‘Talk of the Town’
Creative Loafing
January 8, 2004

Adonia the SwordWoman
by Andisheh Nouraee

It's the beginning of the year and people (and maybe some really intelligent dogs like Border Collies) are caught up in activities initiated by New Year's resolutions. Most of the resolutions I know of involve self-improvement. Get more exercise. Keep a journal. Read more books. Watch less "Law & Order." Learn to kill silently and without remorse, etc.

Last weekend, the city was still in a post-holiday nightlife lull (aka a hangover), so I decided to check out a couple of classes that would appeal to at least some adventurous resolution-motivated self-improvers. My first stop was Celtic Elemental Sword-Dancing Class at the Amata Community Training Studio in Candler Park. Over the next several Saturdays, the instructor, Adonia the SwordWoman, will teach the class five different movements to perform with swords. Last Saturday, we practiced a form called Bronze Heron Stirs Dawn Wind. With a sword in hand, it's a movement that I imagine woule be quite effective at lopping off the head of someone standing in front of you.

Before teaching the technique, Adonia, who wore a brass crown with a tiger's-eye jewel at the forehead, explained to the class (which included six women, a child and me) that the forms are great exercise and promote inner peace. She explained that the sword is in fact a metaphor for the center of the universe - the yang axis on which the yin globe sits and spins.

It doesn't really look like dancing until Adonia demonstrates the movements herself. When it is just students practicing, it looks like a Middle Earth aerobics class. I suppose that the transformation from sword-swinging to sword-dancing is the purpose of the class. Weaponry aside, it's a very friendly, laid back and playful environment. It's hard to imagine a friendlier swordwoman than Adonia. Checkout swordwoman.com for details about the class or just to buy the SwordWoman lunchbox.