Ancient Egyptian Arts Association History

A Brief History

As the son of theatrical impresario Sir Oswald Stoll, Dennis was exposed from an early age to various great and interesting artists and to a vibrant cultural scene. He was authorised by his father at an early age to view and hire ballet companies, thus developing his artistic sensibility. What he saw and heard, in conjunction with his innate refinement, fired a life-long quest for truth and beauty.

His career as a composer and conductor led Dennis along many interesting pathways. Upon visiting the Karnak Temple at the invitation of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, Dennis heard, “in an instant”, music that he felt he had composed in ancient Egypt in a previous life. He was inspired to recompose it for the modern era, retaining the beautiful modes. This was his music for the Ancient Egyptian Temple Dancers and, once the idiom was awakened in him, he continued to compose in this way, creating many beautiful pieces to be performed with the dance. A short extract of this music can be heard on the Dennis Stoll page, or by clicking the ‘play’ arrow on our Homepage. A remastered CD can be purchased.

Following the experience at Karnak Dennis was inspired to found the Ancient Egyptian Arts Association, which incorporated his group of Ancient Egyptian Temple Dancers, a non-profit making organisation dedicated to helping people by showing the beauty of the meditative arts of music, poetry and dance.  Performances of these dances, are remembered by many today for their penetrating and uplifting quality. Perfectly in harmony with the breath of the moment, the music and the dance, Dennis’  flowing, modulated voice reading his inspired narrative verse created a captivating experience. Audiences felt transported to a deeper realm where truth and beauty reigned.

With the dancers, he showed, through lectures, performances and seminars, the spiritual principles on which this great civilisation was founded, illustrating how they permeated every area of ancient Egyptian culture, from the secualr to the religious. The papyrus of the Great Awakening states: “The heart that is placed within the Sanctuary of the Stars alone knoweth the God of Light in Heaven”. For the ancient Egyptians, temples were aligned to the stars so that those who entered them would receive spiritual nourishment from the unseen world from which the stars shine. More recently others, like Robert Bauval in his book The Orion Mystery, have made the wider public aware of many astronomical alignments, the inner meanings of which had been expounded by Dennis and Cheryl whom he married in 1978 and who, as a Temple Dancer and partner in the work, helped further to develop the spiritual teaching.

It was after the first Nile cruise that the Star Wisdom of the Ancient Egyptians began to be revealed to Cheryl. Dancing the archetypal, meditative gestures of the Ancient Egyptian Temple Dance, which have an aligning effect on dancer and audience, and having a serious attitude to her spiritual work, Cheryl asked the questions, “Am I Pure?”, and “Who and What Am I?”. Thus began the unfolding of the Star Wisdom Teaching which, in essence, answers those questions for each of us, providing illuminating insights into our condition and our true nature. The Dance of the Cosmos was born out of the principles of the Star Wisdom and was performed at the Saqqara pyramid during the Nile cruise of 1981.

Dennis, with Cheryl and the temple dancers, toured the UK and Europe, teaching and performing.  In 1981, with some of the temple dancers, he and Cheryl moved, for several years, to Australia, where they continued the work under the new title of The Meditational Arts. The beauty and warmth of Australia suited Dennis whose health and creativity were completely supported by Cheryl’s absolute care and loving companionship.

On their return to the UK in 1986, The Meditational Arts was already incorporated as the Academy of the Arts of Sound and Light. A sixteen-week course of intensive study for serious students was attended by many long-standing students as well as new contacts made following their return.

Dennis remained a beautiful, upright pillar of truth all his life. His work as Founder and Artistic Director of The Ancient Egyptian Arts Association, with its succeeding incarnations, has continued to flower in Cheryl’s work and lives in the principles revealed on this website as Star Wisdom Teaching and the Dance of the Cosmos.