Tree Dancing Retreat
Climb trees with rope/harnesses
& Dance where gravity feels suspended
Facilitated by Nimble Arts & Mark Przekurat
June 14-16
Join an aerialist and arborist team for a unique outdoor workshop!
We will discover the freedom and joys of climbing trees with ropes/harnesses and dancing where gravity feels suspended. This is an experiential workshop intended to offer curious movers – aerialists, climbers, researchers, dancers, arborists, acrobats, explorers – an opportunity to ascend into a world of physical and personal discovery. We’ll teach you all the ropes you need to know, including physical and creative techniques while giving you space to explore at your own pace.
Lead Instructors:
- Tree Dancing/Aerialist: Serenity Smith Forchion from Nimble Arts
- Tree Climbing/Arborist: Mark Przekurat from Renaissance Acres Tree Care
The retreat will include practical and creative programming:
- Grounded meditation
- Tree anatomy
- Rigging instruction
- Equipment sampling
- Creative sharing
- Stretching & physical training
- Personal discovery time
- Opportunity to experience a variety of harnesses, rigging options and climbing tools
- A chance to learn about installing points for supported exploration on climbing lines that are safe for the tree and safe for you
This retreat includes Tree Dancing activities, plus on site lodging options and catered meals. In addition to Tree Dancing Sessions, you can look forward to swimming and boating in the lake, campfires, quiet alone time, walks in the woods, communal meals, and new friends.
Who is this Retreat for?
Age: 16 & up or by permission of instructor
Physical Prerequisites: Participants should be comfortable with general mobility requirements of a hike in the woods over uneven terrain with moderate exertion. If you have mobility or accessibility considerations, please connect with us to determine how we can best support you as participation in a group setting may not be appropriate for safety.
Health / Travel Insurance: We require all participants to have health insurance. We also recommend travel insurance in case you have any last-minute changes.
Climbing Gear: Saddles, Ropes, Helmets, Safety Glasses, ascending/descending options will all be provided. You may bring your own if you have these items and we teach gear inspection as part of the approval process.
Weather & Nature: Programming is out of doors but if there is inclement weather we’ll use alternative options to carry on. Bring gear for outdoor work – layers of clothing, wet weather gear, sunscreen, hat, bug spray, tick repellant.
Sample Schedule:
(actual schedule TBA)
Friday
Arrivals 10am-12pm
Orientation and Tour 12-1pm
Afternoon Session 1-4pm
Dinner 5:30-6:30pm
Evening Session 7:30-9pm
Saturday 8 am-9pm
Sunday 8 am-4pm
“I enjoyed the way the workshop was structured — with wonderful warm-ups and cool downs, time to gather inspiration. . .time to learn specific skills, and encouragement to play and explore on my own.”
– Tree Dancing Retreat Participant, 2022
“The Nimble Arts method is truly something Masterful and I am so grateful their progressions, safety awareness, and general way about learning was the groundwork for my Circus Career.”
– Vertical Harness Workshop Participant, 2022
“Learning from Serenity goes much deeper than incredible circus skills she is able to guide us into embodying… she holds space for personal transformation as artists cultivating creativity, and as humans moving through the world with integrity and love.”
– Vertical Harness Workshop Participant, 2023
About Nimble Arts
Nimble Arts was founded by identical twin aerialists Elsie Smith & Serenity Smith Forchion to create inventive works of theatrical circus. Their own performing resumes include duo swinging trapeze with Cirque du Soleil, aerials and acrobatics with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey, the Pickle Family Circus and many other circuses around the world including guest performances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. They are Bronze Medal winners at the Albacete Circus Festival, and received a Special Award at the invitational Wuqiao Circus Festival in China for their unique spinning duo trapeze act. Their Nimble Arts ensemble includes performers formerly with Cirque Eloize, Circa, Big Apple Circus, Pilobolus and others. Elsie & Serenity received the Vermont Governor’s Walter Cerf Excellence in the Arts Award and the American Circus Educators Excellence in Education Award. In 2007, Elsie & Serenity founded the New England Center for Circus Arts, now the leading circus school in the United States.
Retreat Location
WildHeart is located on 46+ beautiful acres in the Hudson Valley. Retreatants will have the option to stay in a single room, double room, dorm, or camping in either our main retreat center or in private two-bedroom cabins. All options have access to shared kitchens and bathrooms. Daily events will take place in the studio, shared common spaces, and outdoors. Retreatants are welcome to enjoy the lawns, walk in the forest, and swim and boat in the lake during their stay! More info about directions and transportation options HERE.
If you have any questions, concerns about pricing, or need assistance attending, please do not hesitate to reach out personally.
COVID Policy
With the re-emergence of COVID around the country, we are re-implementing some protocols to support the successful and safe participation of all our students. We will require covid testing before participation.
Note: If a student tests positive for COVID, they will not be allowed to participate. Additionally, there is no refund for illness, so it is highly recommended that you do what you can to prevent getting COVID before our workshop.
- Minimize your exposure before the workshop.
- Wear a mask in tight quarters or in public.
- Consider not attending crowded functions just prior to the workshop.
- Social distance
Registration
Course Size: We aim for a 1 to 6 teacher to student ratio. Workshop will be canceled up to 2 weeks prior to start if the minimum size is not reached.
Refund Policy: The first $250 of payment is a nonrefundable deposit. The fee minus the deposit is refundable up to 2 weeks before the first day of the workshop, after which time no refund will be given. Full refunds will be given if the workshop is canceled by the host due to under enrollment.
Retreat Cost:
Includes:
Housing
Food / Beverages
All guided Vertical Dance sessions
Use of all tree climbing / aerial equipment
WildHeart Access (45 acres of forest and fields, a private lake, studio space, and more!)
Single Room: $938
Double Room: $858
Dorm / Camping*: $798
*If you choose to camp, you’ll need to provide all of your own equipment and bedding. We have plenty of outdoor spots to camp in, including a large field by the private lake. If you’d like to “indoor camp,” then you can bring all your own bedding and set it up in the studio. If you sleep in the studio, you’ll need to move your bedding each morning so the studio can be used for the retreat during the day. All campers have access to indoor shared kitchens and bathrooms in the main Guest House.
