Going nude at Dragonfly Fest

The challenge and charm of dancing naked at an ecstatic dance festival

The author nude among the clothed at Dragonfly Fest

The rhetoric of Ecstatic Dance does not normally match the reality. I learned this firsthand by contacting leaders of several Ecstatic Dance sessions in my area and asking them if I could dance at their events like I really wanted to. Even though these sessions all promise that you can “dance how you want” and that you will have “freedom of expression,” I have repeatedly been told that no, I cannot dance how I really want at their events. 

You see, I am a nudist. Not only am I a nudist, I have been a nude model for art classes since 1984. I visited a nudist resort for the first time in 1985. When I have been to Ecstatic Dances, I have always thought it would be so much better if I could shed the clothes and dance as my true self. But that is, unfortunately, not allowed.

I was pleasantly surprised when I asked the organizers of the Dragonfly Festival—which evolved from Ecstatic Forest—if I could dance nude. Dragonfly is a multi-day camping festival built around Ecstatic Dance and other conscious practices that takes place each April in Texas. I was told that the festival honors the right of full self-expression. Not long after my initial email, the question “Can I be nude at Dragonfly Fest?” was added to the frequently asked questions page on the festival’s website.

I arrived at the 2024 Dragonfly Festival on Wednesday afternoon, several hours before the opening ceremony. I walked around the grounds in a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt that read “Clothes Suck” in large letters, with “#nudistlife” in smaller type just below that. It took me about an hour to familiarize myself with the venue. More and more people were arriving as I made my way back to the truck and took off my clothes. Leaving them there, I took another walk around the place, garnering a lot more attention this time.

I remained nude until leaving the festival after the weather turned cool and rainy on Saturday afternoon. I attended more than ten workshops on such topics as Guided Bollywood Dance, Dance of Life & Death: Rebirthing Ritual, Sensual Introduction to Tantra, Raw & Real: Exploring Intimacy with Compassionate Conversations, and several others. 

I also participated in three nightly ecstatic dances. There was a lot of free time as the festival was designed with at least forty-five minutes between the end of one workshop period and the beginning of the next. I met a lot of people and had a lot of conversations about the philosophy behind naturism. One young lady told me that my explanation of clothing denoting the status of the wearer was “next level mind opening.”

I took my role as an ambassador of naturism very seriously. Because I was nude for the entire time, I just felt that my conduct at the festival would be judged differently than that of anyone else, so I was conscious of every little thing I said, every little gesture I made, and every interaction I had. The acceptance I felt was more than I ever expected. Every conversation I had was positive. There were some people who chose not to talk to me, and with those people, I never forced the issue. But the people I met and talked with were all fantastic. I felt welcome at every workshop and function throughout the festival. 

I don’t know if it will lead to opportunities for naturists to be their true selves at more Ecstatic Dance events or not, but I hope the conversation has been started. 🪐