Contact Improv Sundays @ WildHeart
2024-11-03 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-10-20 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-10-06 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-09-15 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-09-01 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-08-18 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-08-04 16:00 - 18:30, 2024-07-21 16:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) and 4 more dates
Contact Improv Sundays @ WildHeart

First and Third Sundays

4:00-6:30pm (2nd and 4th Sundays in Kingston!)

BYO dinner for a studio-floor picnic afterward

CI Lab 4-5pm (with rotating teachers)

Open Jam 5-6:30pm

Register in advance

Or if you prefer to pay cash at the door, send us an email to let us know you’re coming, so we can help you find your way to the studio.

Overnight guests welcome (with advance notice). Let us know if you want to make a longer visit to WildHeart… email contact@wildheartcenter.art

Weeks that we’re not Jamming @ WildHeart, Hudson Valley Contact Improv continues in Kingston. Email Hudsonvalleycontactimprov@gmail.com for more on the Kingston Jam

Location- This workshop will take place in the Barn. If you’re coming to WildHeart for the first time, please visit our Directions page for arrival info. Refund policy No refunds, no transfers

Vocal Tapestry: Fall Class Series
2024-10-28 19:00 - 20:00
Connect to your creative spirit. Trust the flow of your imagination through vocal improvisation. Dive into the unique expression of your voice while thrilling your soul in a thriving community. This class series will teach you to tap into your creative essence through the building blocks of improvisation.

Vocal Tapestry is a safe and fun space to weave together principles of spontaneous composition, such as rhythm, melody, and dynamics. Each week, we will play games and learn practices that focus on a specific element of vocal improvisation to develop your awareness, skills, and confidence.

Sign up for the entire 8 week series, or drop in for individual classes.

October 28 – Vocal Tapestry: MelodyNovember 4 – Vocal Tapestry: RhythmNovember 11 – Vocal Tapestry: HarmonyNovember 18 – Vocal Tapestry: Language + WordplayNovember 25 – Vocal Tapestry: DynamicsDecember 2 – Vocal Tapestry: SongcatchingDecember 9 – Vocal Tapestry: CirclesingingDecember 16 – Vocal Tapestry: Weaving the Tapestry

Unboundaried Voice – from Laughter to Lament
2024-10-17 12:00 - 2024-10-20 16:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
Join Marya Lowry in this beautiful setting for an exuberant exploration of your Unboundaried Voice. Deepen your connection to your whole Self, your passions, and your ability to express them artfully through your journey from Laughter to Lamentation.

Facilitated by: Myra Lowry

The Poetry of Human Encounter: An Introduction to Biodanza
2024-10-10 19:00 - 21:30
Biodanza is a form of human development that uses dance, music, movement and ritual to embody the deep humanity we wish to root in our selves and our community. It is an antidote to the less than kind, less than healthy, culture that we presently live in. Biodanza is an invitation for each individual to cultivate “Vivencia” – the experience of being fully and joyfully alive in the moment with our community. Biodanza encourages us to rekindle our connection to self, others and the world through dancing the simple and beautiful gestures of everyday life, including circles, walking, taking hands, encounters, hugs, touch, caress, witnessing, rhythm and joy. From the state of awareness experienced in Vivencia, we can weave dances of simple and profound presence. In Vivencia, we can open ourselves to passionate and blissful dialogues of sacredness, humility, and humanity. In the moving poetry of our encounters, we can rediscover the joy and profound grace of being alive… together! Biodanza is not about any form of proficiency. It is a personal and cultural transformative practice for everyone who yearns to really live. Biodanza is for proficient dancers and people who still think they cannot dance.

Come dance with us!

BIPOC spotsWe are offering 2 free spots for BIPOC folx. Please email contact@wildheartcenter.art to get the registration code for one of these spots.

Biodanza is an invitation to cultivate the experience of “Vivencia” — the ability to be profoundly present to experiencing life in each moment.

Biodanza encourages us to explore the gestures and embodied vocabulary of Vivencia, letting us rekindle our connection to self, others, and the world. Biodanza uses the simple and beautiful movements of everyday living, including circles, taking hands, encounters, hugs, touch, caress, witnessing, rhythm, and joy. In service to the experience of Vivencia, we weave dances of simple and profound presence. We open ourselves to passionate and blissful dialogues of sacredness, humility, and humanity. In the moving poetry of dance, we rediscover the joy and profound grace of being alive… together! Biodanza is not about any form of proficiency. It is a personal and cultural transformative practice using dance and ritual for everyone who yearns to really live. Biodanza is for proficient dancers and people who still think they cannot dance.

Biodanza was created in the 1960s by the Chilean anthropologist and psychologist Rolando Toro Araneda. The Biodanza system is now found in 54 countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, India, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia, Japan, South Africa, United States, Ireland and Russia.

