Building Connection & Community In The Dance
As we continue to navigate through 2026 with social and political changes afoot, each and every one of us are reinventing our lives, yet again. Emily Hill reminds us that in times like this it is time to do the dance. We better be dancing… sending it back, sending it back. That’s the way we dance it. It isn’t just a dance.
After we return home from a Dance we can be missing the deep connections we get at a Dance. When we are in ceremony with our beloved friends and family, we can hold up our hands around the Tree to speak our intentions. At a dance we can sing the songs of Old that draw the ancestors and Great Mystery right to us. With this deep longing still in our hearts, how do we make up the difference at home?
The next step is Connecting From Afar, to creatively connect with each other in meaningful ways that bridge the gaps, no matter where we are. We can reimagine a universe as big as our hearts, to dismantle the illusion of time and space.
Grandmother Spider is whispering in our ears to weave an expanded web that connects us to our existing friends and family. She inspires us to expand our circle to other dancers and create connection with other Naraya dance communities. We do this to widen our circle, to inspire ourselves, to energetically nourish ourselves, meet new people, witness revelatory ideas, stay strong, invoke self-empowerment, welcome in serendipity, be forever changed for the good — in short, all the reasons we go to the dance in the first place.
Connecting From Afar Checklist
Reach out to someone you may be thinking about today — email, phone, FaceTime, Facebook, Messenger, Zoom, postcard, send cookies! — start with the dancers and elders you know.
Put a name or list of names on your altar or in a favorite spot — your prayers and well-wishes have resonance
Put up a picture — sometimes a simple glance of a beloved can change your day; sometimes we learn of someone in crisis who needs our daily prayers.
Get together with an elder for a Zoom chat in a group meeting to connect again — it enlivens them as much as you. In our community you will want to respect our tradition by making an offering in advance (by mail these days) with your request for a Zoom chat. LEARN MORE: Learning From The Elders and read the section Seeking Guidance From An Elder
What do you have to offer/contribute to your dance community?
Connect with another dance community you have never visited before — one day the inspiration might strike you to reach out. Think about it. How to make the leap?
What new ideas are coming up for you as ways to be better connected with your dance family? — We all have a piece of the puzzle. Start by listening within for what might inspire us all.
Dig into the website to discover new ideas and to educate yourself — Learn about Dancing From Afar, Words and Songs of Wisdom, Connecting From Afar Through The Tree. Explore the many articles in the navigation bar above.
Join the Prayer Request List— in service since 2001, you can request to join the Prayer List here.
BONUS ROUND: Use what you learn here to reconnect with your biological family who you feel out of touch with — mother, father, brother, sister, aunties and uncles. It’s so much easier to do it now before they cross over, and your ancestors will be cheering you on!
The next step beyond Dancing From Afar is Connecting From Afar, to creatively connect with each other in meaningful ways that bridge the gaps no matter where we are.
DISMANTLING THE ILLUSION OF TIME & SPACE
SIT WITH THE TREE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE
THANK YOU everyone for all your generous NCPC contributions that make it possible for us to sponsor Connecting From Afar and many other worthy projects!
Murray Edelman
President
Naraya Cultural Preservation Council