Brisbane's Original Cacao Ceremony Since 2014

Special Event - Dress to Express is back this year, offering you the chance to bring out the colors with your most Expressive Outfit.

Ecstatic Dance is a conscious movement practice that invites people to drop out of their minds and into their bodies to unwind and open to inner wisdom. Dance, Music and Cacao Medicine are the center point of these ceremonies catalyzing ecstatic states, where conscious mind limitations dissolve, opening the doors to the vast subconscious intelligence. It is an opportunity to connect deeply with self and others in fun ways words cannot express. A gracious experience to meet yourself as you are and open a space where you can see beyond who you think you are... It’s about you, freedom, joy and honesty.

For thousands of years, cacao has been celebrated as a food of the gods. Together we will drink a cacao elixir, giving ourselves the opportunity to enter into the stillness and wisdom of our being. This journey will offer a space to develop self-awareness, be moved by deep emotions, expand your intuitive awareness and align your actions with your intentions.

The dance floor is non-verbal which invites a deeper somatic experience. It is a drug and alcohol-free event.

What kind of music is played and what do we do?

We play music that encourages movement. Our sonic journey is a fusion of world music, electronica, dubstep, tribal house, classic remixes and more! A few samples here: https://www.mixcloud.com/dancingfire/

We usually have between 50 - 80 participants most of them RSVP on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/EcstaticBrisbane/events/)

*** All the activities during the Ecstatic Dance events are open invitations and it's your choice to participate or not. When you feel you need a break - you can use the cozy chill out space to lay down, meditate or just observe and process.

In this space, all are welcomed into radical self-expression and acceptance. Do yoga, stretch, dance like no one is watching, or just chill and enjoy the music.

- 5:15 pm - Face & Body Painting (by Julieanne Edwards makeup artist)

- 6:10 pm - Opening circle & Cacao sharing – to step on an inner journey, first we need to feel comfortable with the environment and the people around us. We cannot feel at ease when we are surrounded by complete strangers. In the opening circle, we get to sense who is around us. This will help our bodies to relax and connect with the energy in the room. You can always pass if you don't feel like talking. When done we will continue with the intention setting and the Cacao sharing.

- 6:30 pm - Warm-up exercises - a combination of Qigong and other somatic exercises designed to release tension and get the body ready to enjoy the Dance Journey.

- 6:50 pm – Music starts in a low beat to give us the chance to connect with the rhythm in a relaxed way. You choose when you allow your body to be moved and come alive, following your inner expression. The rhythm progressively increases once the room starts to move. It may reach a high energy several times during the dance and slow down to conclude with a smooth landing back to stillness at the end.

- 8:45 pm - Sound Healing - a wind-down meditative moment using Singing bowls, Gongs and other acoustic instruments performed by our special guest Elena Lymbery

- 9:20 pm – Closing circle – we sit together to ground using breathing and toning, then end by clapping together three times and the fourth time back to the earth to come out of trance and end the ceremony.

- 9:30 pm – Non-verbal time is over - have a chat with the people you shared the space with during the dance.


Arrive no later than 6:30 pm and leave whenever you want but be mindful not to disturb the other participants.

Ecstatic Dance Agreements

To maintain ultimate freedom we agree to the following:
1. No talking on the Dancefloor
2. No Cellphones
3. No street shoes on the Dancefloor (light, soft shoes are allowed)
4. No showing up drunk or drugged, no pictures, video, or wearing of scent.
5. Respect the Space - Others' Space and the Collective Space.

When Approaching others:
- Listen for a Yes (get eye contact first)
- Respect any No (when they are ignoring you)
- Respect the Solo Dancers' Right to their Space
- Hands in prayer at heart means: "I see you, and thank you for the dance (that just ended)."
You will be asked to leave if you do not follow these agreements.
Thank you!

For Cacao Ceremony:

– It is often suggested to not eat for a few hours before consuming cacao for the ceremony.

– Drink a lot of water during the day prior to the ceremony.

Cacao is generally a fairly mild medicine, but there are a few cases where it maybe too strong for your system.

* Anti-depressants (prescription anti-depressants can be Contraindicated with cacao)

* Heart Conditions: (Caution is required because of increased heart rate and vasodilation effects of cacao)

* Pregnant & Breastfeeding: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding please let us know so that we can adjust your dose.

About Elena:

Sound Healing Meditation / Relaxation

For over 20 years Elena has been studying and practicing different natural healing modalities.
These include Kinesiology Certificate IV from Australian College of Natural Medicine, Reiki: Traditional Usui, Sekhem and Karuna; Pranic Healing, NLP, Australian Bush Flower & Light Frequency Essences, Shamanic studies, Tibetan Crystal Bowls, Sound & Crystal Healing, Chanting, Sacred Geometry and Light Language.
Elena is highly intuitive and sensitive to energy. She loves to use her abilities to assist and empower others by raising their vibration and awareness, to create the life that they choose.

Recent studies have shown that certain frequencies can have relaxing and healing effects. The sound has the ability to positively affect our whole being. Tibetan Crystal bowls and gongs were used for centuries to create feelings of peace, relaxation and to deepen meditation.

Benefits of Sound Healing:
- Balances both hemispheres of the brain
- Creates a feeling of deep relaxation
- Improves sleep
- Reduce anxiety

Elena does energy healing using crystals and sound. She also holds regular group sessions at the Relaxation Centre of QLD and Phoenix Sculpture Garden at Mt.Glorious.

No dance experience required.

Free parking available onsite.

Google Maps Location: https://goo.gl/maps/fTwR5Qiocq9b5rw79

Limited spots available, booking highly recommended.

Refunds up to 7 days before the event.

Participants must be 18yo+ (The dance itself is suitable for all ages but the opening sharing circle might not be. Sometimes people share things not suitable for a young audience. Also an immersive experience cannot happen when looking after someone else.)

Our Story:

The first Ecstatic Dance Brisbane event happened In November 2013 in Northey St. Market, on the Cafe deck.

We started by offering free outdoor dance events, to share with the community the practice that changed our lives.For the first few times, Monica and I were the only ones dancing, while people curiously watched and enjoyed the music.

The first ones that joined us were the kids that were playing nearby doing arts and crafts with Bob - the wonderful teacher who offers his time every Sunday for decades, enriching the lives of hundreds of kids every year.The kids then began to drag their parents to join in and slowly the Cafe Deck was full of adults and kids dancing.

After almost a year, Northey St Market was temporary closed due to a Council concern, interrupting our events for a while.

From 2014 we started to hire venues and continue what we started on the beautiful Cafe deck under the mango trees.

About the Facilitator:

Adrian traveled and worked in a wide variety of places from the most alternative and unstructured to the rigid high end corporate and government environments for the last 20 years. From camp counselor in upstate NY and gardening in off the grid communities in Northern California to engineering telecommunication systems for the aerospace industry and Federal Emergency Management Agency. As an expert engineer, he taught technical classes for major corporations and the White House Military Office during the Obama administration. Living in such different environments required constant adjustments - pushed him out of the familiar, breaking habits and challenged his beliefs. This rhythm became overwhelming and his body started to lose vitality and get sick. During a trip to California he encountered a great community of people that helped him reconnect with his inner wisdom using music, dance and Native American practices. He quit his job and moved to California for more than 2 years to learn how to live again.

In 2012 Adrian became a certified Conscious Dance Facilitator, held classes in North California until the end of 2012 when he and his partner continued their journey to Australia. Since 2013, they are facilitating weekly Ecstatic Dance journeys and a monthly Cacao Ceremony in Brisbane.