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Ecstatic Dance Spring Retreat – Dance, Wellbeing and Healthy Living
April 27, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - May 1, 2023 @ 4:00 pm BST
ECSTATIC DANCE FESTIVAL® presents: Ecstatic Dance Spring Retreat
Find your path. Unlock your potential. Learn. Explore. Create.
~ WHEN? Wed, 27 April – Sun, 01 May 2023
~ WHERE? Gillingham, North Dorset
After our sold-out Ecstatic Dance Festival® in July, and our sold-out retreat in October 2022, we are very excited to announce another Ecstatic Dance retreat in Spring 2023! A retreat devoted to Ecstatic Dance, Embodiment, and a Down-to-Earth Spirituality. It’s Ecstatic Dance plus much, much more!!
The Spring retreat will be a smaller and more intimate gathering, more of a personal growth retreat than a festival. It is simply an invitation into bringing more fun, joy, depth, and expansion into our lives through a variety of transformational workshops.
Make the most of the beautiful Spring time of year and enjoy all that comes with it—the fresh air, flower blossoms, nature coming to life, lovely atmosphere and a lot more that we’ve included in this transformational Spring retreat!
ACCOMMODATION & CAMPERVANS: please book on the venue’s website. Accommodation still available: Shared Dorms, Shared Glamping Tents, Private Single & Double Pods. See link for all details and to book.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
- Beautiful indoor dance and workshop spaces with great sound systems! (weather permitting, we will also run workshops outdoors, surrounded by nature, spring flowers and ancient oak trees)
- A variety of Transformational Embodiment, Wellbeing, Movement and Ecstatic Dance workshops with our main facilitator Seth Newman(Active Meditations, Breathwork, Bioenergetics, Intimacy, Conscious Touch, Hugging, Singing, Cacao Ceremonies, Sound Journeys, Authentic Movement, Ecstatic Dance and much more!)
- Additional musical performances & workshops with guest facilitators and DJ’s (TBC)
- Saunas & Campfires in the evenings
- Alcohol and drug-free environment
- Delicious vegetarian meals
- Indoor Cafe (for coffee and cake)
- Hangout on the sofas
TEAM OF FACILITATORS/ DJ’S/ MASSAGE THERAPISTS
Seth Newman – Retreat Host, Main Facilitator & Workshop Leader, DJ, Musician
Diana Upite – Retreat Host, Organizer, Musician, Sound Journeys
Assamiya – Singing Workshop
Maria & Scott – Concert & Singing Workshop
Michael Sebastian – Musician, Guitar & Loops
Liath (aka Teddy) – DJ
Jan-Michael – DJ
Emilia Gzyl – Yoga, Partner yoga
Heather King – Yoga
Kayleigh Fugatt – Yoga
Rachael Reflex – 1:1 Reflexology Sessions
Bridget – 1:1 Massage Sessions (Deep Tissue, Relaxing, Lomi Lomi)
Monica – 1:1 Massage Sessions (Deep Tissue, Relaxing)
Juli – 1:1 Massage Sessions (Holistic, Swedish, Deep Tissue)
PLUS FACILITATORS FROM OSHO LEELA COMMUNITY:
Tarisha – Singing Medicine
Khalis – Meditation
Kimaya – Meditation
Ranjana – Meditation
Premal – Meditation
Navi – DJ
♥ EXAMPLE DAILY *SCHEDULE
7:15AM – 8:30 AM Good Morning Active Meditation/ Yoga
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Yummy Breakfast
10:00 AM – 1:30 PM Morning Gathering, Ecstatic Dance & Sharing, Workshop
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Magnificent Lunch
3:00 PM – 6:30 PM Free time/ Nature Walk / Massages/ Sound Journey/ Yoga Nidra
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Delicious Dinner
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Evening Ecstatic Dance / Workshop
10:00 PM – 00:00 PM Campfire/ Sauna/ Singing/ Concerts
*PLEASE NOTE: this is just an example schedule, all workshops and timings might change slightly as we want to offer some flexibility with the schedule during the retreat.
WHAT ARE OUR ECSTATIC DANCE RETREATS ALL ABOUT?
- Ecstatic Dance Festival® presents these retreats as an invitation to awaken the dancer within! Dance to feel alive, find your creativity, and free your body and mind through conscious dance!
- Connection with ourselves and our bodies explored through a cross-section of approaches.
