Introduction

Rooted in the idea that dance should be everybody’s skill and practice, Dancing Body invites all humans to step out of their everyday armours and learn how to drop into the groove of the rhythm, the music and the space.

Dance is the most universal language of them all. The world has seen hundreds of dance styles. Each with its own rhythm, groove, sentiment and emotion. As human beings, in one way or another, we’ve been gathering to dance for more than 9000 years. With that in mind, dance could be seen as the oldest living language amongst us. When words fail us, what can’t be spoken, can be expressed at great volumes through movement. Our emotions, passions, compassions, understandings and misunderstandings. It’s a global language. A language of inner and outer sensation. Putting the dance at the centre of why we gather, or why we unite allows for our consciousness to raise to the same spiritual or energetic level, similar to when we are on the same communicational or social level if we speak the same language.

Connection

How truly connected are we? To ourselves, to others, to the nature, to the immediate surrounding and the world? In an increasingly divided and over saturated world of ‘things’ , it’s hard not to notice that ‘being connected’ is becoming more and more vague of a concept. We see dance as an inescapable route of connecting and connectivity. Dance provides physical connection giving us deep feelings of calm, enlivenment and togetherness. To dance is to connect with our bodies, our energy, our edges, our selves, beings, music, space. To dance is to connect to the rhythm of the music, the rhythm of your body pulse, and the rhythm of the collective energy. But, to connect to the body we sometimes need to disconnect from the mind. Can we train our mind to step aside and/or serve our body?

The body is a vessel, a language and a voice. It’s a medium. At the heart of it all. A frequency. Vibration. The body with which we dance and have been dancing for thousands of years. The body that craves attention but is outshined by the mind ever so often. The body that’s our horse and mind our rider. The body that often cannot resist to move to the rhythm and the beat. The body that guides.

The flow of the weekend

Taking inspiration from the culture of British festivals and the continuously evolving ideas of retreats, Dancing Body places itself at the cross of the two concepts. Our idea originates in the desire to merge the buzz of a festival and the pace of a retreat to create a safe space for humans to connect to themselves and others through dance.

Last year the dance class line up featured the likes of: forro, zouk, swing, vouging, belly dancing, afro, ecstatic dance, 5rhythms and contact improv. This year we’re bringing fresh new styles + expanding the range of dance styles across the schedule, giving you more freedom to explore what moves you most. Friday evening is a cabaret show full of surprises while Saturday we go into the wildness of a club night, where we get into our bodies’ rhythm, our new collective freedom, with new moves, new friends and absolutely incredible DJs.

On the wellness side of things, expect yoga classes, sound healing, and multiple massage therapists, so whenever you need a breather from dancing, there’s space to rest, reset, and reconnect. You’ll also have the chance to unwind in the wood-fired sauna, followed by a refreshing plunge in the pond. Sauna sessions are available to book separately.

The farm will be serving good food daily to nourish our moving and breathing bodies, there is a cafe with warm and delicious drinks. In the evenings, the bar will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Accommodation:

Camping is welcome, and free, of course! Camper vans and live-in vehicles are welcome and also free! There’s showers and compost toilets near the camping field and normal toilets near the dance barns. Fully equipped bell tents can be booked through the Headfirst ticket link.
Bell tents are 2-4 people.

The wish

We wish that we all leave this gathering more connected to our own body, with love and respect for its intricacies and uniqueness. That we have been so present and stimulated by music and physical expression that a joy is within our skin - an ecstasy. That we have found new ways to move, found new people to move with. Learnt how to connect to our own energetic body and to mix and mingle with other energetic bodies. And may there be many a dance floor epiphanies!