Conscious Dance Practices/InnerMotion/The Guidebook/Why I Wrote This Guidebook/ro

Totul a început într-o noapte din 1993. Eram o adolescentă de treisprezece ani, neliniștită și nerăbdătoare pentru primul meu rave. În timp ce stăteam în camera mea, neștiind la ce să mă aștept, sora mea mai mare a intrat, mi-a zâmbit și mi-a oferit un sfat simplu: „Închide ochii, ascultă muzica și dansează.” Am urmat sfatul ei și a fost exact ceea ce aveam nevoie. Rareori mai dansasem pe un astfel de gen de muzică înainte, dar în noaptea aceea, în timp ce ritmurile electronice umpleau camera, am închis ochii și am început să mă mișc. A fost o senzație uimitoare și mi-a plăcut instantaneu! Era ca și cum ceva din interiorul meu aștepta exact acel moment. Nu mi-am dat seama atunci, dar acea noapte a declanșat o conexiune cu muzica și mișcarea care aveau să-mi modeleze restul vieții.

Din acel moment, cluburile techno au devenit sanctuarul și școala mea. Fiecare noapte petrecută dansând m-a introdus într-o comunitate vibrantă - o familie aleasă, plină de oameni inspirați și idei transformatoare. Energia puternică a scenei rave din Belgrad în anii '90 a oferit fundalul perfect pentru creșterea și explorarea mea. Dansul a devenit mai mult decât un simplu hobby; a evoluat într-o practică vitală, ajutându-mă să gestionez stresul, să procesez emoțiile și să mă reconectez cu mine însămi. Chiar și astăzi, treizeci și doi de ani mai târziu, mersul în cluburi rămâne o parte esențială a vieții mele, un ritual prețuit pentru bucurie, eliberare și autodescoperire.

Timp de mulți ani, am dansat pur și simplu din instinct, fără structură sau îndrumare. Asta s-a schimbat în 2016, când călătoria mea a luat o nouă direcție puternică datorită psihoterapeutului și mentorului meu, Hana Stamatović. Ea m-a invitat la unul dintre atelierele ei Open Floor, care a oferit o combinație unică de mișcare și explorare psihologică. Încă de la prima sesiune, am fost captivată. Am început să înțeleg că dansul nu este doar fizic, ci poate fi profund vindecător, transformator și revelator. Învățăturile Hanei despre întruchipare, împământare, mindfulness și exprimare emoțională au atins o coardă sensibilă profundă în mine și m-am trezit documentând cu atenție fiecare intuiție și exercițiu, dornică să păstrez tot ceea ce învățam.

One unforgettable workshop became a turning point in how I related to dance. For the final session of our seven-week cycle, we were invited to come in costume as a way to embody and express a new version of ourselves that had emerged through the dance process. I chose to turn my hands into living reminders of everything Hana had taught me, covering them with symbols that formed a kind of “cheat sheet” based on the notes I had collected over the years.

"Cheat sheet" - November 6^th, 2019

At our next therapy session, Hana asked me, “How would you feel about becoming a teacher of a practice like this? You’re a natural. Both your parents are teachers, and your detailed notes, combined with your scientific mind, would make you excellent at it.” I laughed and said, “Nooo, that’s not for me - I can’t see myself teaching a group of people.” Yet, within three years, everything had dramatically changed.

When Hana passed away on November 4^th, 2022, our dance community was left heartbroken. She had a rare ability to guide people toward a deeper connection with themselves through dance. There was something extraordinary about the way she held space, it was calm, intuitive, and full of presence and love. She didn’t just teach movement; she helped people feel safe enough to be fully themselves. Through her work, many of us experienced breakthroughs we didn’t even know we needed. She was truly one of a kind. After her death, I felt a quiet but strong pull to keep exploring the knowledge about dance she had shared with me.

Dance notes I shared with Hana's dance community

As I searched for deeper understanding, I was surprised to discover a significant gap in knowledge  and there were very few comprehensive resources on conscious, intuitive dance. I spent hours digging through websites, articles, and videos, hoping to find something that reflected what Hana had taught us. I couldn’t find anything that captured the essence of her work. Then, at the Parallel Festival in September 2023, surrounded by beautiful music, nature, and a sense of belonging, something clicked. I would write the guide I had always needed and share this knowledge with others who might be searching too.

Fueled by years of personal notes, extensive scientific research, and relentless curiosity, I began pouring myself into this project. What started as a simple idea rapidly evolved into an ambitious mission - a comprehensive manual filled with techniques, exercises, and insights on mindfulness, embodiment, emotional connection, and transcending inhibition. Each session on the dance floor became a laboratory for testing and refining these ideas, deepening my understanding and bringing newfound joy to my own dance practice.

As my vision expanded, I realized I needed to develop new skills, especially in creating safe spaces, guiding groups, building trust, and understanding how movement can evoke deep emotional responses and altered states of consciousness. Then, in September 2024, once again at the Parallel Festival, I experienced another powerful insight: this knowledge wasn’t something to keep to myself, it needed to be shared widely. That realization inspired the creation of DanceResource.org - a non-profit, open-source platform for dancers, facilitators, researchers, and curious newcomers to explore movement as a path to self-awareness, healing, connection, and transformation. Determined to grow further, I enrolled in the Center for Integrative Development (CIR) in September 2024. A few months later, in December, I began mentorship with Alexey Kuzmin, an experienced teacher with over a decade of leading conscious dance workshops. Finally, in March 2025 - after twenty years in the IT world - I took the leap. I left my job to dedicate myself fully to the path of dance.

This guide is more than a manual; it is a testament to the transformative power of dance, a tribute to Hana’s legacy, and an invitation to anyone who has ever felt the pulse of music stirring within. My deepest wish is that through this practice, others will discover the boundless freedom and authenticity waiting to emerge from within their bodies - just as I did on that unforgettable night, all those years ago.

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