- Learn powerful exercises for grounding, releasing fear/stress/ tension/ trauma from the body and developing deeper presence and body awareness.
- Explore a wide variety of ecstatic dance and active meditation processes.
- Using music, movement, ritual, and connection to achieve a unified field of being.
- Rest, Relax & Rejuvenate with Sound journeys, Yoga Nidra, Massages & Saunas
- Attune to Nature and the living environment, release stress and come home to your Ecstatic-Self!
- Experiential not-to-be-missed retreat!
- This is an experiential playground for co-creating transformational experiences through dance and other movement and embodiment practices.
- It is full of Life-affirming transformational workshops beyond the old Drug and Alcohol paradigm
Whether you are looking for a way to better deal with the everyday stresses of life, get away from the City life and connect to Nature or whether you just simply want to try new body-mind based exercises, dance & laugh, meet and connect with new people, relax in the sauna, we invite you to explore the tools & practices during this deep dive of 4 days and discover the positive benefits for yourself.
<<<<<*~ PRACTICAL INFORMATION ~*>>>>>
PRICES
PRICES: Included in the retreat ticket price: All workshops, 3 x vegetarian meals per day (12 meals in total), teas/coffees, and evening sauna sessions. Please note camping is included in the ticket price, but indoor accommodation/campervan space is an additional cost, see more info below.
– SUPER EARLYBIRD £400 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Eventbrite Fee (balance of £300 due by 27 March via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!
– EARLYBIRD £450 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Eventbrite Fee (balance of £350 due by 27 March via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!
– REGULAR £500 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Eventbrite Fee (balance of £400 due by 27 March via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!
EVENTBRITE ORDER CONFIRMATION: Email might be in the spam folder. Please check. Do not print any paper tickets, we will check you in by your name.
– Unfortunately no dogs/ other pets are permitted on site.
– Children/kids: Unfortunately this year’s retreat will not be suitable for under 18’s.
CANCELLATION POLICY
We offer this retreat in order to support the growth of physical and mental wellness of attendees and it requires many hours of organisation and planning. We ensure we have sufficient funds to do this with the following policy:
– Participants join the retreat at their own risk. Urubu School of Transformational Arts accepts no responsibility for spontaneous joy, open-heartedness or sore cheeks from too much smiling.
CANCELLATION BY ATTENDEES:
-All retreat tickets are non-refundable and deposit of £100 is non refundable. If you cannot attend the retreat due to any reason or personal matter including covid, we will not be able to issue a retreat ticket refund, sorry.
-Accommodation bookings are refundable if minimum of 30 days notice is provided (through external provider)
-You are welcome to pass on your retreat ticket to a friend, colleague or family member, resell your ticket or consider gifting your place to someone, there are many people in our network who do not have the funds to attend such a retreat. Please let us know name and email address of the person attending in your place by sending us an email with replacement person’s details to: youareyoubeyou@gmail.com
CANCELLATION BY THE ORGANIZER/VENUE:
Due to situations beyond our control, Ecstatic Dance London reserves the right to change booking or cancel the retreat and shall inform the customer as soon as possible. You may transfer your full payment to another retreat or you may request a refund of your payment to us, constituting a full settlement. Alternative arrangements will be offered but we do not accept responsibility for any costs incurred, including travel. Ecstatic Dance London is not responsible for your expenses incurred in preparation for any cancelled retreat such as travel costs, loss of work, and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip. As organizers of this retreat, we do not take any responsibility for any matters beyond our control or for any covid related matters that occur during the retreat.
ACCOMMODATION/ CAMPERVANS:
Please book on the venue’s website. Accommodation still available: Shared Dorms, Shared Glamping Tents, Private Single & Double Pods. See link for all details and to book.
CAMPING: Camping is included in the ticket price!
GLAMPING: £60 for 4 nights Female or Male glamping tents.
SHARED DORMS: £40 for 4 nights Female or Male dorms. Please do not book a dorm if you snore.
CAMPERVAN SPACE: £40 for 4 nights (stay in your own live-in vehicle, hook up available for extra £12)
PRIVATE ROOMS: £100-£180 for 4 nights (rooms in house, mobile homes, pods, pine lodge)
NEARBY ACCOMMODATION: Please check local Airbnb options if you prefer.
CARS/ TRAINS/ TRAVEL
CAR PARK ON SITE FREE OF CHARGE: there is a car park available on site free of charge to all retreat attendees. As much as possible, please arrange car shares to limit the carbon footprint and reduce the amount of cars on site.
