Life is a dance, a play, a game! How to pass the tests and trials and still come up smiling for more? The understanding that all of our life is a learning and all of the tests are for our own growth, certainly increases and releases the joy hidden within the rock of painful experience.
The Dance of Life Yoga School grew organically and naturally from a tiny seed to the flowering tree it has become involving many and varied artists, students, and individuals.
In the beginning the Dance of Life was predominantly a studio of creative, expressive dance encompassing Graham Technique and Isadora Duncan style freedom of movement. Regular performances with spiritual content such as ‘The River’, ‘The Phoenix’, ‘Poem Eternal’ and ‘The Sacred Walk’were presented by the Dance of Life Company before a public sympathetic to the themes of evolution of mankind and the restoration of our true nature with dance as the main medium of expression.
The Dance of Life studio was originally situated in Macarthur Place in Carlton, overlooking a small park which became a feature for audiences to enjoy after the performances.
During the late 1970′s the birth of Rainbow the Clown alias Eugenie Knox began a whole new chapter for the Dance of Life. Clown Theatre developed as an off-shoot and both of Eugenie’s daughters, Jasmine alias Mr Plod, the English bobby and Christabel alias Willy the pierrot, along with Rainbow, performed for many years in Melbourne venues for thousands of delighted children. The clowns worked solely in mime and dance and the shows were a combination of acrobatics, storytelling, magic and madness. The trio also performed at The Pram Factory (now extinct) in Carlton where many Melbourne performers and artists were spawned. The clowns also performed in India in Bombay and Calcutta proving the universality of body language, humour and pathos.
Upon returning to Australia after living in India for 16 months, a new studio was found in Smith Street, Collingwood. The studio grew slowly with dance gradually giving way to yoga, as Eugenie had experienced the transforming powers of yoga and meditation from Ashram life in India. Mr Plod and Willy had matured and began travelling on their own roads leaving Rainbow to work solo for 5 years more before finally allowing the clown to ‘rest’.
Students of yoga began filling the new studio and the energies of life, personal growth and excitement began flowing. Young and enthusiastic students arriving daily for early morning sessions of 2 hours, followed by ‘satsang’ (in the company of the truth) ,and breakfast, were wonderful days. Many lives were sorted through and understood, life lessons evolved through sharing and yoga became a living element, not only a sequence of poses. The Dance of Life in Collingwood serviced 100′s of people, many travelling overseas to further their studies and experiences wrote to Eugenie and the ‘breakfast crew’ remarking on the importance of the studio in their lives and how it represented ‘home’ to them. Thirteen years of hard work, sweat, grace and love bore a grand troupe of teachers in both dance and yoga.
At the end of 1999 a new home was sought to continue the work of expansion through yoga, meditation and expression through movement. A beautiful studio situated in the garden of St. Marks Church, Fitzroy magically manifested and …
The Dance of Life now boasts of ten yoga teachers and one dance teacher with classes continuing throughout the day.
Eugenie Knox the founder/director of the Dance of Life from 1975-2008 has always followed her own inner knowledge, moving onwards steadily, day by day, developing her own body and mind and guiding others on the path, with love.
Practice the adage ‘not my will, but Thy Will’ and encourages everyone to seek the understanding that we are here for a short time in which to cleanse, heal, strengthen and Become who we truly Are. AHAM BRAHMASMI – – – I AM THAT (Supreme Consciousness)
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