About African Encounter

About African Encounter

On this page you will find information about:

 
  • The African Encounter – Why?
  • The African Encounter – Promoting Biodanza in South Africa & Africa
  • The African Encounter – Skills Development Tool

The African Encounter has traditionally provided the South African Biodanza community with the worlds most accomplished Teachers to expand our personal experiences and to improve our facilitation skills.

This is the 15th African Encounter and we are proud to be holding the event at the popular venue ‘THE NEST’ Hotel overlooking the World Heritage Site – the Central Drakensberg.

The African Encounter is usually an annual event over four days held in December – this year from Friday 6 to Monday 9 December.

The African Encounter – Why?

The African Encounter has become a tradition of gathering Biodanza participants together from many countries and from around South Africa to dance as one; to come together in a community representative of a future world in which life is placed at the center of our awareness and love is the norm, not the exception to the way that we as individuals treat each other.

Rolando Toro, The Founder of Biodanza is well known for his desire, “….to see the whole world dancing….”.

Participants experience something profoundly wonderful in the coming together of like-minded, like-hearted people, softened by the warmth of each other over the four day event of an African Encounter; and as we return to our home communities there are profound feelings of – harmony; peacefulness; joyfulness; feelings of more authentic yet pragmatic love flow that requires no effort – it just is; which in itself seems to open into a natural exuberance for life. At home the difference is noticed, even if only subconsciously at first; something has changed in us – sometimes the change is a little challenging for our loved ones, but always there is value for everyone.

Its as if the atmosphere is more alive with life when we return from an African Encounter.

The seemingly ethereal joyfulness, becomes a reality that stays with us long into the year that follows until we return once again to the next African Encounter.

In humility we gradually change the world around us, simply by being in the heart of life, seeing ourselves and our brothers and sisters as moving inexorably forward toward a community that encompasses the whole of humanity and all living things. With no need to defend and thus no need to attack. However, to come to this point requires our honest and deep individual appraisal of ourselves – accepting the shadow and the light within us; getting to know what and who we are; what we are capable of – then choosing what we want for ourselves and each other; experiencing the chaos – yet able to transform it into the glorious. This is the human potential.

And that is the purpose of the methodologies of Biodanza – to open the way to the opportunities that culminate in the development of authentically joyful communities, in a self sustainable world – of a diverse unified humanity.

In 2017 the theme of the African Encounter was: “Diverse People Unite” – this theme underlies every encounter!

The African Encounter – Promoting Biodanza in South Africa & Africa:

Biodanza in South Africa is still relatively new and underdeveloped, with most classes found only near our  major cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

The African Encounter is now poised to provide funding to assist in promoting the development of Biodanza through professional promotional assistance aimed at all regions of South Africa and further afield through facilitators living further north. This is a recent development and requires planning and participation from all levels within the Biodanza family both within South Africa and abroad.

There is much to do and a crucial resource to this development is funding to expedite the process.

‘Biodanza African Encounter’ is pledged to begin this process of self-funding as a result of the growing support of participants, local and from around the world who attend the African Encounter events.

We believe that if the words so often used now-a-days holds any truth at all, then: In the spirit of the oneness of life it is possible to truly bring ‘Biodanza home to Africa’ and its diverse peoples!

The African Encounter – Skills Development Tool:

The pioneer of Biodanza in South Africa and of the African Encounter, Carolina Churba-Doyle, has always intended the Encounter and related events to provide an international platform upon which the most experienced and talented facilitators in the world can share of themselves with us; participants and facilitators.

Biodanza is a methodology of such all encompassing magnitude that the process of learning will never come to an end – or if it does, it is only by the choices of the individual – there is always more to learn; more to practice, modify, test anew……

The African Encounter is an environment of skills development supreme; of community development so close to that intended as a way of life for the world of the future – where each individual is capable of promoting the other – where there is no need for defense of our actions because our actions are based in universal ethics.

We collectively still have so much to learn…….

Community based in the methodologies of Biodanza aspire to ‘move’ every facet of our being – body, mind, feelings, soul, to give balance within ourselves and in unison with all of humanity, truly as a ‘Dance of Life’ and always a ‘Dance with Life’. It is a means of expansion into further experiences – vivencias – that are Love in Action – an expansion of Life itself.

The African Encounter is the fertile ground upon which a brighter future rests.

 

 

WELCOME TO THE 15TH AFRICAN ENCOUNTER,

AN EXPERIENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR EVER. 

 
 
 

   Welcome to South Africa