LIFT SHARES: Attendees will receive a link to a WhatsApp group & a spreadsheet to arrange lift shares and train journeys. Link will be sent at the beginning of April.
TRAINS: Nearest train station Gillingham, Dorset. Please check https://www.thetrainline.com for train tickets and train schedules. There are local taxi services and we will send a list in April with contact details to all participants. One way journey from station to venue will cost under £10. We do encourage car & taxi sharing if possible as it’s more eco friendly.
FOOD
All meals are included (3 meals per day, total 12 meals). Venue runs a vegetarian/vegan kitchen and does its best to meet the most common food requirements for guests such as gluten free/ lactose free/ vegan and all dishes will be clearly labelled. Venue might not be able to cater for other special diets. Please complete dietary requirement section in the Eventbrite booking form. Teas/coffees available at anytime with a selection of alternative milks. Filtered drinking water also available to refill your water bottles. There is also a Coffee/cake shop which is run by Osho Leela community and will be open at certain times during the day.
PLEASE NOTE: Retreat takes place at Osho Leela and there is a community of people who already live there or have joined one of their live-in programmes. To support the community and help with the practicalities, retreat participants will be required to help once during the retreat with the dishes- either one day after lunch or dinner. Many thanks in advance for your support with this.
VENUE
Ecstatic Dance Spring Retreat site is located 10 minute drive by car from Gillingham train station in North Dorset
ADDRESS: Osho Leela Personal Development Centre, Thorngrove House, Common Mead Ln, Gillingham SP8 4RE
DIRECTIONS AND HOW TO GET THERE: https://osholeela.uk/getting-here/
WHEN: Thur 27 April – Mon, 01 May
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE: We ask participants to arrive between 4pm-6pm on the first day to allow time to check-in, explore the grounds and settle in before we start. The retreat will start with dinner at 6:30pm followed by a welcome session from 8pm. The retreat will end at 3pm after lunch on the last day and there will be plenty of time to pack up and depart. Please do not leave before the end of the retreat. Aim to depart around 4pm to give yourself enough time.
EXTRA NIGHT’S STAY: Option to stay at the venue until Tuesday, 02 May 10am for a reduced rate of £30 p/p includes dinner & breakfast. If you’re staying in any accommodation, there will be a charge for extra night accordingly. Sign ups and payments – please go to the Osho Leela office directly on Monday, 01 May after lunch.
FACILITIES: 2 indoor workshop/dance spaces, indoor dining areas, tea/coffee available at any time, coffee/cake shop, plenty of outdoor spaces/beautiful nature for walks, sauna in the evenings, showers/toilets in the main house and also in the purpose build shower/toilet block, power sockets available in all rooms, hang out areas & sofas in the main house.
MASSAGES: Available for additional cost, card payments will be accepted. More details will be provided in October.
WHAT TO BRING
We encourage all participants to have a Digital Detox during the retreat and to switch off phones. Maybe bring a simple alarm clock so you can wake up for morning meditations/yoga.
-If you have booked accommodation, please note that all bedding is provided .
-Camping gear for those who choose to camp (tent, pegs, mattress, insulating mat, sleeping bag or duvet, pillow, extra blanket, hot water bottle, lights to put inside the tent etc)
-Reusable water bottle
-Yoga Mat & blanket
-Ground coffee & cafetiere for coffee lovers (venue provides instant coffee and has limited cafetiere’s so please bring your own if you have one). Community run coffee & cake shop will be open at certain times so you will be able to buy a proper coffee/lattes etc if you wish to.
-Torch (head torches are really useful)
-Clothing in layers suitable for movement/ dancing
-Clothing & boots/shoes suitable for hiking/ outdoors
-Waterproofs or umbrella in case of rain
-Warm jacket or jumper for evenings as temperature will drop during the night
-Swimsuit/ swim shorts for sauna
-Towel
-Ear-plugs (if you’re a light sleeper)
-Toiletries: (natural & biodegradable products if possible please)
-Acoustic music instruments if you wish to such as guitar, ukulele, drums etc.
-Snacks such as nuts/ dried fruit/ flapjacks/ chocolate, avocados etc for when you get peckish or if you want extra yummy things
-Personal items such as phone/ charger/ card/ keys etc.
-Anything else you think will make the retreat more comfortable for you!
