Testimonials
“Dance to Nature, for me, means feeling a spiritual connection to nature, to the beauty of music, and to my body – through dance – as well as to the community of my fellow dancers.”
—Ella Heyder
“Au son de la musique dans un parc verdoyant côtoyant la rivière Rideau, Dame Nature nous offre la folle neige d’hiver, la douce pluie du printemps, le chaud soleil d’été, les couleurs vives d’automne.
S’y rencontre un groupe de danseuses et danseurs qui devient pour qui le veut, un groupe d’amitié, une communauté où l’on sait partager la joie d’une Danse à la Nature.
1-2-3- Bonne danse!”
—Rhéal Gauthier
“Dance to Nature is such a powerful and soul nourishing experience. The community Alana has created is special in so many ways. Honouring the rhythms of seasons, rhythms of nature, rhythms of music, and rhythms of life. I’m so grateful to have found this local treasure.”
—MaryAnn Welke Lesage
“Alana’s greatest gift to me and numerous dancing wizards, over the past 10-15 years, is Dance to Nature. I have moved and been moved to meditate and groove to over 400 cutting edge music playlists humbly created by Alana. I’ve found my spirit being uplifted from her words written and sent out as a theme or an invitation to dance with.
I believe Alana O’Donnell is like a mirror … she reflects her heart upon each and every one of us. Alana honours the indigenous land where we practice never taking anything for granted. ”
—Mji – a passionate artist & dancer
“La naturaleza y la danza forman parte de mi vida, de las pasion que me integra reencuentra, reune, mi cuerpo a mi ser. Disfruto de estos instantes … Argentina gracias.”
—Ines Bergalli
“The river whispers against the shore,
birdsong weaving through the breeze that kisses your skin.
You move—not alone, but together—
held by rhythm, by earth, by one another.
Dance to Nature is no ordinary experience;
it is a return, a remembering—
nourishment for the soul,
freedom for the body,
rare and radiant in a hurried world.”
—Jennifer Williams
“I enjoy Dance to Nature so much! The choice of music seems perfect each time. As I listen and dance, I can be enlivened, joyful, calm, or peaceful as I am inspired by the music and the beautiful setting to move in any way that my body wants to. Sometimes grief and anger come up, and this is a wonderful way to let these emotions move through and get metabolized. This is a safe welcoming community, and Alana’s gentle guidance creates a container where I feel free to fully dance and celebrate and to connect with the nature around me and with my own unique inner landscape.”
—Marcia Mulholland
“Je pratique la ‘Danse à la nature” depuis 2016. Pour moi, c’est un espace d’expression personnelle, de mouvement et de connexion avec la nature, qui permet l’exploration de mes propres profondeurs et de la vie. Les listes de musique créées par Alana accompagnent magnifiquement le voyage intérieur et extérieur qui se produit magiquement pendant la danse. Cette pratique est maintenant essentielle dans ma vie. Beaucoup de gratitude.”
—Mélanie St-Jean
“I have had the pleasure of dancing to your playlist on many beaches in Mexico, as well as at our cottage in Ontario. Your music leaves me with fond memories of being grounded with nature.”
—Hugh Perry
“Coming home to the trees and birds and plants and rocks and other creatures in the park by the river, friends that evolve over time, moving where the music takes me has been a true blessing for many years now. My fellow dancers, Alana’s skillfully curated playlists, and her carefully chosen themes for reflection allow a deepening sense of presence to the natural environment and to myself. I am nourished.”
—Ariane Dind
“La Danse à la nature est, pour moi, une merveilleuse opportunité de reconnexion au Vivant en moi et autour de moi. En me connectant à la Nature, supportée par les listes musicales toujours très touchantes et émouvantes, ma nature profonde se révèle et s’harmonise. Merci Alana de nous rassembler et de nous offrir ces cadeaux si précieux!”
—Julie Thériault
“Alana’s special playlists inevitably send me into a journey of joy, self-love, contemplation and gratitude for whatever Mother Earth had in store for us that day. The community of living the dance individually and also sharing it with the group of dancers is powerful, and so much fun! Thank you Alana.”
—Elise Ondet
“Dance to Nature has been a profound way for me to connect my body to the land and to community. Dancing in the fresh air, under the open sky, I deeply experience a sense of belonging to myself, the earth, and to those scattered amongst the trees, all of us dancing to the same beat.”
—Sue, Ottawa
“Thank you for creating this community for expressing our relationship to Gaia and her beings. I was introduced by a visitor to Nova Scotia and now have linked another visitor to your group, who lives in Montreal.”
—For All Our Relations, Nancy Dancing Light
“Meegwetch Alana, Dans notre monde de recherche de pertinence et de connexion, Danza a la Naturaleza est depuis 12 ans une initiative simple et gratuite de connexion par le mouvement, dans la nature, avec la vie, avec soi-même. Valorisant les artistes et leurs droits, cette pratique hebdomadaire est un modèle dans la qualité des musiques et paroles choisies, pleines de diversité, de beauté et de sagesse. Pour moi, les listes assemblées avec tant de sensibilité sont depuis plusieurs années une magnifique opportunité de méditation, de connexion à ma vie, la même vie reliant toute la nature. Merci à Alana O’Donnell, persévérante créatrice et facilitatrice de communautés, cet ange qui nous guide à retrouver nos propres ailes et le bonheur de s’épanouir dans nos communautés.”
—Yves Bernard
“Where to start about my experience of Dance to Nature!? Gratitude comes to heart first…
For the lovely gift of you, Alana, and your creative, dedicated, loving offering over these many years.
For the musica that moves me in ALL the ways.
For the gorgeous ample roots, and the swaying tall trees, and the activated/ing wind, so many different types of rain, present snow, and glorious sunbeams that join.
For the Mooney’s Bay (and other) waters that invite and surround.
For the nourishing, anchoring earth beneath my toes.
And deep gratitude for the regularity of the practice – a weekly deep connection moment to look forward to (and to re-experience again during the week as needed with the awesome surprise playlist). This practice adds grounding, healing, upliftment, sensuality and play to my existence.
For that, I have no words to fully describe – I could express in dance, though… ;)”
—Cat Mageau
“I’ve known for some years that I am ultimately connected with all there is, but at times I forget, and feel fearful. At my first dance, I reconnected to myself, I rose up from the ground and felt every muscle, every movement, every beat of the music, every carefully chosen word in the lyrics. I was so present, so in the moment. As I focused my attention outwards, I saw a diverse group of people spread out over the landscape, dancing their own dance, deeply present to their own bodies, healing what they wish to heal, celebrating their ability to feel connected. I marvelled at how all these soul paths converged to bath in your playlist. Since that moment, I have returned to dance again and again, each time with the goal of reproducing my first Dance to Nature experience.”
—Ed Hanrahan