​HOLISTIC RETREATS
AND JOURNEYS
SANDRA ANAIS
Sandra is a founder of DANCE ECOLOGY
Dance ecology, in addition to build a bridge between nature and culture through dance, also aims to expand the perception of contemporary dance practices in spiritual and emotional sense and encourages to revitalize forgotten wisdom of sacred traditions and bring them back in to dance education.
It also raises the awareness of the need to transform the man through body work and through revival of poetic discourse and interdisciplinarity within different artistic practices.
Sandra Anais, the culturologist and artist from Slovenia - works, researches and develops programs in the field of dance, which she understands as an interdisciplinary field of artistic, scientific and spiritual practice.
She is active as a dancer, teacher, facilitator, organizer and coordinator of the festivals. She is currently exploring the physical practices of other cultures, embodiment of thoughts & emotions, site-specific performative practices and Nomadism in relation with urban rituals, New Age practices and creation of urban communities / tribes.
She studied Contemporary dance, Contact Improvisation, dance improvisation, Horton technique, Jazz Ballet for more than 15 years with renowned pedagogues in Slovenia, Great Britain at LABAN, China, Austria and Georgia. In the field of dance and improvisation she was teaching in Slovenia, India, Indonesia - Bali, Vietnam and Croatia. She is also integrating knowledge of Kundalini & Dynamic Meditation, Dance Movement Therapy, Authentic Movement, Dervish and other practices into dance education. Sandra is also a licensed Pilates instructor.
MORE: http://sandraanaisvidim.wix.com/dance-ecology
When something is new to us, we treat it as an experience.
We feel that our senses are awake and clear.
We are alive.
Jasper Johns
KUNDALINI MEDITATION / MOVEMENT SESSIONS
Through light and soft shaking of the body, joyful dancing and observing your mind, we will work on awakening and raising Kundalini and use that energy for creation.
Practice involves lots of breathing that will encourage circulation of the blood and awaken all the cells in the body. For the blood to do its work properly, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing.
Meditations ends with conscious relaxation that should help in relaxing stiff muscles.
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“Memories establish the past;
Senses perceive the present;
Imaginations shape the future.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut
Photo by Michael Cornege
EMBODYING ARCHETYPES - DANCE IMPROVISATION / MOVEMENT SESSIONS
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In this session Sandra integrates various exercises from yoga, contemporary dance, contact dance and authentic movement. Participants will get the tools for dance improvisation and contact improvisation, such as: different qualities of movement (connected, disconnected movement patterns, stable and off balance movement...), awareness of anatomic limitations of body and how to work with that in creative way, how to initiate organic movement according to anatomic limitations, how to stimulate movement through touch, awareness of movement habits, opening of senses, following the body centers in space and in partnering, following inner impulses, reading - following - adjusting to “ one body experience” in contact, building up the awareness of “in between space in dance improvisation and how to work with that. In last part we analyze selected archetypes through watching videos, where this archetypes are embodied in different ways (through dance, sport, art, movement- basically body). Session leads to collective improvised dance, where every individual can express archetypes through different creative mediums individually, in pairs or in a group.
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What are archetypes?
Archetypes are universal behavior patterns. And once we recognize them, they can be a perfect tool for self research and inspiring material for creation. The word archetype was constructed by Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. He was researching human unconsciousness by dividing it to personal and collective unconsciousness. He compared collective unconscious with a big reservoir of deep wisdom of all humanity that is inherited by each individual. It is made of archetypes, which are more or less the same in all people, no matter from what cultural background they come, that is why they are universal. Archetypes are general symbols, that cant be seen in direct forms, but we can get access to them through art, mythology, religion, dreams and creative activity. Jung had an opinion that the most authentic part of human personality, its core and content can be understood only intuitively and through symbols. Archetypes are very much alive and present also in a contemporary society. If we dive deeper into stories, fairy tales and films, we can find out that they are full of archetypes and if we compare myths from different nations and cultures, we can find similar elements that are repeating. Jung already described many basic archetypes, such as : archetype of mother, father, wise man, god, child, magic power,birth, rebirth, death, hero...We all have access to archetypes, which are hidden in our subconscious. The doors are dreams, imagination or creative activity.
