with Laura Shannon and Nada Khodlova

Thursday 12 November, time 8-11 am PST, 11 am-2 pm EST, 4-7 pm UK, 5-8 pm CET, 6-9 pm GR (3 hours)

Cost: sliding scale £10-20 pounds, €12-24 euros, $15-30 USD, $18-36 CAN.

Women's circle dances of Greece and the Balkans originated thousands of years ago in sustainable societies living close to the earth. Since ancient times, women in these regions foraged and cultivated plants for food and medicine; even now, women in rural villages there still use herbs for healing.

So it is no wonder that many traditional songs which accompany women's ritual dances feature healing plants and herbs. Three of the sacred plants which appear in these dance songs most frequently are Basil, Apple, and Rose.

In this online class, Laura will share several Greek dances whose songs mention Basil, Apple, and Rose, and discuss the esoteric and symbolic significance of these sacred plants. Dances will include Sta Tria Milias, Sta Tria Rahis, Anasikotos, Tsamikos Thivas, Tsamikos Yiatrissas, and Kaneloriza.

Dancing herbalist Nada Khodlova will talk about the medicinal uses of Basil, Apple, and Rose, particularly in relation to women. Visit Nada's website, thedancingweb.com to learn more about Nada and her wonderful work with women and girls as well as her exquisite handcrafted herbal products for sale.

This event is open to all women with circle dance experience.

Nada Khodlova is a Dance Movement Psychotherapist and Creative Arts Therapist of Czech-Croatian heritage, with 30 years of clinical experience, specialising in working with women, children, and adolescent girls. Based in New York, she is on the faculty of the Dance/Movement Therapy Graduate program at Sarah Lawrence College and is Director of The Dancing WEB. Nada participated in Laura's 2-year training in Women's Ritual Dances in 2007-9 and has been facilitating ritual dance events since that time. She is also a serious student of herbal medicine (her Croatian grandmother was a home herbalist) and produces her own line of sustainable, wild-foraged, organic handcrafted herbal products.

Please send payment (in pounds sterling, euros, US dollars or Canadian dollars) to this link: paypal.me/laurashannondance

with reference "Sacred Plants 12 Nov". Please choose 'friend or family' instead of 'goods or services', if possible. Contact me if you prefer to pay by direct transfer to my UK or euro bank account, and I will send you details.

The Zoom link will be sent to you on receipt of payment, along with links to dance notes, song words, and music for the dances for the class.