An Open Floor Movement Workshop
10-12 May 2024 ~ Newcastle, UK
Generally we grow up in cultures, family or societal where we are not encouraged to listen to and trust the impulse within us to be honest and authentic.
We will learn about this through our bodies, the dance floor.
Congruency is where we bring into focus the relational hungers of solitude, connection, belonging and spirit.
This workshop will take place at Northumbria University City Campus in Newcastle, ENGLAND - see below for information.
“Great workshop. Great music. Great people. The Enlivenment of Movement! With a tasty side serving of reflective conversation. So many gentle joyful faces bobbing to the beat. Deborah and Open Floor movement’s guidance is emotionally intelligent, no-nonsense, and straight to the point. Opened up playful movement opportunities in fresh ways. I feel inspired by her commitment to share the movement with everyone regardless of their background.”
Discover…
A welcoming environment to meet the messiness and mysteriousness that we sometimes are as relational beings.
How it feels when you are internally mismatched between your inner state and behaviours, and practice making new choices.
An increased confidence in your ability to be true to yourself and maintain this in relationship with others.
A perfect balance of excellently guided movement exercises with sufficient space and time for free expression through movement.
How having the choice to move towards or away is crucial for our own self-care and as a relational skill.
“Congruency was an excellently-facilitated workshop that offered a safe space within which to explore workshop themes through a thoughtful mix of small group exercises and freer open floor movement sessions. Having never tried open floor movement, this was an enjoyable, deeply powerful and freeing experience.”
Who the workshop is for
This workshop is open to all aged 18+ and to those who have an appreciation or curiosity for the inherent wisdom found in our somatic intelligence.
Experience Level: Beginners and advanced dancers are welcome. At least one class of an Embodied Movement Practice (eg. Open Floor, 5Rhythms®, or Movement Medicine) is recommended.
This workshop counts as 14 hours for the Open Floor Teacher Training.
Northumbria University City Campus, our venue
Our dance space
The Shape of Our Time Together
There will be time to move, reflect, and engage with others, both verbally and without words.
Each session will include time for dancing and will be taught in such a way as to encourage pacing yourself. There will be guided input from Deborah and space for your own free exploration.
The Practicalities
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10-12 May 2024
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Fri 7-9.30pm | Sat 10.30am-5.30pm | Sun 10.30am-4.30pm UK time
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Early Bird Price £120, extended to 12 April
Full Price £145, from 13 April
Friday Night Only Price £15/£10 concession
Solidarity payments: if you are able to contribute to a solidarity fund, to join with us so that we can offer places to those with less financial resources who want to attend, then please indicate this on the booking form.
Subsidised places - if you feel a strong call to join this group and your finances are significantly stretched there are two subsidised places available. Contact Rachel to apply: deeperdance5rhythms@gmail.com -
Northumbria University City Campus
Ellison Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
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We encourage travel by public transport and car sharing.
We aim to coordinate lift sharing and taxis amongst the participants.
Local travel information will be emailed to you directly after booking.
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We appreciate that this group is being offered within the context of continuing uncertainty around Covid.
The priority is that we can all arrive, relax and be in community and dance for each module, staying safe and well; to that end, we will implement smart and sensible practices for health and safety.
Requirements around testing will be informed by the wider formal health and safety guidance and we will make this clear before the workshop. It’s likely that we’ll ask everyone to do a lateral flow test before arrival.There is more information on the booking form about the cancellation policy and Covid.
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We recommend bringing:
Loose / comfortable clothing
Warm clothes
Refillable water bottle
Notebook and pen
Meet Deborah
Professionally, Deborah has been working in the field of movement and embodiment for 30+ years. She qualified as a Sesame Movement and Drama Therapist in her early 20s, soon broadening into the field of conscious movement and teaching 5Rhythms® for over 25 years. In 2014, she was one of a group of 15 Founding Teachers of Open Floor International (OFI) and in 2016 attended OFI’s Therapy in Motion training with Andrea Juhan and Irit Ziv-Ron. In 2023, she completed a Foundation Training with The Centre for Systemic Constellations.
She has a blended professional life, working online and in-person, with large groups, small groups, and one-to-one. Her respect for the wisdom of the creative body is incisive and contagious.
“I am committed to personal development, and nurturing individual and collective transformation….. I hold the teaching space with deep attentiveness, clear instruction, and an absolute delight and love of movement.”
“I liked the explanation of congruency and how the theme could be explored through movement. The guided exercises felt fun and playful, yet brought up deep-seated emotions and feelings during and after the workshop. I enjoyed simply having space to move on my own or with others at the start and end of the day.”
“I left with a heart opened joy and connective warmth for Deborah and the other movers……………I will be back to do some more”