RETREAT ORGANISERS & HOSTS:
♥ Seth Newman: As the founder of the URUBU School of Transformational Arts, he integrates the roots of Humanistic therapies, Bioenergetics & Body Psychotherapy, Transpersonal Psychology and Tantra in creative and life-transforming workshops, retreats, festivals and trainings. As a coach, Seth is dedicated to helping people calm, empower and rejuvenate their busy minds and bodies to achieve the best versions of themselves. Seth brings a wealth of experience holding heart-centered spaces. His in-depth studies, trainings and personal experiences of many therapeutic modalities infuse his approach to living a creative, holistic & embodied life and sharing his unique offerings with others. Seth has been facilitating regular workshops for many years.
As a musician, Seth is deeply passionate about rhythm & drumming, has an MA in Community Music from Goldsmith College, worked as a world music percussion teacher in East London schools for almost 20 years and started URUBU collective back in 2009 as a Live Music Ecstatic Dance experience with Afro-Brazilian drummers & musicians, started his journey as an avid DJ with a love for Afro-Beat, Cuban and Brazilian music and created an Ecstatic Dance scene in London and the UK. Seth has a life-long passion for 5 Rhythms and other movement and Ecstatic Dance practices.
URUBU has since evolved into a School of Transformational Arts – offering a variety of powerful holistic body-mind tools and practices.
♥ Diana Upite: Trained in classical music from a young age, and later in contemporary music, Diana carries a life-long passion for singing, improvising and re-imagining traditional Celtic and folk songs with her own melodic vision. A singer at heart, she connects deeply with the melodies and harmonies of ancient Europe and beyond.
She is passionate about bringing practices of rest and embodiment to others. Through her singing, her intention is to guide you on a journey of reconnection and self-discovery, reuniting you with the source of who you are.
Diana also has a keen interest in making delicious raw chocolates and raw cacao drinks for cacao ceremonies, private clients and is constantly experimenting with new flavours. She is a co-creator and co-facilitator of many URUBU wellbeing classes, workshops, retreats and festivals and is a multitasking fairy!
MORE INFO ABOUT OUR WORKSHOPS:
ECSTATIC DANCE – Enter an open space…and with your bare feet explore the exhilarating feeling of moving your body freely. You are invited to move, play, connect, sweat, stretch, sound, unwind, renew, release, improvise, transform. Be true to yourself, while respecting your body, in this space that we co-create together. Warm-up: stretch, move/dance and reflect on the intention for the dance to a gentle sound wave. The Practice: freestyle dancing to a large sound wave featuring Live DJ set. Some guidance & facilitation will be provided. And then we will let the music, the community and our own inner space direct our steps, our movements, our expression, our journey. Ecstatic Dance usually ends with a relaxation. WHAT MUSIC TO EXPECT: “Enlightened Electro, World Beat, Deep House and Downtempo Bliss, plus a few surprises slipped in for good measure! Ecstatic Music Journeys for Conscious Movement and Sacred Celebration.”
BIOENERGETIC ALCHEMY™ – We work with our bodies to transform and to heal. A unique movement experience, where we begin to soften the muscular tension and chronic holding in our bodies through a series of gentle stretches, grounding and self-expression exercises.
BREATHWORK TRANSFORMATIONAL HEALING – Release Energetic, Emotional & Physical layers of negative imprints & conditioning. We will be exploring Neo-Reichian Breathwork- practice is a deep conscious, circular connected breathing and is a beautiful way to peel back the layers of the self, connect to essence, and embrace every part of yourself. Each participant becomes the leader of their own healing journey, towards wholeness and health.
SINGING – As everything is vibrating so are we. There can be no sound without a vibration. Explore and let your voice be heard in a safe environment. Discover the joy of singing, the non-judgmental aspect of singing, the communal part of it, the part where differences are reconciled and we’re all just in it together, that’s the truly uplifting power of singing. The history of music and singing has always been communal. Meditate, sing or listen. Yes, even just listening can activate some of the oxytocin release, that social bonding hormone. A beautiful and powerful way to start/end our day together at the retreat.
SOUND JOURNEYS – Multi-sensory sound journey experience with live ambient music, and aromatherapy to soothe your stresses away and lift your spirit! An immersive restorative experience inviting your body and nervous system into a deeply relaxed state. An opportunity to relax and reconnect with yourself through deep relaxation and guided meditation while basking in Cosmic, Ethereal Vocals and Electronic Soundscapes, Textures, Crystal Singing Bowls, Gongs and much much more .
