The Alchemy of Dance Online Course
Embark on a four-week journey of sacred dance. Tap into the Serpent Goddess's transformational power, learn primordial movements, awaken inner wisdom, and deepen your connection to the Divine Feminine.
Beginning November 1st, 2024
Are you ready to explore the deeper transformation that’s possible through dance as a spiritual practice?
Do you feel deeply called to support the rising of the Divine Feminine in the world through your own embodiment?
Are you intrigued by the connection between sacred dance and the ancient Egyptian mysteries?
In The Alchemy of Dance, you’ll learn how to tap into the ancient dance of the Serpent Goddess for profound personal transformation and spiritual growth.
Our Journey Together
In this immersive and interactive 4-week program, you will:
Working with the rhythms, energies, waves, and movements of the Serpent Goddess—that are natural to a woman’s body—you will enjoy a DIRECT experience of:
…so that you can be more centered, grounded, present, creative, and powerful in every aspect of your life—and contribute to a much-needed new wave of Divine Feminine energy rising on the planet.
You will come away with a series of movements you can integrate with the movements in the Dance as a Spiritual Practice Foundations Course, and en-JOY in your body, your way, as an ongoing and ever-deepening spiritual practice and a profound spiritual tool.
Who is the Serpent Goddess, and how can She transform us?
The ancients knew the power of sacred dance and primordial movements to enliven the Divine Feminine within. While we have mostly lost this essential connection between dance and the sacred in our modern culture, it is – She is – returning through each of us who hears the call and invites Her in to breathe, move, and BE with us.
The Alchemy of Dance is the ancient dance of the Serpent Goddess. The Serpent Goddess is the Divine Feminine in her most essential form. She IS the primordial wave, DNA, the zero-point field, and light sound—and we have the ability to connect, resonate, and amplify those waves. It is SHE who teaches us the ancient ways of transmuting energy through our bodies using rhythm and primordial movements.
When you join The Alchemy of Dance, you will learn how to reconnect with the earth’s rhythm and use dance as a spiritual practice.
AND it is so much more than this!
This work takes an ancient mystery language and brings it back into your body so you can more fully embody Her. What does this mean in a practical way?
When She arrives in you, you might experience:
This program is accessible for every body but is not for everybody. It IS for you if:
You want to learn to move your body in new and powerful Divine Feminine ways (you do NOT need to consider yourself a dancer or have dance experience; movements can be adapted for different physical abilities)
You are curious about and open to meeting the Serpent Goddess as an aspect of you and knowing more of your whole Self.
You prefer working with magical, rather than mundane, tools for spiritual growth.
You want to move beyond simply learning and reading about the Goddess and open yourself to an embodied experience of Her.
You have completed the Dance as a Spiritual Practice Foundations Course, and want to dive deeper into your exploration of Sacred Dance.
You are excited to be part of a small group of supportive women moving and sharing together in a safe, gentle, and sacred container, cameras on and participating in discussions—and plan to join the live movement sessions as often as you can. (This enhances everyone’s experience and learning.)
The Alchemy of Dance: Sacred Dance as a Path to the Universal Dancer
A Personal Message from Your Guide on This Journey…
It was more than 20 years ago that I first experienced the transformative power of the Serpent Goddess in Egypt’s Dendera Temple. Shortly afterward, I received downloads of the sacred dance practices included in Dance as a Spiritual Practice, as well as the movements you’ll learn in The Alchemy of Dance. I have used these practices ever since then as my primary spiritual tool, experiencing profound personal transformation, and I have taught these practices to hundreds of women around the world, both in person and online.
The work of sharing The Alchemy of Dance with others to support a remembrance of the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries and the rising of the Divine Feminine has become my soul’s journey and my legacy. This work is an initiation that we prepare for in the foundational course, Dance as a Spiritual Practice, which deepens throughout this course and over time. My vision is to build a worldwide community of women who embody the sacred/divine feminine through the wisdom and power of the ancient dance of the Serpent Goddess. We are calling Her back home as we birth a new world.
