with Amy Morrow

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WE INVITE YOU TO MOVE WITH PLEASURE

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We engage in creative problem-solving and expression to learn from each other and our bodies as our teachers about pleasure, communication, resiliency, adaptability, compassion, and vitality.

 

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WHEN IS OUR WORKSHOP RETREAT?

 

Three retreats for three seasons. For the fourth season, we rest. 

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X | Dec 6-8, 2024 | Falling 

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Y | Feb 7-9, 2025 | Wintering 

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Z  | TBA | Springing

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Three days to dive in:

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FRI | 3 pm - 7 pm

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SAT | 12 pm - 4 pm

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SUN |  12 pm - 4 pm

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WHO IS THE WORKSHOP FOR?

 

All of you with a desire to move and an interest in human development from divergent experiences, ages, and abilities. Professional dancers and movers of all levels are welcome. The more diverse, the more we learn. 

 

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WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AT WOOD HAVEN:

 

Our host is Wood Haven ATX ( 11008 Tangleridge Circle, Austin, TX, 78736) a private studio and sacred space in the woods of SW Austin. The studio floor is the finest wood, and there are big windows but no mirrors. Mirrors spoil the soul. On breaks, we congregate on the back porch. You can enjoy fresh rainwater to drink, tea from my garden, or hot cocoa for your delight. Sometimes we have a bonfire and look at the stars. Parking is free. Our neighbors across the fence and grove of trees are horses, donkeys, and deer.

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WHAT YOU CAN NOT EXPECT FROM OUR PRACTICE:

 

You won’t get everything the first time, or the 100th time. This way it is more fun! We don’t practice static workouts because being an expert in only one great system creates even greater deficiencies. We are not machines. We are human. The chaos of life is also what makes it beautiful. The fleeting nature of dance is what makes our time together meaningful. Learn to trust your intuition and non-linear ways of learning. We learn more together by asking questions and experimenting with how we can teach without a teacher. I will guide the sessions, propose ideas, and offer my 20 years of movement research, but ultimately your body is your teacher and it is up to you what you bring and what you get out of our session together. I am excited when the “student” surpasses the “master” and our multi-generational practice continues beyond what I could imagine.

 

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WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM OUR PRACTICE:

 

X, Y, and Z are coordinates to coordinate how we navigate life around our axis and find our way back to ourselves through each season of life. 

 

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X - kinetic cleaning

Session 1 of pleasure and play

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We are guided through personal somatic practices with Amy Morrow using tools inspired by fighting monkey, cultivating qi, gaga, and Feldenkrais, with inspiration from Jesse Zaritt, Deborah Hay, Kira Blazek, Jason Akira Somma, and most importantly, each other.

 

• We challenge our speed, dynamic variability

• We are body-positive and pleasure activists - there is no shaming

• Weaknesses are opportunities for growth and deeper understanding

• What is your biological makeup, physicality, and personal expression?

• How does your solo practice bring you back to a baseline, a zero point, or a balance of kinesthetic potential?

• What is the unique experience of being yourself in your body?

• We rest and digest the research

 

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Y - Anthropological art of hugging

Session 2 of partner dancing

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We play with partner dancing and group dancing as a vehicle for communication through movement situations. We explore the anthropological art of hugging.

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• The ancient art of hugging embodies the conversational nature of reality. It teaches us how we as evolutionary beings communicate through presence, pressure, and play - to affirm kindness and security and neutralize hostility.

• As an animal on two feet, our arms have more creativity, speed, nuance, dexterity, and lighten our torso to move the pelvis and free our dancing feet!

• Together we embrace the unknown and each other and dance. Embrace, stemming from the Latin root "Em" meaning "here you are," and brace from "braccia" meaning "arm." Here we are, arms wide open. When life is complex, find complexus (Latin noun for embrace). Bring it on!

• Everyone has the option and agency to modify or adapt these games to their comfort level with boundaries, communication, and consent

• What is consent? A verbal or non-verbal yes means yes and no means no - clarity is liberating and kind

• Movement situations test our problem-solving strategies through playful games that keep us young and aging gracefully

• We rest and digest the research

 

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Z - World-Making Travelers

Session 3 of integration

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We connect what we find artistically to our daily lives and areas of interest. Showing up is the show - when you find an end, the game is to begin again. This is our XYZ Practice. *bring a pen and paper

 

• We compose and create our emotional journey as both the mapmaker and the traveler

• You are a world maker - shape and be shaped by your dance

• How is the voice a fifth appendage that opens channels inside the body and reaches past where the body can?

• How do you sound yourself? What is the truest sound to your voice and the harmonization of your joints?

• Writing is a vehicle for dance and dance is a vehicle for drawing.

• Change how you see and sing and it will change the dance, and the dance will change you.

• How do you find an internal desire to go from XYZ to ABC and begin again?

• How do you practice returning to your practice and what keeps you inspired to keep showing up for yourself?

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WHEN CAN I ARRIVE?

 

The studio opens 20 minutes before we begin. Come stretch, get settled, make tea, and tour the grounds. 

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No late entry.  Early is on time and on time is late. If you arrive 5 after, the ship has sailed.

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WHY THREE DAYS AND THREE SEASONS?

 

We choose to gather for four days because four hours is a full practice and we want to have time to socialize and continue the conversation before and after. Instead of one long day, we invite you to leave the city, come to the woods, and allow your body to process and integrate the information. Then, go home and sleep! When we rest, that's when the real learning begins. Dreaming in REM sleep creates crucial connections for neuroplasticity and we are here for it! 

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CAN I COME ONLY ONE DAY?

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There are a limited number of day passes available.

 

We build a full journey through the weekend. If you come for only one day, it will just be a nice taste, but wouldn't you rather have the full meal? You deserve more than a treat. A retreat should nourish you.

 

Most people who sign up for one day enjoy it so much that they cancel the rest of their weekend plans and attend the entire time. If you register for the entire retreat ahead of time the first time you will save money and thank yourself.

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WHY ONE EACH SEASON AND NOT WEEKLY?

 

We believe in daily personal practices and rituals. It makes it a richer experience when we come back together. A weekly class can be challenging to step away from the grind. We like the practicality of a module format so when returning for a full weekend, we get to dive deeper into what could be a transformational journey. If you want to join an invite-only open weekly practice, write Amy (amy@thetheorists.org). We also value a practice that mirrors cyclical seasonal living with a few months in between each season so participants and hosts have time to process their life experiences and bring new perspectives into the room when we gather again. 

 

 

CAN I ATTEND ONLINE?

 

This retreat is only in person. We do not offer a hybrid option at this time so everyone can be fully present in the room. 

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We do offer online courses complete with audio, video, and written materials.

To register please visit www.thetheorists.org/calendar or email amy@thetheorists.org. 

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