Ecstatic Dance at Blue Lotus Temple
A barefoot, unchoreographed Friday evening dance in the main hall of Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple in downtown Woodstock, with DJ Big Heart on the music.
Music by DJ Big Heart.
Monthly Friday evening, day not set yet
Dance 7–9 PM in the main hall
Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center
221 Dean St, Woodstock, IL 60098
Free · suggested donation $10 at the venue
Next: Friday, October 2, 2026
Becoming a monthly dance
The first dance here was Friday, September 4, 2026 with DJ Big Heart, and more than 80 people came. The next one could be Friday, October 2, another Friday in October, or Friday, November 6. If it becomes monthly it could be the first Friday or whichever Friday the temple prefers.
No date is booked yet. The temple board picks the day. Add your email and we'll let you know as soon as one is set.
Proposed dates
- Friday, October 2, 2026Proposed — add your name above
- Friday, November 6, 2026Proposed — add your name above
- Friday, December 4, 2026Proposed — add your name above
- Friday, January 1, 2027Proposed — add your name above
- Friday, February 5, 2027Proposed — add your name above
- Friday, March 5, 2027Proposed — add your name above
No date is booked yet. The temple board picks the day. Add your email and we'll let you know as soon as one is set.
The evening
Dance, sound, then tea
- 6:45 PMDoors, shoes off, settle in
- 7:00 – 9:00 PMFree-form ecstatic dance in the main hall
What to expect
Doors just before 7:00, shoes off at the door, then two hours of free-form dance. No steps to learn, no talking on the floor, sober and substance-free.
How to show up
Comfortable clothes you can move in, a water bottle, and socks or bare feet. Nothing else.
The space
Why dance
What an hour on the floor does
- Creates a pattern interrupt, helping you shift perspective.
- Encourages expression and emotional release.
- Promotes connection and co-regulation with the people around you.
- Invites silliness and playfulness, breaking stress patterns.
- Dance is one of the most accessible ways to listen to your body's instincts.
- Challenges balance, engaging the vestibular system.
- Boosts endorphins — try not to smile during a dance party.
- Shifts focus from worries to the present moment.
The room
Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center
A Buddhist temple and meditation center in Woodstock. Its main hall has a wood floor, stained glass and a large white Buddha, and hosted an ecstatic dance with DJ Big Heart that drew more than 80 people. A monthly Friday evening is being proposed to the temple board.
This is a temple, not a club. Treat the hall the way you'd treat a meditation space, because that is what it is the rest of the week.
Closer to home?
Sunday mornings, less than an hour away
Woodstock is about 45 minutes northwest of our regular Sunday morning dances in Arlington Heights and Palatine. If Friday nights are hard, come to one of those.
Upcoming Dances
Find your next floor
Sunday Ecstatic DanceSunSep 6Doors9:30 AMMainwood Dance ClubArlington Heights$25 · 20 spots
Chicago Ecstatic DanceWedSep 9Doors7:00 PMHairpin Arts CenterLogan Square, ChicagoSliding scale
Palatine Sunday Ecstatic DanceSunSep 13Doors9:30 AMHimalayan Yoga and Meditation CenterPalatine$25 · 35 spots- Chicago Ecstatic DanceWedSep 16Doors7:00 PMHairpin Arts CenterLogan Square, ChicagoSliding scale
Friday Night FargoFriSep 18Doors7:00 PMFargo VenueDeKalb, IL — about an hour west of the northwest suburbs$25- Sunday Ecstatic DanceSunSep 20Doors9:30 AMMainwood Dance ClubArlington Heights$25 · 20 spots
Harvest Moon Bonfire Ecstatic DanceSatSep 26Doors6:00 PMBurnham Park · Promontory PointChicago, IL — Hyde Park lakefrontTickets on Full Moon Fusion
Yoga Electronica — Launch SundaySunSep 27Doors2:30 PMQ Studios (top floor)Chicago, IL — Logan Square$25 · yoga and dance included- Ecstatic Dance at Blue Lotus TempleFriOct 2Doors7:00 PMBlue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation CenterWoodstock, IL, downtown on Dean StFree · suggested donation $10 · RSVP free now
Lighthouse Ecstatic DanceSatOct 10Doors7:00 PMThe Gathering LighthouseLombard, IL — downtown, a block from the Metra station$25 · RSVP free now