The last card of the Tarot, The World or Universe, is often referred to as the Universal Dancer. It is co-creation, the point where we are fully integrated with all of life and dance with the Universe. Through The Alchemy of Dance and the mysteries of the Serpent Goddess, I invite you to join Her Sacred Dance and follow the path to BECOME the Universal Dancer.
Leslie Zehr
Founder, The Universal Dancer
Leslie, yours is a unique perspective and a powerful one. What I appreciated was the way you integrated all levels, physical, mental and spiritual, in your approach to the dance. I also felt that the power of your own personal experience and how you shared it gave the audience a way to relate to the potential of the tools you were sharing as something they too could take the risk to explore. The transformational work you teach is authentic in a way that a lot of New Age processes and tools unfortunately are not, or rather, they are often more superficial or ungrounded. So, thanks again for coming to Mimosa. Let us know if you are back this way again.
—Beth, Madison WI, USA
Leslie has been living in Egypt for 20 years and in that time has accessed some very deep energies and knowledge that she feels strongly guided to share. To this end she is traveling worldwide offering this workshop. My experience being and dancing with Leslie is that through her guidance I was able to access the ecstatic and powerful energies of feminine power with greater freedom and joy. And now I can use the simple yet profound movements that I tasted with her to continue that exploration on my own. I was able to take that from just a few hours, now Leslie is offering us an opportunity to be with her for 2 1/2 days!
—Elizabeth, Silver Springs MD, USA
I’ve had the pleasure to Dance with Leslie in New York and in Cairo. The first time I took Leslie’s class, I knew that Sacred Dance was the direction I had been searching for. I was ready for this dance – live experience to unfold in me. In Cairo, Leslie witnessed my surrendering to the flow of life. I continue to practice this in my every day life and enjoy and honor my divine feminine power.
Leslie’s book, The Alchemy of Dance: Sacred Dance as a Path to the Universal Dancer is always delightful for me to reread for inspiration and I look forward to dancing with her.
—Alexandra, New York, NY, USA
I have been thinking for weeks how to put in words that could express my experience with Leslie at her workshops (face-to-face and online), her individual sessions and her sound and women circles. I met Leslie in Egypt, in a land I never considered living but my own healing path took me right to it. Leslie’s teachings were like a beacon in days I was looking for answers and she was able to bring to light things I never considered before. Her teachings might seem full of mysticism and convolution, but they are deeply profound yet simple. Simplicity that you cannot understand until you start flowing with the movements she teaches you. And when you are able to flow, you feel you are alive and the teachings go way beyond words more directed to your soul. And at the end of the class you may think you haven’t feel or catch much of what happened, but rest assure there will be a time you will remember. As for me, through the years, her words keep coming when I need them most. I deeply appreciate and respect Leslie’s work because it flows just as her dance, in spirals. Up and down, with movements that you may not get at the beginning but then slowly emerge with information from within you and you start discovering a world you haven’t realize before,. And all because of the different perspectives that she wisely instils in every student. I am eager to see this translation in Spanish so other Spanish speakers like me can embrace her teachings as I have done. Thank you Leslie for taking the steps to make this possible.
—Maricel
Like any typical Egyptian female, I have been a natural belly dancer since I was a child; I loved it and never could live without it. Then I read about Sacred Dance in Leslie’s events, and I thought I should try it out, not knowing it was based on the dance I “identify” with.
And the miracle happened; turns out it’s not just the dance I love anymore; it’s the path to delving into my own soul, discovering the Beauty and Majesty of being Woman.
Thank you, Leslie, for showing me the way!
—Maryam, Cairo, Egypt
Leslie provides an inspiring interpretation of the origins of dance, together with a participatory class on the basic elements of oriental dance. Her fun-loving and joyous attitude helped us to feel less self-conscious about our bodies and to enjoy the challenge of learning a style of dance that is often thought of as “foreign” or “exotic” in the West.
