The Dance of Water with Juliana Mendonca

How might we connect more deeply with the Divine via dance? What can water teach us about the flow of life? And what happens when we combine the two? On the latest episode I explore this rich topic with Venezuelan contemporary dance performer, choreographer, and teacher Juliana Mendonca. Juliana is an innovative bodyworker influenced by Latin Traditional Dances, Butoh, Contact Improvisation and Physical Theater. In particular, water has represented a very important element for her to understand herself, and Juliana has dedicated many years to creating projects and performances inspired by the element of water. These include the music and dance company Raíz de Agua, La Naciente, Drop & Drought, Sono Somatic and most recently, Liquidanza – a relaxation and dance practice based in the water.

 

In this episode we discuss:

• Juliana's early, formative experiences with nature, and why they made a deeper impression on her than her experiences within the Catholic church
• Juliana's journey through formal dance training and into more experimental, flowing forms of dance, such as the Japanese Butoh dance method
• Her relationship with water, including what it's taught her, and how she understands it as holding feminine energy that can benefit us all
• How we can all deepen our awareness and understanding of the sacred nature of water

Show Notes 

• If you’d like to know whose ancestral tribal lands you currently reside on, you can look up your address here: https://native-land.ca/
• You can also visit the Coalition of Natives and Allies for more helpful educational resources about Indigenous rights and history.
• I'm so excited to announce the launch of the Home to Her Academy, a school dedicated to seekers of Sacred Feminine wisdom! To learn more and register for my upcoming class, "Home to Herstory, Home to Your Story," please visit www.hometoheracademy.com. And while you're there, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date with upcoming classes.
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• You can learn more about Juliana and her work at her website, www.liquidanza.com.
• The Venezuelan Goddess Juliana mentioned is named Yara. I couldn't find many good sources about her written in English, unfortunately. 
• Juliana referenced Butoh Dance and the Naguchi Taiso method as part of her own dance journey. This article provides more information: https://zenembodiment.com/2019/06/08/body-as-bones-in-a-leather-bag-of-water-exploring-noguchi-taiso/
• Juliana also mentioned Watsu therapy. You can learn more here: https://www.healthline.com/health/watsu

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Mentioned in this episode:

We Are Sovereign: A 9-Month Transformational Leadership Program for Women

We Are Sovereign is a 9 month transformational leadership program designed specifically for women who are ready to claim full authority and power over their own lives. The program includes a deep dive with: • Powerful Sacred Feminine figures, drawn from history and mythology, who will serve as our sovereignty guides along the way • Transformational practices rooted in creativity, play, energy work, ritual, ceremony and even magic • Embodiment practices, including dance, yoga, and other intuitive movement exercises to tap into the wisdom of the body • The Enneagram as a tool for understanding the human psyche and our individual personality types • Yogic philosophy, creative writing and journaling exercises, and much more • The power of the group field that we cultivate to dive deep and be witnessed fully for who we are, allowing the property of emergence to support our becoming The journey kicks off with an opening retreat on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii, September 12-15, 2024. From there, we’ll gather twice a month over the next 9 months via Zoom, and we’ll wrap up in June 2025 with a closing retreat at Hestia Magic Retreat Center, located in the shadow of majestic Mount Shasta, California. To learn more, apply, and/or book a discovery call, visit: https://www.hometoheracademy.com/course/we-are-sovereign