YOGA NIDRA – Conscious Sleep Guided Meditation for Deep Body Relaxation and Mind Alertness. Yoga Nidra is an ancient form of guided meditative practice that focuses on breathing techniques, body sensing, emotional relaxation, and guided consciousness meditation. We often combine Yoga Nidra with Live Music Sound Journey. A very unique experience!
ACTIVE MEDITATIONS / YOGA – Get present with a selection of powerful meditation practices, wake up your body and ease your way into the day.
TRIBAL TRANCE DANCE – Dive deep into your Wild Nature. It’s an invitation into deep liberation, driven by our breath, our intentions, and energy, and not controlled by our conditioned mind, we let go. Natural body movements and intuitive expressive dance are simply forms of an ancient pre-verbal language. It is an expression of intelligence of our creative unconscious. Honouring the evolutionary intelligence encoded in our cells!
GROUP SHARINGS / HEART CIRCLES – Speak your truth & let yourself be heard in Community. There will be many opportunities to share openly and intimately (small group sharings).
TANTRA / CONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS – For us, Tantra is the total experience of life, multi-dimensional human life! Of course, sex and sexuality are a part of life, we wouldn’t be here without it. But it is not the main focus of our work. The main focus is on deepening our connection to the Heart! Tantra is an invitation to slow down and bring your awareness back into the present, back to your body and felt sense and to simple, yet, precious moments. Creating a safe and respectful space, we will explore simple exercises aimed at strengthening our ability to connect to one another and to become more comfortable with honesty and vulnerability. Learn to honour your personal boundaries, learn to enjoy your desire for intimate contact, and to communicate both with authenticity. Become more grounded and vital, more sensual and more connected with your feelings and your heart. Tantra is about: -Developing our sensitivity to ourselves and what we are experiencing, – Allowing ourselves to be, and to be seen,- Developing love and acceptance for ourselves, – Becoming aware of the ways we shut down. Physical contact: ‘You never have to do anything you don’t want to do” is our mantra.
CACAO – Expansion of the Heart and Spirit through Cacao – the Elixir of the Gods! Cacao is the ultimate heart opener, it will give you energy, revitalise your BodyMind inviting you to express, release & unleash your creativity during the dance! Our Raw Vegan Cacao is prepared lovingly by Diana (who makes the best, velvety tasting cacao in town for sure!). She uses ethically sourced, highest quality ingredients from Guatemala, directly from a reliable cacao bean farmer.
… and much, much more with amazing people who love Nature, music and dance!
♥ FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS RETREATS/FESTIVALS:
“That was a very beautiful experience. An amazing journey inward & out. To express in a free space filled with joyful vibes & gorgeous smiling faces. In sound, in rhythm, in motion, in colour, in sweat, the Dance, the Soul.” Cath
“The smiles, the kind eyes, the bits when I lost myself in the music, the joy of the moments when it felt as if the whole room was jumping in unison.” Salvo
“ What a profound experience! The music was so beautiful … it carried me effortlessly inward facilitating a deep connection to Spirit, moving my body in a way that I felt I had little control over. It was magical! Thank you ” Ashley
“Thank you guys. This was an exceptional experience of deep healing, awakening, and opening. I feel so light, peaceful, and full of Love. Through the workshops we took, I touched some of my wounds, gently but deeply releasing and healing what was ready to be alchemised. Thank you to all the other lovely participants. Please organise the next one soon! ” Tanja
“ The workshop gave me the opportunity to go deeper into my body and discover new experiences which I hadn’t been able to tap into before. It was a good mix of different exercises, and I had a really blissful experience with the breathwork.” Vijay
” I feel so grateful I had the opportunity to attend this workshop. I felt that Seth, through his presence, allowing, way of being, created a very unique, safe space in which I could release, discover, explore and meet different aspects of myself. I was amazed how during the two days I was – often unexpectedly and gently – led to bring forth and embrace a child, an ancient woman, an animal, a spoiled brat, a mother, a lover, a goddess… Also through Seth’s guidance and suggestions I felt within very short spaces of time both my immense sorrow/yearning/pain and my immense joy/gratitude, realising how close to each other these seemingly opposites are. Today I feel a more solid belonging in the world, and a heightened awareness of the soles of my feet on the floor, like the earth, was more magnetic!” Maria
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