—Janie-Cairo, Egypt
Leslie Zehr
A. Like Dance as a Spiritual Practice, this course offers an opportunity to experience dance as a moving meditation, focusing on the internal experience rather than external appearance. No previous dance experience is necessary. The practices are simple and fun, as well as adaptable to your physical ability. They will add joy to your spiritual practice, and you’ll be guided every step of the way. If you have already completed Dance as a Spiritual Practice (a requirement before you can join The Alchemy of Dance), you should be well equipped and comfortable with the new practices you will learn. If you are brand new to this work, please see the Dance as a Spiritual Practice Foundation Course page and begin there.
A. Completing Dance as a Spiritual Practice is a requirement before beginning The Alchemy of Dance. Both courses grew out of Leslie’s original four-hour Alchemy of Dance in-person workshop and work in harmony to provide a comprehensive and enriching learning experience. Based on feedback from past participants, these are now two separate but linked courses that allow you time to fully understand and work with the foundational movement principles and practices in Dance as a Spiritual Practice before moving on. If you still plan to purchase The Alchemy of Dance, be sure you have enough time (a minimum of 4 weeks) to comfortably complete Dance as a Spiritual Practice beforehand. The two courses can be purchased together as a bundle.
A. As a practical step, we ask you to read Leslie’s book, The Alchemy of Dance to support you with this experience. You’ll receive the links to purchase the book (including on Kindle) upon registering for the course. Other than that, and completing the Dance as a Spiritual Practice foundations course, the most important thing is to come to the work with a sense of curiosity, openness, reverence, and a commitment to attend and participate in the live classes. Don’t worry! You will be guided – by Leslie and the Serpent Goddess Herself – every step of the way.
A. This is a four-week course with new pre-recorded material released each week. As well, there will be 4 LIVE classes taking place each week which will not be recorded (see question below regarding videos). Therefore, it’s best to be sure you can make space to devote time to this course in real time and complete it in the four weeks provided.
A. Each week, there are approximately 20-30 minutes of short videos with background information to prepare you for that week's live class. You'll need to attend the live classes in person, as there are no replays. The live class runs for about 80 minutes. There are short “homework” assignments each week to deepen your experience. You may also want to spend time dancing and doing the movements we learn in class. This could take 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how inspired you feel and how much time you would like to devote to this practice.
A. After registration for the course closes, we will send out a survey to all participants asking them to select their preferred class time(s) for the live sessions based on time zone, work schedule, etc. We will do our best to accommodate everyone with their preference, and if necessary, we may add a second live class to the weekly schedule.
A. All pre-recorded teaching videos, as well as the downloadable workbook and playlists, will be available in the classroom for 30 days following the course's end date. After that, we will take them down to prepare for the next session of the course. Please note that due to their nature as interactive transmissions, live sessions will NOT be recorded, so once class times are set (see question above), please schedule them into your calendar and do your best to attend live. As well, please note that although you will not have ongoing access to the classroom, as an alum you have the option to rejoin the course when it is offered again for only $33. You will also have continued support after the course concludes through email.
A. Yes. The Alchemy of Dance is a dynamic process that continues to unfold and evolve. Each class is significantly different depending on where you are in your process, the other students, Leslie’s ever-evolving process, and so on. It is not static; you will always benefit from repeating the course. Many students have taken the courses 4, 5, or even six times. It is always different. Alumni students may repeat the online course for only $33 each time. Leslie also offers shorter, more focused workshops/masterclasses to The Alchemy of Dance students. These workshops typically run 90 minutes, are focused on one specific topic, and are only open to students who have completed The Alchemy of Dance.
A. Dance as a Spiritual Practice is an introductory, foundational course. It is open to anyone, and anyone can benefit from it, whether someone is beginning a spiritual practice or wants to add movement to an existing practice. It is also the base on which we build in The Alchemy of Dance. The Alchemy of Dance is not for beginners. The student needs a solid base to build on. It is a sacred path to transformation and should only be embarked on by women who wish the heal, transform, and walk the path of the Divine Feminine.