The Vashon community is invited to a participatory workshop aimed at connecting body and soul. Entitled “Movement as the Language of the Soul,” the workshop will be facilitated by Elizabeth Mendana Shaw and Betsey Beckman. It will be held on Sunday, September 28, from 1:00-4:00 at the Hanna Barn on Maury Island. There will be no charge for the workshop.

Elizabeth Mendana Shaw holds an MFA in modern dance from the University of Utah. She is a teacher dancer, and choreographer who appeared in the summer 2013 presentation of Waves across Vashon. Betsey Beckman is a nationally known performer and teacher who models a deep connection between dance, scripture, prayer, and imagination. She has a B.A. in theology from Georgetown and a Masters in Ministry from Seattle University.

According to Elizabeth Mendana Shaw, “movement is our first language. It is a way of connecting with the Divine (in ourselves, in community, and in the universe).” The September 28th workshop will focus on movement as spiritual practice, movement as meditation, and movement as connection. According to Elizabeth, “As a baby and mother/father communicate so intimately with one another through gesture, rhythm, mirroring, sound and emotion, so the art of movement can help us express our deep soul’s longings and awaken us to deep communion with the Divine.”

All are welcome to the workshop regardless of religious tradition. “All that is required,” says Elizabeth, “is a spirit of willingness and a body! We will integrate improvisational elements, song, story, gesture and dance to enhance our body-based exploration of the art of movement as spiritual practice.”

This workshop is sponsored by the Church of the Holy Spirit (Episcopal) through a generous gift from the late Margaret Rothschild, a beloved parishioner and a life-long pilgrim on the spiritual path. This workshop is the first event of what will be a ten-year series with the full title “The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere: The Soul’s Movement into Light and Love.” (The first half of the title is a quotation from Thomas Merton.) As a practitioner of Sufi dance and meditation, Margaret was a believer in the power of movement as gateway to light and love, and she left instructions for an annual series to support seekers, artists, and curious souls on Vashon and beyond. Each annual event will offer to the Vashon community a form of spiritual practice such as painting, sculpture, poetry, meditation, singing, drumming, or dance

Although the event is free to the public, advanced registration is required because space is limited. For a reservation as well as directions to the Hanna Barn, please email Kit Bean at kitbean@gmail.com.