Manawa is a movement.
Our mission is to create warm, welcoming, and safe spaces where people can reconnect with themselves and each other through embodied expression and movement in Tāmaki Makaurau, on the ancestral land of Ngāti Whātua, Tainui, and Ngāti Pāoa.
If you have never tried ecstatic dance before, you are not alone, and you are very welcome here.
Ecstatic Dance at Manawa is not about performance, technique, or knowing how to dance. There are no steps to follow and nothing to get right. Instead, you are invited to move in ways that feel natural for your body, at your own pace.
Each experience is carefully facilitated by either Blase or Jessie, who gently guide the space from beginning to end, offering clear invitations, grounding, and support so you can feel safe, held, and at ease.
The music is thoughtfully curated and guides the journey, supporting you to tune in, let go of overthinking, and listen to what your body wants to express. This might look like stillness, softness, playfulness, or full bodied movement.
This kind of embodied expression allows emotions, sensations, and energy to move through us, helping us come home to our manawa, our heart, and feel more connected to ourselves and the people around us.
We believe self expression is powerful medicine. When we feel safe to move and be seen as we are, healing happens naturally. From this place, we are supported to live more authentically and lead with the heart.
No dance experience is needed. You do not need to be confident, flexible, or outgoing. You are welcome exactly as you are.
To support a sense of safety and comfort for everyone, we hold clear community guidelines that are shared at the beginning of each gathering.
No alcohol
No shoes
No phones
No talking
We also encourage everyone to wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle.
See you on the dance floor!
Online:
Normal: $28
Concession: $23
On the door:
Normal: $30
Concession: $25
Manawa
At Manawa, we are on a mission to build a community rooted in care rather than judgment or competition. We create spaces that are welcoming, respectful, and supportive, where people can show up as they are and feel safe to be seen.
We run Manawa Ecstatic Dance, Manawa Festival, and Manawa Connections, each offering different ways to come together through embodied expression, movement, and shared human experience.
Our gatherings invite self expression through movement and embodied presence, guiding us back to the wisdom of the heart. We believe each of us carries a unique heartbeat, and when we come together, these heartbeats connect through shared energy, rhythm, and presence.
Together, we create spaces where everyone feels valued and heard, where genuine connection can unfold naturally, and where the collective heartbeat of the people can be felt in every interaction. In these moments, we are reminded of our deep connection to one another, to the land, and to the wider universe.
He manawa o te tangata.
The heartbeat of the people.
Website:
https://www.manawa.one/
Instagram: instagram.com/manawa_ecstaticdance
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/manawa_ecstaticdance
DJ Blase
BLASE is an Auckland (NZ) based DJ & producer known for his diverse, multi-genre music journeys where dancers are guided on a curious and empowering experience out of the mind and into the body.
Blase is an alchemist of frequency and his love for dance and embodiment translates through his music, complimenting the entire journey with highs and lows, making sure every movement possibility is explored.
You can expect a smooth dance wave with Ecstatic highs to deep bassy lows and everything in between.
Blase pays particular attention to the subtle energies of dance and is always sure to land the dance floor and its nervous system safely back to the Earth before closing.
Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/stephenblase
Insta:
https://www.instagram.com/stephenblase
FB:
https://www.facebook.com/stephen.blase
Website: www.stephenblase.com
You may also like the following events from Manawaecstaticdance:
- Next Saturday, 28th February, 08:00 am, Manawa Mini Festival, Lady Fem in Auckland
- Next month, 6th March, 08:45 am, Manawa Ecstatic Dance in Auckland
- Next month, 19th March, 08:45 pm, Manawa Ecstatic Dance DJ Pierro Luminare in Auckland
Also check out other
Contests in Auckland,
Festivals in Auckland.