Schedule

Workshop from 7-9:30 pmOption to stay overnight at WildHeart before or after – come early or stay late. Reach out to us at contact@wildheartcenter.art to confirm your stay.

Who is it for?

Anyone who wishes to be fully alive, more deeply connected to self, others, and the world. For dancers, and non-dancers, Biodanza is not about any form of proficiency.

Testimonials

“I’ve danced my whole life. Biodanza is the heart of everything meaningful in dance, and truly it is the heart of what it means to be alive. Our local facilitator is a profound and gifted teacher, who conveys and transports us to rare realms of experience.” ~ DG

“Meeting biodanza was love at first sight. A love that I will never part with. It keeps shifting the way I perceive and live my everyday life in a revolutionary way.” ~ CS

Refund Policy

In advance of 1 week – full refund (less processing fee)

Within 1 week – no refund

This policy stands even in case of sickness so we encourage participants to plan accordingly.

COVID Policy

Please respect each other by staying home if you are feeling ill with any Covid or flu symptoms, or have tested positive and do not meet the CDC guidelines for resuming contact with others.

Moving Together
2024-09-19 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-12 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-05 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-08-29 18:00 - 20:00
Cost: Sliding fee suggested at $15- $25

Payable by Venmo or cash

NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

To reserve ahead, Venmo @Courtney-Moreno-10 or email morenocourtney@gmail.com

Thursday, August 15: Make A Dance

Chris Black (she/her) leads a warm-up, then guides a collaborative and playful process of dance-making, culminating in a short piece we will perform for ourselves. Emphasis on crafting movement as creative/theatrical expression versus technical training.

Thursday, August 22: Riffing On A Phrase

Jerylann Warner (she/her) leads a contemporary-based warm-up followed by the introduction of a phrase to share, including prompts to exercise creativity and individual style.

Thursday, August 29: Floorwork & Inversions

Courtney Moreno (she/they) leads an exploratory mix of improvisatory as well as taught phrases, featuring floorwork and inversions, to dive into techniques for landing softly and traveling smoothly.

Thursday, September 5: Make Another Dance

Chris Black (she/her) leads a warm-up, then guides a collaborative and playful process of dance-making, culminating in a short piece we will perform for ourselves. Emphasis on crafting movement as creative/theatrical expression versus technical training. (Material, prompts, and structure will be different from and unrelated to August 8 class.)

Thursday, September 12: Release Technique (or something like it)

Courtney Moreno (she/her) leads a class designed to examine the weight of our limbs, pelvis, head, and so on, and connect the release of that weight to momentum and phrasework.

Thursday, September 19: Beginning Ballet

Jordan Fleet (they/them) leads a slow warm-up introducing basic ballet techniques and positions. Ballet is strict but this class is about exploring the in-between moments of breath, personal expression and connecting to the music you can find in between all of the rules.

Cost: Sliding fee suggested at $15- $25

Payable by Venmo or cash

NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

To reserve ahead, Venmo @Courtney-Moreno-10 or email morenocourtney@gmail.com

Somatic Movement Education Program - Ligamentous & Fascial Module
2024-09-17 16:00 - 2024-09-27 11:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
LIGAMENTOUS & FASCIAL- 9/17 – 9/27/24 (days off 9/22 & 9/23)Arrivals, orientation and welcome dinner 9/17. Morning Departures 9/27/24

Fascia provides the tensegrity matrix of the whole body. It wraps around all other structures as one continuous spiraling, multilayered, and multidimensional network of expansive sheaths, enclosed containers and specialized attachments. These specialized attachments are the ligaments. The ligaments set the boundaries of movement between the bones. They coordinate and guide muscular responses by directing the path of movement between the bones and provide specificity, clarity, and efficiency for the alignment and movement of the bones. When all of the ligaments of a joint are actively engaged, the movement of that joint becomes highly specific and is carried effortlessly to surrounding and successive joints. Fascia supports the psychophysical quality of micromovements of condensing and expanding consciousness without specific content within the embracing context of unity. The ligaments support the psychophysical quality of detailed specificity.

Somatic Movement Education Program - Organs Module
2024-09-06 16:00 - 2024-09-16 11:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
ORGANS 9/6 – 9/16/2024 (days off 9/11 & 9/12)Arrivals, orientation and welcome dinner 9/6, Morning departures 9/16 (day off if you’re staying for Ligaments and Fascia…)

Our organs are vital and alive. They provide us with our sense of self, full-bodiedness, and organic authenticity. Organs are the contents within the skeletal-flesh container and carry on the functions of our internal survival — breathing, nourishment and elimination. Organs are the primary habitats or natural environments of our emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner reactions to our personal and social histories. They support our postural tone and our feelings, and give volume to our movement.

