- This event has passed.
Dance Forever!
Shapeshifters
Asheville, NC 28805 United States
Pre-Register & Make Life Easier
Suggested Price: $15-$30 per person or name your price. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Facilitator's Invitation
Shapeshifters
Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Facilitator: Sara Bensman
I Am a Prayer
by Joy Harjo
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of rain in the desert when the flowering ones need a drink
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of sun when there is no end to night
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of ocean when there is no more blue
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of clouds when few make rain songs
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of roads that lead everywhere but home
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of white birds who cannot fly through a storm of fear
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of fire who arrived to care for humans, then was misused to destroy
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of wind, whose breathing carries seeds, pollen, and songs to feed the generations
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of moon who wears the night as a shawl to hide that which should never be spoken
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of grief, when life gambled with death and gave up families for guns
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of smoke, wandering the broken houses, the littered ground looking for a white flag of reason
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of mountains, those tall humble ones who agreed to lift our eyes to see
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of forever making a path of beauty through the rubble of eternity
I am a prayer
I am a prayer of poetry speaking the soundlessness of the dead who return to speak in prayer
I am a prayer with children on my back roaming the earth house of destruction and creation
I am a prayer without end
Gnosis, the knowing that comes from experience, from fully understanding something from the inside out, transforms our soul, and opens us to empathy, connection and a sense of oneness. To know something physical, such as a river or a coat, we must try it on, envelope ourselves in its texture, form, scent and movement. Our ancestors became the lion, the eagle or the willow tree through the transformational magic of trance in order to know how a lion hunts, an eagle sees, or a willow bends, but also simply to know those beings. This shapeshifting dance is an invitation to explore the essences of others in order find ourselves within our “family of things.”
Facilitator Notes
Sara’s mix-making arises from musical exploration. She seeks to understand energy through somatic responses to sonic vibrations. Her facilitation is propelled by a desire to help build and sustain community by creating a safe, loving container for self-expression, connection and release. If you’d like to listen to her sets visit https://soundcloud.com/sara-bensman.
AMC Notes
1st WAVE, 8:30 am warm-up & 9:00 am dance
2nd WAVE,10:30 am warm-up & 11:00 am dance
Attendees Limit 150
Door will close at the beginning of opening circle
NO ENTRY AFTER OPENING CIRCLE BOTH WAVES
To request an exception, please email
Childcare is available during Sunday’s second wave
