You're Invited: To a Dance Party

It is the middle of November and I find myself in Vancouver, Canada in the midst of planning not 1, not 2, but 3 epic dance parties to wrap up 2025.

**shakes head **

This feels like a dream. In fact - it IS.

It’s a dream come true.

Have you ever caught yourself in the middle of living out a dream and had to ask yourself - 

“How the heck did I get here?” 

.

.

.

I’d love to tell you a short story, if you have a few moments.

(Well actually it’s a verrrrryyy long and detailed journey, with many side-quest chapters and tangent story-lines, but I’ll do my very best to keep focused and on topic.)

I’d like to tell you what I’ve learned to be true about the gift of Dance (and I’ll wrap it with an invitational bow). 

I started dancing when I was 3 years old. That’s when my mom registered me in my very first dance class. Tap dance class, in fact.

What a DOLL. Look a little lamb Kelsey. A-dor-a-bul.

Now, I could regale you with YEARS of dance triumphs and trials, but I’ll summarize this dance era as the Dance above all else era. Where I chose dance every time, all the time.

(If I have the choice, I’ll always choose to dance, FYI.)

I danced from 3 to 23 years old, spending upwards of 20+ hours a week at the studio between dancing, assistant teaching, and working the front desk. All this while maintaining an honour roll academia, acting in local theater productions, chairing the Student Body Leadership Committee, and dutifully laying the foundation for my “bright and shiny” future. 

It's important to note that said “bright and shiny” future, however, did not actually include much dance in it.

I grew up under the narrative that your creative pursuits/passions are how you pass your time growing up. They’re important to be invested in and key to your developmental growth. Yet, when casting them in a role within your future trajectory, they are often shut down in favour of something more “reliable” (a.k.a. “A Real Job”).

I grew up being told/telling myself that dance was just a hobby.

Imagine hearing that something you love so intrinsically that it feels like it has been carved into your bones so deep that no matter what happened in this life, you could feel for yourself how close it is to your soul. Imagine being told something that you love THAT much is - just - anything.

Just is such an insignificant word that implies whatever follows it be somehow, less important. 

Just a hobby.

How dare they tell me that. How dare I begin to believe it… 

And I did. I believed it so much that when it came time to “pick a path” - the creative or the corporate, I didn’t even consider before signing up for the path paved for the corporate ladder.

I experienced the rather intensive reality shift that is undergraduate university whilst trying to maintain my artistic connections/intentions. Though “retired” as a dancer (what a ridiculous notion) - I filled the void by continuing to teach dance and I choreographed local theatre and choirs whenever the opportunity presented itself.

After I graduated and got my first “real job” after university - I found myself presented with an opportunity to be lead choreographer AND perform in a local Fringe Production (apparently not so retired after all!). I jumped at the chance but learned quickly, and harshly, that trying to balance a full-time early career AND have the time/space/energy to continue to create and perform as an artist was pretty hard.

After working a full corporate work week and then performing two back to back shows every night for 11 nights, the “dream” of being a dancer felt significantly less shiny. 

This coincided with a period of my life when ROI on time spent was VERY important and a quick analysis showed poor results for the time I spent working on my creative pursuits vs. what I got in return for my time spent at work. I did what any analytical, realistic spirit would do - and I let the numbers take the lead. 

With less guilt than I expected - I finally accepted that, for me, dance would be//come just a hobby. 

Without surprise dance faded to a faint glow between the years of 2014 - 2020 (the fade-out Era); as hobbies that aren’t nurtured often do. Much like house plants or people we love - dreams don’t grow if you don’t tend to them. When Covid brought dance online, I was a hard No  - No, I’m not going to dance online. No, I won’t like that experience. No, it’s not even worth it to try.

And so, with less thought that I expected - I turned the light off on dance in my life. 

Enter the Dark Era - what I call the years without dance in my life (2020 - 2022).

I won’t get too much into the weeds here as I have shared this story before.

All you really need to know is that when I stopped feeding my Light ... I burnt out (shocker). 

It took me a little while to put 2 and 2 together - that dancing helped keep me lit up. Yet, once I tuned into the fact that I needed to make some changes in my life - the first opportunity that came my way was an invitation to go to a dance class. 

I got invited to attend a Conscious Dance class - though I had absolutely no idea what this meant. When I was informed it was a long-form class (2+ hours) with ZERO instruction or choreography - my brain went blank. As a traditionally trained dancer who ONLY took instruction from the INSTRUCTOR - I felt like I was (willingly) walking into my worst nightmare:

Needing to dance and not knowing the moves. 

How would I even know where to start? 