Vocal Tapestry Retreat
2024-08-16 14:00 - 2024-08-18 16:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
Your voice is a valuable thread to the fabric of humanity. At the VOCAL TAPESTRY RETREAT, you’ll get to share the music that lives in you, and weave in vocal improvisation practices to add to your treasure trove of self-discovery and creative fulfillment.I’ll share techniques that I have synthesized from my studies with Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, Meredith Monk, Música do Círculo, theater improv, folk music, hip-hop freestyle, sound healing, archetypes, chakras, somatic experiencing, and mindfulness practices.Immerse yourself in the frequency of your most expansive self, through the voice.

Facilitated by: Onome

Myofascial Release in Voice and Contact Improvisation
2024-08-02 14:00 - 2024-08-04 17:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
This Body-Mind Centering® retreat will offer an introduction to the fascial system through the practices of vocalization and contact improvisation. We will explore the principles and qualities of fascia, celebrate the connectivity in our bodies, and unwind myofascial tension.

Facilitated by: Nicole Bindler and Elissa Weinzimmer

Performance: The Desire for Immortality
2024-08-01 19:00 - 21:30
“Desire for Immortality” composer Sasha Bogdanowitsch, performing in WildHeart’s Barn.

“The Desire For Immortality” is a theatrical summer ritual where you, as the audience, together with the artists and performers, plant many seeds of ideas and stories in the beautiful gardens, forests, and lake of the WildHeart. Don’t miss this unique event—come and experience this artistic theatrical ritual where we embrace and share the power and beauty of art with one another.

The story can be read as a homosexual relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. But whenyou dive deeper into the story, you encounter timeless questions and discover the narrativeblueprint of our contemporary (popular) storytelling culture. The common thread throughout thistale, about the connection of the “civilized” modern human with (the wild) pristine nature, wasthe impetus to take on the challenge of designing a sensory performance tailored to the gardensof WildHeart. Thursday, August 1, at 7:00 PM is the result of this two week performance research process.

Last summer’s show at WildHeart

Belgian queer theatermaker Pascal Buyse is fascinated by the story of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest stories of humanity, follows the mortal hero Gilgamesh onhis quest for identity after the death of his friend (lover) Enkidu. His journey leads him through untapped riches and offers opportunities for reflection on the fleeting nature of life. This timeless theme of humanity’s desire to transcend death echoes through the ages.

The Desire for Immortality - An Artistic Exploration of the Fear of Life's Transience - Part 2 Crafting / Rehearsing / Performing
2024-07-29 14:00 - 2024-08-02 16:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
During this two-week artistic research workshop and performance project with Brussels Theater Director Pascal Buyse we will explore how ‘immortality and the human urge to transcend death’ influence our modern-day life and today’s connection with nature. By connecting mystical tales from the past with today’s connection with nature, we explore together the deeper layers of the theme of impermanence and how it resonates throughout the ages. The project will culminate in a performance open to the public on August 1st at WildHeart.

The Desire for Immortality - An Artistic Exploration of the Fear of Life's Transience - Part 1 Research / Creating / Devising
2024-07-22 14:00 - 2024-07-25 16:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States

Infant Developmental Movement Education
2024-07-10 09:00 - 2024-07-21 18:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
with Amy Matthews and Sarah Barnaby

The Infant Developmental Movement Educator program is a child-centered and relationship-centered approach to observing and facilitating infants, and educating parents and caregivers about touch, movement and handling in the first year of life.

This program is designed to train people to evaluate and facilitate normal development in infants using an embracing, child-centered approach.

In this training, participants will learn:

the layering of movement patterns that leads to typical ‘developmental milestones’

how to observe infants and see ‘normal movement pattern’ development

how to hold and handle infants, to support their movement experiences

how to identify ways to support infants who might be having movement difficulties

how to support parents and caregivers in learning new movement patterns with their infants

MORE Info is available at https://www.sondermsma.com/idme

Talismania Concert (workshops cancelled, concert still on!)
2024-06-22 10:00 - 20:30 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
Experience the unique sonic world of Talismania through a hand percussion workshop, instrument making workshop and an evening concert.

Tree Dancing Retreat
2024-06-14 10:00 - 2024-06-16 16:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
Climb trees with rope / harnesses & Dance where gravity feels suspended

Facilitated by Nimble Arts & Mark Przekurat

Contact Improv + SOTAI Ancestral Body
2024-06-06 09:00 - 2024-06-09 22:00 | Wildheart, 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY, 05156, United States
This Contact Improvisation retreat is infused with Ryuta’s life research, SOTAI(祖体), “Ancestral Body” where you will be guided through embodiment practices of sensing, moving and resting of your body as well as journaling, drawing, and vocalization.

Facilitated by: Ryuta Iwashita
