ecstatic danceAlchemy of Oneness: Sacred Dance & the Third Force
Alchemy of Oneness: Sacred Dance & the Third Force at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa — Phoenicia
HAND-PICKED EXPERIENCES
Editor's Picks
Curated events selected by the BrightStar team — transformational gatherings worth your time.
12 events curated
ecstatic dance
ecstatic danceAlchemy of Oneness: Sacred Dance & the Third Force at Menla
Alchemy of Oneness: Sacred Dance & the Third Force at Menla at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa — Phoenicia
ecstatic danceDance Your Bliss
Dance Your Bliss is a three-day expressive movement workshop grounded in psychotherapy and neuroscience. Led by Rachel Fleischman, the program integrates somatic practice, guided imagery, kinetic writing, and contemplative movement to address stored emotions and cultivate presence. Participants work with breath and embodied awareness to reshape neural pathways toward greater ease and aliveness. The method combines movement exploration with artistic expression and self-inquiry, offering tools for emotional regulation, creative unfolding, and reconnection with vitality. No prior dance experience is required.
ecstatic danceMagnitude, Mayhem, and Monstrosity
A five-day workshop at Esalen Institute led by Andrea Juhan and Vic Cooper that invites participants to work consciously with large, difficult energies—rage, fear, grief, urgency—rather than suppressing or being overwhelmed by them. The program uses guided movement, music, and art-making to channel intensity into expressive and creative form. Rooted in choice, consent, and gradation, the space remains clearly facilitated and well-contained. Participants are invited to choose their own pace, proximity to others, and level of engagement. The offering acknowledges contemporary conditions of pressure and overwhelm, and suggests that these energies, when met with care and awareness, can become sources of aliveness and creative power. Sessions include time for grounding and integration alongside movement exploration.
ecstatic danceInto the Field of Possibility: Meeting Your Essence Through Dance
Dance sits at the root of human ritual and healing across cultures. This five-day residential retreat at Esalen Institute invites participants to move beyond the constraints of inhibition and judgment, using the body as a primary teacher. Through an integration of conscious movement, sound work, and time spent on the Esalen grounds—including access to the natural hot springs—the program creates conditions for nervous system recalibration and genuine self-discovery. The work is grounded in the premise that the body holds its own wisdom, and that when given permission to move authentically, participants often find clarity about their place in the world and their unique creative gifts. Led by Jovinna Chan, an experienced yoga teacher and conscious dance facilitator, the retreat draws on approaches that emphasize inquiry, breath, and the reciprocal relationship between individual practice and community presence.
ecstatic danceHallucinarium at Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh
Hallucinarium at Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh at Royal Highland Centre — Edinburgh
ecstatic danceLiberated Expression Through Dance
At Kripalu, dance becomes a gateway to authentic expression and inner attunement. Led by faculty member Yuval Samburski, this three-day program invites participants to reconnect with the natural rhythms of their bodies and souls, moving beyond the mental habits and self-judgment that often constrain authentic movement. Through YogaDance practices, creative exploration, and embodied work, participants learn to listen to their own unique cadence, free from overthinking or concern for external validation. The program balances dynamic movement sessions with grounding yoga classes, nourishing meals, and time on Kripalu's spacious grounds. By the closing day, participants return to their lives with a restored sense of physical freedom, clearer energetic presence, and a deepened relationship to their own inner choreography.
ecstatic danceLiberated Expression Through Dance
Movement carries its own intelligence. When the body is given permission to respond to rhythm without judgment or planning, something shifts. This three-day residential program, led by Kripalu faculty member Yuval Samburski, invites participants to move beyond self-consciousness and into authentic expression through dance, yoga, and somatic practices. The work centers on releasing the grip of overthinking, reconnecting with the body's natural rhythms, and discovering what emerges when the mind steps aside. Through daily movement sessions, yoga classes, and structured explorations, participants learn to access the freedom and clarity that embodied dance offers. The program is designed for those ready to shed inhibitions and meet themselves with curiosity rather than criticism.
ecstatic danceAncestor Ceremony Dance Day — One Day Retreat with Jade Sanchez
Ancestor Ceremony Dance Day — One Day Retreat with Jade Sanchez at Anza Retreat Center — Asheville
ecstatic danceVela Retreat — Dance Intensive with Jade Sanchez
Vela Retreat — Dance Intensive with Jade Sanchez at Anza Retreat Center — Asheville
ecstatic dancePhDJ: An Immersion in Movement + Sound with Tasha Blank at Menla
PhDJ: An Immersion in Movement + Sound with Tasha Blank at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa — Phoenicia
ecstatic danceSoul Motion®: Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance
Soul Motion is a formless dance practice that integrates conscious movement, body-based inquiry, and natural stillness into a process of embodied exploration. Led by Zuza and Scott Engler, this six-day workshop at Esalen Institute invites participants to reclaim the body in motion as a gateway to deeper presence and understanding. The practice weaves together passionate full-bodied movement, mindful inner work, art-making, and periods of quiet rest. Participants move alone, in pairs and small groups, and collectively, sometimes indoors and sometimes in the landscapes of Big Sur. The week emphasizes how movement becomes a doorway to authentic relating, to one's inner life, and to the mysterious dimensions of existence. Through varied music and silence, through dance and meditation, through paired exploration and group witness, participants cultivate skills for stress reduction, resilience, and genuine presence. The workshop proves especially valuable for those in healing professions seeking to deepen their capacity to hold space for others.