But - being the “trust in the universe and, what the heck, let's dive in the deep end” kind of person that I am, I entered the space with an open heart and a mostly open-mind (though it was going a mile a minute). 

My first Conscious/Ecstatic dance experience BLEW MY MIND WIDE OPEN from what I thought I knew dance and movement to be.  I took in so many people giving their body the freedom to move however it wanted. I witnessed complete strangers come together, move in profoundly beautiful and intimate exchanges, and part ways without a single exchange of verbal communication. The ultimate definition and representation of how to use Body Language. 

I was hooked. 

I dove, as aforementioned, head deep into bringing dance back into my life - but this time, unbound. Unchained. Untethered from what I had previously assigned the box of dance in my world. I opened my own Pandora’s Dance Box and wouldn’t you know it. I heard the call of my Purpose. 

I heard the call of my Soul beckoning me back to Dance. And during the time and in the space I created daily for my dance practice to seep back into my life, I heard, more specifically - and strangely - a call to the Ghost Dance. 

[What the heck is Ghost Dance you ask? Great question - I did the same thing.] 

Ghost Dance was a ceremony intended to bring about the return of ancestors, the departure of white settlers, the restoration of traditional lands and ways of life, and peace and prosperity. Believers hoped that proper practice of the dance would reunite them with the spirits of the dead and bring about a renewal of the Earth.

Woah - that’s interesting (and kind of strange) that I felt called to this particular traditional Dance.  I wanted to know more.

In order to learn more about this particular path of Dance, I needed to find myself an Elder.

Enter - Bill Bertschy: Chief Standing Bear Elder & Chief Thunderbird Man; Coast Salish Knowledge Holder from the Sliammon Band; Carver; Master Drum Maker; Longhouse Dancer; Sun Dancer; Ghost Dancer; Ceremony Leader.

Bingo. Just the man I needed. 

After coordinating an introduction with Bill and offering an exchange; I was granted the opportunity to study and learn more about this traditional dance. 

**What a once in a lifetime kind of gift - I am so profoundly grateful.**

And so began my Ghost Dance journey (Dec 2022 - present day). This particular quest - a 4 year commitment to the study and practice of the ceremony and dance has been aptly dubbed - My Dance with Ghosts Era. 

[I am entering Year 4 and in all honestly, I am very much still in the writing/learning/doing of this season. I have learned MANY lessons and though, as any 4th year student, I’m feeling confident (and a bit cocky) to share what I’ve learned - I respect that this particular story still needs time to wrap.]

That being said - there is something I have gathered in my research, experience, and analysis that is begging to be shared…

Dance IS part of my Purpose, and to avoid the Burnout, I must find ways to nurture this little (and bold and bright and resilient) light of mine. 

And as dreams often do when you pay a little hope and attention to them - they blossom with ease. 

Fast forward through a spontaneous move from AB to BC to November 2024 - when I was first introduced to The Flying Sage and subsequently, integrated into a WHOLE COMMUNITY of people who know/crave the power of dance.

When Michael offered me the opportunity to step up to the plate as Events Manager for the community, I knew I was stepping into a role I was destined to play. 

I’ve spent the past year learning, listening, organizing, arranging, coordinating and communicating opportunities for people to connect with, not only dance, but with breath, with movement, with community, with plant medicine, and with so many other amazing forms of well-being.

Throughout 2025, the Flying Sage hosted over 2500 people with more than 100 events. 

The year’s not over yet and I’ve heard that the people want more. Since I am in the business and service of people-pleasing, I'm serving up more in store -  hence, the originally mentioned 3 epic dance parties. 

An Invitation to Join

If you’re still with me (or perhaps you jumped down to the call-to-action and are jumping in here) - I’d love to invite you to share a dance with me.

1. Lumio - a Conscious Dance experience like no other, where freedom, presence, and embodiment take center stage. This is a dance designed to facilitate your full expression through a grounding breathwork ceremony, two ecstatic dance sets followed by a soothing and relaxing sound bath to end the night.

2. Still Point - an evening of Conscious Dance, connective dyad practice and a soul-nourishing sound healing journey. Awaken your spirit and welcome the rebirth of light on this special night in community as we draw closer to the end of the year together.

3. Emergence (NYE) - This is one of the largest event offerings we put on with The Flying Sage and last year’s ceremony was nothing short of magical. This event is perfect for anyone who wants to celebrate their New Year’s in an intentional and connected way with other conscious minded people who love to dance, express and celebrate.

I cannot wait to see you on the dance floor. 

In my experience, I’ve made some of my best friends there…can’t wait to share the present of your presence.

Me and my Bestie tearing up the Dance Floor