Back when mankind was primitive, when the sun and the moon were objects of worship and human beings were in sync with the earth, the indigenous people didn't only use language or drawings to express themselves - they used dance.

Ritual dance is one of the most amazing links between human cultures across the planet. Their purpose in dancing was to "enter the consciousness" or "become the spirit" of the sun, moon, and various animals and plant life.

As time went by, the Shamanic cultures continued with dance and the Eastern cultures such as India turned inward for spiritual guidance developing meditation and yoga. Still, even though the historical roots of yoga go back some 10,000 years, that time is really only a blink of the eye compared to the history of dance in primitive cultures.

A Shamanic jewel can be found on Saturday afternoons at Yoga Space on Gaoan Road in Shanghai where primordial elements of dance are blended with yoga in a class called "Free-style Yoga Dance."

Yoga Dance is a gesture made by the whole body which can help bridge the body with the soul. It is an outer expression of the inner spirit and it can be used as a dynamic tool for awakening and stirring the subtle forces and energies of life.

Instructor and owner Weila Wu was a little apprehensive about starting the class because she was afraid the class may not be received well. "Yoga itself is pretty new to Shanghai and I was not sure if Shanghai was ready for dance and yoga together," Weila said.

However, the primal urge must be strong in Shanghai as the class has become immensely popular with 20 to 30 female white collar workers and the class is often waiting list only.

To the yoga purists who may question the link between yoga and dance, Weila points to the ancient Indian god, Nataraja, or Dancing Shiva, who is closely associated with yoga's origins and is said to have taught yoga through dance.

Besides, Wu said, what's most important is to get people motivated to get out and do exercise and have fun and maybe learn a thing or two about themselves along the way.

It's her favorite class to teach as she is able to combine her two loves of yoga and dance. Wu studied dance at school and worked as a professional dancer for a time after graduation.

Spiritual doorway

Wu also worked for several years during the late nineties as a DJ in the boomtown of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. She recalled that Shenzhen was completely wild at that time, especially the night life scene.

She quit the DJ job and moved to Japan for two years and then to Shanghai, but she has kept up her love for music and dance and it is a rare Saturday night that she and her hubby are not on some dance floor in Shanghai.

"Teaching the Yoga Dance class is just a lot of fun," Wu said. Fun seems to be the name of the game in the class as people are encouraged to open up their inner selves and above all, not to take themselves too seriously.

Wu said Yoga Dance helps remove a "person's ego." Most people feel too self-conscious when they dance, they don't really dance and they are too worried how they look and what other people are thinking about them. Yoga Dance helps to remove this anxiety and let people begin to move their body in new ways and free their mind.

The classes feature a number of variations of yoga movements on their own or in combination with free form dance. There is no set sequence of movements or steps and the yoga movements and dance movements will change from class to class. Both dance and yoga can be seen as doorways to the spirit or the soul and students are encouraged to get themselves in touch with this inner self. The classes are tough workouts as the movements and rhythm can be very intense and therefore great for weight loss and getting better dance rhythm.

Music is a central element of the class and given her background, Wu has a wealth of music knowledge. She declined to call the class "Yoga Trance" as she does not want to limit the music to only one genre. Although the classes feature a good deal of trance, there can be a range from indigenous sounds using natural instruments such as wood or drums to world music forms using dynamic percussion, to various forms of electronic dance music.

The most important thing is that the music creates a long sequence of rhythmic beats which can assist the students to open new doors in their mind and find an inner connection, whatever that may be.

"One of the great things about yoga and yoga dance is that they are great vehicles to work through issues, whether they are in your mind or in your body, because the body holds memories," Wu said.

You can go into class with things on your mind and find that through physical movement you are working through those issues. "You can actually take things from class and carry them through to your life. You really are dancing your life," said Wu.

(Shanghai Daily June 27, 2007)