The Word in Motion
Biblio Dance
Biblio dance is a method to explore in motion what a Bible story, a life theme or a symbol has to say to you. It is expressive dance as a spiritual practice, in which you open to something of God’s presence. It is a dialogue in motion. That is why this method is also very suitable for spiritual guidance and retreats.
Challenging, inviting, playful and completely serious, your body tells you what your mind didn’t know yet. The body never lies, if you open up to what it does to you. Experience with dance is not necessary, but fun in moving is.
Leonie van Straaten
Biblio Dance
A Bibliodance program usually lasts 1.5 hours and follows a fairly fixed pattern: warming up the body, exploration of movement through words, images or music, reading a text and then setting part of the text in motion.
The method is based on the scheme of Rudolf van Laban, who orders movement according to rhythm, tempo, space and power. It always starts with arriving in the body and breaking free from the mind. This method helps everyone to start moving. It shows that the body has its own language and its own possibilities, which can be discovered and used in this way.
Program offer
Retreat with movement
An offer for anyone who wants to make time and space to move with body and mind. This gives (new) insight into where you have arrived in life.
You come up with your own question or life theme and discuss this with your supervisor. Every day you work with her for an hour in the chapel, in conversation and in dance. Based on this hour you will receive a text, poem or image for your meditation time.
The reflections are the starting point for the working hour on the following day. The silence invites you to reflection and expression. You explore your inner space with movement. This is how a road unfolds, your way.
Program offer
Individual retreat with movement
You live in silence for a maximum of six days, every day you have an hour of personal guidance with dance and conversation. After this contact hour you will receive a text or image for your own consideration, prayer, meditation. Biblical texts, mystical texts, poetry or images can be helpful.
Bring writing materials and a Bible. Comfortable clothing, warm socks or dance shoes and walking shoes are recommended. If you wish, you can use the studio to draw, paint or sculpt.
Dates in consultation. Maximum duration from Tuesday 10.30am to Sunday 1pm
Location: Hooge Berkt community
Individual retreat with group exercise
You live five days in silence, to the rhythm of Community De Hooge Berkt and you have an hour of personal guidance every day from one of the supervisors in dance and conversation.
Biblical texts, mystical texts, poetry or images can be helpful and you will receive a daily text for personal meditation. Opening and closing of this retreat week is joint and every evening there is a meditative day closure with the group with room to share.
Bring comfortable clothes, warm socks or dancing shoes; a bottle of water is recommended.
Location: Hooge Berkt community
Retreat day with movement
This form of spiritual guidance is an opportunity for those who occasionally want to take a step back, to look at the path of life in movement and silence.
In this dancing method, the facilitator offers a contemplative eye, reads the movement and gives impulses for a follow-up. In this way she witnesses your meditation in motion. This guidance is personal, not in a group.
Program offer
You come in the morning, tell about your question or desire and you will explore it in motion, under supervision.
After work hours you have quiet time for reflection and meditation with a Bible text. At the end of the day you look back together with the supervisor.
Dates in consultation.
Location: Hooge Berkt community
About me
I have always loved to dance. As a child I came up with folk dances with a girlfriend and later I went to ballet. I loved experiencing my body in motion and doing something beautiful with it.
As an adult I learned to dance with and without lyrics, expressively and meditatively. A few years later I took the Bibliodans course with Riëtte Beurmanjer. This is how all the experiences of my life came together and I knew: Dancing is praying with my body, arriving at yourself, the other and the Other. That’s how I want to move the Word.
I am married to Jeroen Cornelissen and I enjoy living and working in the ecumenical Community De Hooge Berkt in Bergeijk. I have been a priest of the Old Catholic diocese of Utrecht since 2017 and work as an assistant pastor in the parish of Eindhoven and as a student pastor at the Old Catholic Seminary. I am an employee at De 7evende Hemel Foundation.
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