Let's join together for a day of unique workshops, centered around creating awareness and well-being with yourself! Participate in one or all three workshops.

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Sliding scale cost. (One ticket per workshop unless you buy the $50 pass.)$10 Financial Hardship

$20 Regular Ticket

$30 Pay It Forward

$50 for All Three Workshops

VDA member 10% off with Promo Code

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Workshop #1: Movement of Body Liberation with Shawn Grady, 10-11:30 a.m. Together we will explore the individual and collective work of liberation through gentle movement, meditation, and discussion. Accessible for all levels of mobility. Shawn comes from a background of radical mental health, anti capitalist organizing, and creative expression. They are deeply informed by their experiences of collective living, anti racist learning, houselessness, Non-violent communication and the work to heal their own body and nourish the bodies of their community members.

Workshop #2: Dancing with Ghosts - solitary duets with Toby Macnutt, 1-3 p.m.

We all miss someone - and in pandemic isolation it's even easier to feel alone. We miss those who are physically distant, lost friends, exes, those who have died, those who simply aren't around anymore. We miss foreclosed opportunities and shared experiences. How can we bring the memories of those we miss into our bodies, in a way that maybe lets us feel less alone? How can we be in our bodies when we can't meet our need for physical touch and in-person movement? How can we move through grief and loneliness tenderly, on our own? This is a movement-making workshop for dancers and non-dancers who are feeling isolated, and want to spend some time bringing their bodies into their feelings or vice versa. If you are feeling distant and detached, or if you are feeling so deeply that you're drowning - if you are lonely, if you are missing someone or someones, this is for you. We'll work through a series of movement prompts to create and explore feelings of relationships in our body, using tools that work for both solo- and duet-making, as well as having time for solo or optionally shared reflection. You will need: - a comfortable space to move your body a little or a lot; it doesn't have to be large, as much or as little space as you find. Home is fine, couch is fine, bed is fine. - an object that reminds you of someone you miss, for any reason - a notebook or note-taking supplies in case you want to use them to reflect You do NOT need: - to turn on your camera or your audio ever unless you want to - to tell anyone who/what you miss or why they're gone, or show or share your object, unless you want to - lots of space - to be able to stand or jump or do any specific kind of movement- dance experience of any kind. Toby MacNutt is a dancer, teacher, and author based in Burlington, VT.

Workshop #3: Myofascial Release & Support for the Vagus Nerve with Jessie Owens, 3:30-5 p.m.

Our fascia is our body’s most sensory-rich organ. By working with this connective tissue, we can benefit the body in many ways, including decreasing pain and tension, increasing proprioceptive awareness (awareness of body in space) and interoceptive awareness (awareness of internal states), increasing range of motion and fluidity of movement, and settling the nervous system to offer the body a general sense of wellbeing. In this workshop, we will explore methods to gently release tension in commonly held areas in the body through myofascial release and massage techniques. We will also explore ways to support and tone the vagus nerve through Neurovascular Release to ease anxiety and help regulate the nervous system. This work can help regulate heart rate, immune system, digestion, and mood. This workshop will be gentle and is open to everyone. Most of the techniques will be done seated or upright, and some of it will be done lying on the floor. If it is not possible for you to lie on the floor, other options will be made available. We will use a small blanket, a yoga mat, or a large towel, and a massage ball or tennis ball (should be soft enough to squeeze). This class is for everyone. It is a gentle class, and most of the techniques will be done seated or lying on the floor. Modifications will be made for those who have trouble lying on the floor. Jessie Owens is a dancer and a certified yoga instructor who is curious about the places where the art, science, and spirituality of movement overlap. She is a certified massage therapist who specializes in therapeutic massage for the treatment of chronic or acute musculoskeletal pain, supporting increased mobility, increasing bodily awareness, and facilitating the body's innate ability to heal.

Questions? Email [email protected].