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BENEFITS :
- it builds greater responsiveness and skillfulness in unpredictable situations in life, where improvisation is needed
- it improves diversity of organic movement styles, subtlety and articulation of movements
- it improves theatricality and the way of balancing inner emotional states
- it improves use and recognition of non - verbal communication
- it builds greater awareness of universal archetypes we all live and how to use this knowledge in every day life
- it improves your power of expression
- it widens your perception and imagination
- it builds greater understanding of psychological processes through direct embodied experience
- it improves diversity of organic movement styles
- it improves creative process of character building and analysis (for actors and performers)
Why is it important to work with embodiment of archetypes?
We can understand and interpret archetypes with our mind (left brain). But working through body - movement - can bring us to more holistic experience, deeper understanding. When you recognize archetypes within yourself, bring them to awareness and embody them, they get special place within your soul. In this way you can release them, so they can start living or you let them die, when their shadow part is threatening your further development and fulfillment of purpose. This is how illusions about ourselves die, how expectations, greed to posses only “bright sides of life” die. This is one of the ways that help us experience rebirth and to let ourselves, to become something new every day - something that we always already were deep inside. This is how we can avoid getting trapped in identifications. When we work with embodiment of archetypes, we somehow unravel complex and difficult features of our natures. When we dance our archetypes, we recognize our weaknesses, habits and automated movements. In this way we better understand them and we can also change them if we want.
DANCE VIDEOS CREATED WITH YOUNG ARTISTS, INSPIRED BY WORKING WITH ARCHETYPES
ARCHETYPES
THE ESSENCE OF THE UNKNOWN
THE REBEL
this video was selected to be presented at Danca en Foco - international video&dance festival in Rio De Janeiro - Brazil
CONTACT DANCE / MOVEMENT SESSIONS with Goran Bogdanovski
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the most democratic way of dancing and relating to people and a pathway to profound intimacy
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Contact Dance is offering a training of perception (of self, others, group) on physical, mental and emotional level, by translating information gathered through opening the senses (touch, gaze, voice, smell and taste) into movement and dance. It offers open space for experiental learning and understanding of non- verbal communication and direct confrontation with others. Instead of repeating steps and form, with improvisation you will learn how to find creativity in free expression and fluidity of your body and in connection to your partner and group. With entering into the unknown, you will sharpen your intuition and ability of spontaneous decision-making. Contact Dance demands instant presence, mindfulness and curiosity and awakens unconsciousness. It immediately confronts you with body sensations in way that you shut down your mind and surrender to intuitive guidance of inner impulses. You will develop personal perspective and vision of what means human contact today.
Teaching Topics
opening and sharpening the senses (touch, gaze, voice, smell and taste)
developing conscious body, trust and confidence for contact
how to listen, feel and invite partner into dance without using force, push & pull
flow of actions - interplay of control and surrender
improvisation as a dance of presence
improvisation and creativity in every day life
PRINCIPLES
Bringing intimacy to the fore. What does intimacy really mean to you? What kind of touch is sacred and who do you let touch you?
Using and exploring others people's bodies
...but not abusing! To unleash more authentic movement and positive vibrations.
Light Movement
Don't grab, don't pull, don't use force...
But rather propose, suggest and invite.
Feel rather than think
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Letting go. Surrendering.
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Challenge yourself and others - go beyond your limitations.
Photo by Duong Tran Quoc
PERSONAL COSMOLOGY / GUIDED CONVERSATIONS with Sandra Anais
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You will be guided to have different kind of conversation than usual, conversation that is differing from socially negotiated reality. In every day life we have a habit to follow social contracts and we use so called "small talk" to socialize and to get accepted. With Personal Cosmology we will exercise active listening and appreciation without judgments. We will converse, without discussing and instead of commenting and having opinion, we will try to understand other's people personal cosmologies, their inner worlds.
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