dance
Photo credit: Hudson Senna
Art in Motion
a healing practice of movement & creativity
In Art in Motion the focus is on dance improvisation, allowing the body to lead the movement and observing the control of the mind. It is a deep mindfulness practice, facilitated in a playful, safe and joyful way, including guided meditation for grounding and connecting to the inner world. This workshop allows you to step out of form and into Being. The workshop also provides creative assignments in different ways: drawing our inner energy in abstract ways on paper, dancing what we’ve drawn, dancing what someone else drew… All to stimulate being in the moment, observing, becoming aware of what moves inside of us. All of these methods are intended to get out of the head and into the body, to let the wisdom of the body speak.
There's a training just for professional dancers or students in dance academies
There's also Art in Motion for people who love to move and have an interest in meditation and personal development.
coaching for professional performing artists
This training is excellent for the dancer or performer that wants to deepen their performing art experience. As performers, we cannot separate our humanness from our art. It is simply not ‘just a job’ that we do. But, often, Zahira sees performers, especially dancers, that function like robots. They make the movements, but ‘Who’s there?’ she asks. Who’s inside? And do we get to see them? Are you here? Do you want to be more present? Do you want to enjoy performing more? Do you want more people to relate to what you’re sharing? Contact Zahira if you are interested in a coaching session at heyzahira@gmail.com or click on the button.
Presence Process for Performers
Reclaiming the Goddess
with dance theater company Project Zahira
Project Zahira produces deeply-moving dance theater experiences, braving themes of gender, womanhood, conditioning, personal freedom, and healing. The spiritual dance theater works emerge from co-creation.
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Reclaiming The Goddess is a dance production geared toward the empowerment of women and is aligned with the global #metoo movement. It consists of a professional presentation of contemporary modern dance with a parallel program for theaters and women's shelters. Reclaiming The Goddess gives people inspiration, comfort, courage and and understanding of how we can heal trauma through the body.
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Zahira created this project as she saw a need to turn a challenging life experience into something positive, 'turning poison into medicine.' In 2014, Zahira sought help to deal with her sexual trauma in Abadiânia, Goiás at Casa Dom Inácio de Loyolá, but ended up in the hands of a monster. In December 2018, Zahira appeared on Brazilian television to denounce the sexual abuse by famous spiritual healer João Texeira de Faria, formerly known as John of God. Zahira's story, after her interview on the talk show Conversa com Bial, was shared by the press around the world, including the New York Times and the biggest newspapers in the Netherlands and television. More than 700 women showed up, who also reported having been sexually abused by "João de Deus". Zahira became a national heroine in Brazil. To help herself and others in the process of healing, Zahira decided to create the dance production Reclaiming the Goddess with her dancers.
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Currently re-planning our tour in the Netherlands and in Brazil for the end of 2021 - for the unique dance theater experience Reclaiming the Goddess with accompanying workshop and post-show talk with the audience. In Brazil we will show an adapted version called Cura.
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For more information on Zahira's professional dance company, please visit projectzahira.com
