Wim de Weij lives in the Netherlands and dances regularly in the dance group at Jeaneth de Witte’s in Enschede/NL.
What was your first encounter with Sacred Dance?
I first came into contact with Sacred Dance in 1991. Das war bei Ankh Brandt in Breda. It was a large group where, to my great relief, my clumsiness was not noticed immediately. Ankh used to say: there are no mistakes, only variations…. Nice thought, but I couldn’t just ignore that. And yet it was that in what was a hectic time for me, the music to the movement suddenly skipped my mind and immediately touched my heart. A great emotion flowed through me and all I could do was stop. I was very happy and grateful that this happened to me. That actually became the beginning.
2. What does Sacred Dance mean to you?
Sacred Dance has helped me a lot to get in touch with my feelings and my inner being. The dance is always a kind of drop that softens my being and enriches me. The contact with other dancers also contributes to this.
3. Has Sacred Dance changed something in your life?
It is difficult to say. When I look back on my life, Sacred Dance has always influenced me I also had phases where I felt it was too soft and feminine for me as a man. Apparently, my inner self then wanted other things to occupy itself with. But the funny thing is that over time I started to miss the dance and I wanted to reconnect with a group.
4.Do you have a poem, a quote or an image that particularly speaks to you that you would like to share?
Yes, a quote from Sri Aurobindo:
“I become what I see in myself. Anything that thought suggests I do, I can do; anything that thought reveals in me, I can become. This should be man’s unshakable faith in himself, for God dwells in him.”
This quote has been echoing in me like a mantra for more than 50 years.
5. Is there anything else you would like to share with people who don’t know this dance form?
If you feel it does something in you, that you find it beautiful or touching, or that the symbolism speaks to you, then see if you want to give that to yourself. Often all kinds of “yes, but” thoughts come up.
But if it touches you inside, then take the step, if only for a while.
Wim