Bodies, Burners & Dancing in the Desert

Dance can teach you a lot about life. It can teach you how to flow through moments, both good and bad. It can teach you to let go and trust your instincts and that, sometimes, more can be said with your body than with your words. The time I spent at Burning Man this past August reaffirmed all these things for me.

You don't need music to move. Just a feeling

For me Burning Man is not about crazy costumes or setting fire to the sculpture. It’s about being a part of a community that, for one week, is bonded by love, self-expression, and music. You are dancing in the desert watching the sunset, your body one among thousands, one piece of a bigger body, and your movements are reciprocated by those around you. You are a pulse. A heartbeat, a single instance of universal movement. You are free.

Reflection Dome

Everyone in awe of the man Burning

Sometimes too free. One night I got lost riding a bicycle through the desert when I couldn’t remember the way back. I ended up having to close my eyes and follow the music back to camp. I let my body lead me. On another day I came across a sculpture of a giant heart being supported by four statues. This is the epitome of what the festival is to me: a heart in the middle of the desert held up by every person who attends. We come together. We flow together. And when we leave our bodies tell the story our words can’t.

What everyone is here to see

Gotta love a drum circle

Burning man is NOT a festival. Burning man is a Community. A temporary city. A global cultural movement based on 10 practical principles.

They don’t book acts or provide entertainment. What happens here is up to you! There is no corporate sponsorship. You are entering a “decommodified” space that values who you are, not what you have. You are expected to collaborate, be inclusive, creative, connective and clean up after yourself. Participate actively as a citizen of Black Rock City.