album was less downtempo, contained more South American influences and music and text samples about psychedelic experiences. Their third studio album "Nothing Lasts ... But Nothing Is Lost" was released in 2005. The album contains eight tracks, divided into twenty parts. In their own words this is done so that each part represents a phase in the dream sequence. The title gave the suggestion that this would be Shpongles last studio album, which was confirmed by Simon Posford at the time. But in November 2, 2009, their fourth studio album "Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland" was released, followed by two more albums.

What particularly appeals to me about Shpongle is the fullness and richness of the music. The mix is always filled with lots of beautiful, both electronic and organic, sounds. It takes you on a journey into the higher spheres and deep regions of the soul. The high sound quality, the eclectic mix of music samples, instruments and synthesizers, and the progression of the album ensured that these albums are very suitable for trancedancing. These are their albums so far: