Fluid Forms: An aquatic residential immersion (Feb 24)

In this 2-day residential workshop we will dive into some of our favorite principles of aquatic dance and contact improvisation. We will learn how to release, dissolve, and regather while finding the interplay between stability and fluidity. We will offer tools for developing adaptability, expanding sensitivity, and finding fluid integrity both in a 97° pool and on land.

Through solo, partner, and group scores we will:
* Introduce the basics of giving and receiving aquatic support,.
* Attune to sensing and moving different layers of our anatomical structure,
* Follow the chain of movement along fascial networks,
* Renegotiate the distribution of tension in our bodies,
* Find a sense of levity in relationship to gravity,
* Discover new pathways that emerge through weightlessness and disorientation,
* Experience more freedom in the body.

This workshop is for:
This workshop will be applicable to dancers, movement artists, bodyworkers, physical therapists, movement therapists, somatic therapists or anyone who is:
* curious about exploring the fluid mechanics of the body,
* wanting to be in their body in a more responsive and adaptable way
* wanting to find more fluidity in their partner dances
* Interested in developing their technique in aquatic dance

February 24-25th

Arrival 10am on Saturday, February 24th
Departure 5pm on Sunday February 25th

The retreat/workshop will be held at The inner Sanctum, Woodside. An oasis overlooking mountains and the pacific, and a large 98degree warm pool, as well as indoor spaces and different sleeping arrangements.

They are a variety of collective spaces to sleep, most equipped with queen beds.

We will offer dinner on Saturday, as well as breakfast and a light lunch for Sunday. We ask that you bring a light lunch for Saturday, and any snacks or specific dietary needs you may have during your stay. We have plenty of storage to store you food in the space. When you fill out the registration form, please notify us of any sensitivities, or allergens we should know about.

We will send out the location and directions with the confirmation email.

Asha (he/they) is an integrative bodyworker, aquatic therapist, SEP (somatic experiencing practioner), facilitator and dancer with a somatic oriented approach to guiding the body into functional fluidity. He strives towards presencing ever deepening levels of embodiment and somatic freedom and integrity. As a dancer/mover, his movement practice has been shaped by many influences, but is predominantly informed by Axis Syllabus, Contact Improvisation, functional movement, contemporary dance, Playfight and aquatic dance. Through his practice and teachings, he hopes to support the development of functional fluidity, a reliable connection to the ground, subtle listening, and presence in moments of disorientation.

Asha earned his BA from Hampshire College in integrative psychology, medical anthropology, and cognitive science, and his CMT from Mckinnon Body Therapy Center, and SEP. His passion for aquatic therapy led him to study Aguahara and Fluid Presence in Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. He is a certified DanceAbility teacher, Aguahara practitioner, Freediver. His somatic work is informed by his Somatic Experiencing Practitioner training and now Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry Method. He offers trauma-informed bodywork, and somatic experiencing sessions through the psychedelic-assisted-therapy clinic Sage Integrative Health in Berkeley, Ca, and co-facilitates legal psychedelic retreats in the Netherlands with Kiyumi.
Escolacqua.com

Kriss (they/she) is a contemporary movement artist, aquatic dancer, and interdisciplinary maker. Their love for disorientation has inspired them to dance suspended off bridges, free fall into the depths of the sea, and plummet into hundreds of bodies over the many years of practicing contact improvisation. Through their various movement muses, they are constantly asking, “ How can I be in the most available state to receive and respond to a constantly changing environment?”

Kriss is currently working as a freelance dancer and choreographer based out of Berlin and is an Axis Syllabus teacher candidate. Kriss graduated from Tanzfabrik Schule (2022) and holds a degree in Neurobiology Physiology and Behavior from the UC Davis (2014) and Expressive Arts Therapy from the Tamalpa Institute (2016). Their creative work has been received throughout the Bay Area and greater Northwest of the USA, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, France, and Germany. Their movement is inspired and informed by Contact Improvisation, Breaking and House, Axis Syllabus, Flying Low, and Free Diving. Kriss has performed and collaborated with various companies such as KD MovingGround, Piñata Collective, Scott Wells & Dancers, Footloose Presents, Artship, and Dugway Proving Ground, amongst others.
kristenrulifson.com