About Planetary Dance Europe
HOW WE MET
SEED PLANTED
In 2010, Marie Motais was invited by Anna Halprin to an artistic residency with her company alluna at Mountain Home Studio and Sea Ranch, California. The intention was to revisit Anna's piece Spirit of place, to deepen it, develop it and to transpose it in a variety of public spaces in France and in Europe.
This collaboration was inspired by the rich and dynamic relationship that the two artists, Anna and Marie, were developing together, and their shared vision of a certain "artivism" through the act of dance and a work involving the public at different levels.
They spent 3 weeks deepening their creative process, and finally decided to create a new piece: a time for everything, which was presented at the end of the residency at Mountain Home studio in June 2010, and then in France at Le Regard du Cygne studio in June 2011.
What developed between Anna and Marie went beyond the creation of this work. The reflection around Spirit of place and then the new creation was totally aligned with what Anna was envisioning for Circle the Earth, of which the Planetary Dance and Earth Run are part. During the residency, Anna personally pass on to Marie the processes and the profound meanings behind the evolution of Circle The Earth and Planetary Dance scores.
For Anna, the intentions of Circle The Earth and Planetary Dance, to enable a Dance for Peace to be performed worldwide, accessible to all people, of all nations, was the most important legacy she wished to leave, and she saw in Marie an equally creative and passionate Artist with whom she could share this work. The transmission Marie received was directly linked to the unique and vibrant artistic relationship that had developed between them as artists, both deeply concerned by the planet's current crisis and sharing the conviction that creativity, dance and ritual have a powerful role to play in the positive transformation of the planet.
MEETING WITH AUDICIA
During this period of collaboration, Anna also organized the Planetary Dance's first facilitation workshop at Mountain Home Studio, making the work she was developing with Marie more public. Audicia Lynne Morley was invited to be Anna's assistant for this workshop, enabling another collaboration to take place.
Many bonds united Marie and Audicia: a deep mutual interest and a passion for Anna's work and heritage, but also for dance, and an attachment to the Kogis and the message they were transmitting to the world. For Marie and Audicia, it was a unique meeting of shared values and principles in the direct lineage of Anna, as they were both being performing artists and choreographers inspired in the power of creativity, dance and ritual.
Marie and Audicia collaborated on Planetary Dance's second facilitation workshop at Mountain Home Studio a year later, and since then have maintained a creative dialogue about the deeper context of Circle the Earth process and Planetary Dance, both supporting annual Planetary Dance offerings in their respective environments.
BEGINNINGS IN EUROPE
In 2020, Marie and Audicia envisioned the first European Circle the Earth facilitation workshop, but due to Covid, implementation was postponed until 2023 in Brittany. The intention was to continue sharing the rich heritage and specific transmission that Marie received from Anna about the Circle the Earth and Audicia around the Planetary Dance process in an ongoing effort to dance for peace, healing and transformation in the world.​
This project eventually came to life for the first time in June 2023 with the collaboration of another trainee of Anna Halprin: Chloé Noble. Audicia and Marie have found in her the partnership they needed to create Planetary Dance Europe. Chloé's expertise and love for Anna's work and legacy made her the perfect support. The trio had formed.
Today it is with the strongest social engagement and faith within this work that Marie, Audicia and Chloé continue to teach Circle the Earth and the Planetary Dance in Europe. Facing all that is currently happening in the world, it remains tremendously important to act for peace and social justice and to continue to transmit and keep alive the visionary work of Anna.
​​Planetary Dance Europe is affiliated to the movement initiated by the Planetary Dance Commitee in the United States that radiates all over the word to share the power of this unique dance.The Planetary Dance committee was established to support the global work of the Planetary and dissemination of the Planetary Dance. Visit the website below for more of the history on the Planetary Dance, and Planetary Dances happening around the world :
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