SACRED DANCE RETURNS!

(San Francisco, January 1999)
Throughout time in many cultures worldwide, from Turkish whirling dervishes to African tribal rituals to American Jewish weddings, dance has been a tradition for celebrating the sacredness of all life. Dance enlivens and uplifts our spirits even in the bleakest moments. When dance evokes the sacred, it expresses that which cannot be put into words – it helps people to digest life’s potent experiences.

Le’ema Kathleen Graham makes sacred dance accessible and profoundly moves people through her performances. Le’ema will be appearing in concert “Dances of the Sacred Flame” at New College, 777 Valencia St. at 19th St., San Francisco on January 27 at 8 pm, sponsored by the Women’s Spirituality Forum. Tickets are $10 at the door; call (415) 479-3892 for reservations.

Le’ema believes that sacred dance rekindles our humanity by reclaiming the body as the temple of the spirit. In these days of computer animated everything, dance helps us return to ourselves, our true nature. “I dance the archetypes of the Divine Feminine as an act of prayer - of transcendent, ecstatic prayer. I dance to heal myself and to transmit healing energies to others,” she says.

The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Le’ema as a “provocative performer” whose “pieces steeped in mysticism and spirituality” are “erotic and beautiful.” Toronto’s Vitality Magazine said “Le’ema’s dance is the place where the erotic and sacred connect, and we say yes to the marriage!” One audience member exclaimed, “I am totally captivated by the energies of the goddesses that Le’ema dances; from the compassionate Green Tara to the sensual temple snake dancer, to the wildly funny clown goddess giving birth to the world.”

Le’ema Kathleen Graham fully embraces spirit in the body through the use of dance as a vehicle for meditation and personal healing. With extensive expertise in the field of somatics, she is a visionary sacred dancer, choreographer, teacher and ritual maker. Le’ema has a B.F.A. in dance / theater arts and 20 years experience on stage, television and film, and is internationally recognized in the Goddess movement. Le’ema has performed her Healing Goddess Dances for noted authors Starhawk, Riane Eisler, Marion Woodman, and Jean Houston. Her classes and performances reveal a spiritual vision with both social and political impact. As a teacher, Le’ema is a profound catalyst for awakening and empowering the unique personal wisdom residing within each one of us.

Le’ema’s upcoming schedule includes a sacred dance workshop “Daughters of the Sacred Flame” on February 7, at Mind Body Connection in Oakland, and an appearance as a featured performer at the Panthea Con conference in San Francisco on February 14. She will be offering her bi-annual Snake Priestess retreat at Isis Oasis in the wine country at Geyserville, March 26-28. Le’ema’s ongoing classes include Snake Yoga, Goddess Empowerment Dancing and Whole Body Wisdom (postural alignment technique). For further information please contact Le’ema at (415) 479-3892 or e-mail snakewoman@aol.com, or check her website www.goddesswork.com.