Jillé Celeste René will never forget the first time she saw the Samadhi Yogini dancers perform on stage.

"I thought I was looking at Shiva! The effect was so mesmerizing."

Indeed. Lined up one-by-one and posed in velvet bell-bottomed leotards, the soft music of Guy Davis' gu-chiang begins to play. With the focus of an eagle, frontwoman Kathleen Hunt slowly begins to flap her arms, her upper body undulating to the music, her face calm and steady. The movement inspires Michelle Gantz to move next, and then Dvorah Levy and Heather Rudin, and soon the entire six-troupe is unfurling from a place of compete stillness.

The Samadhi Yoginis move through a flowing series of asanas, branching off from the original unified whole to partnered and often symmetrical poses. Through blending asana with modern dance, the yoginis create a powerful, sequenced journey bound to inspire yoga students and dance lovers alike. From Flying Warrior (Virabhadrasana III) might come Standing Split (Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana), then Headstand (Sirsasana), partnered Upward Bending Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana) and a seemingly infinite sequence of graceful, captivating movements.

The troupe synchronizes their breathing throughout the dance, which creates a powerfully charged atmosphere capable, some feel, of creating transformation within the audience.

"The dance brings the audience and the performers together into a sacred space," says Hunt, who founded the yoga dance troupe two years ago. While the dance does not necessarily tell a specific story, "viewing the poses creates some transformation in the mind."

It is backstage with the yoginis, and the performers - most of whom teach at Samadhi Yoga - run through the upcoming performance several times. Their next show might have them revisiting nightclubs like ARO.space and the OK Hotel. They perform at the Positive Yoga event in Seattle each year, and are often special guests at Samadhi benefits.

Audiences are invariably struck by the unique blend of dance and yoga. "People have come up after the shows and said they felt completely transformed," says dancer Eiric Øvrid, who is pausing after an extended sequence of more than 15 minutes of intricate yoga postures. The dance members work with partners, lifting and balancing each other, moving in synch, creating a landscape that seems not of six performers - but of a single one.

"I can feel myself breaking through the walls of my own ego and becoming unified with the other dancers," says performer Roan Gustin, who is beaming during a short break from practice. "I come from a dance background, but I have never danced in anything like this. It's an amazing and moving experience." She smiles. "It has really been enlightening to dance here."

Mythologist Joseph Campbell believed in the transforming nature of recreating ancient images, explaining: "Images of myth reflect spiritual realms. We invoke their power by mirroring their dance."

Dancer Celeste agrees. The yogini's movements are patterned on archetypal images which resonate within the viewer on that level, she says.

For Hunt, much of the discussion about the yoginis and her choreography revolves around art. Creation, she says, is about being fully alive. And art is one of the highest forms of communication.

"Yoga dance is really about bringing the spiritual into dance," Hunt says. "It's artistic expression that gives life meaning. The vibration of creation is sublime, and the yogini dance is about going into higher planes of awareness."

Viewers seem to agree. Through working with a symbolic language, the Samadhi Yoginis demonstrate the beauty and unity inherent in the ancient art of Yoga.

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