This Dance Awake* Retreat is for Women only, simply because something different happens when there are only women in the room (and definitely not meaning that you have to be any particular type of woman other than who you are in each moment in your dance).
Saturday 4th of October 2025
10am-6pm
The Centre, 9A Main Rd, Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa
R1350 (includes tea & lunch – discounts* available)
For direct bookings or more info contact: Jolene +27 71 469 4522 or
Together we’ll explore the themes of Sensitivity, Power, Vulnerability and Purpose. Why dance these? All of these themes are core to being human, and the dance helps us to viscerally deepen our understanding of how we move with them through the world. (To move with Purpose, not from a mere cognitive understanding, but from a deeper level – Wow!) There will be simple practices and facilitation leading into dance to invite gentle process and a deeper meditative state – with carefully arranged music as a scaffolding for this inner exploration. Also, time for lunch and tea breaks! Yay!
THE JOURNEY:
We start with the warm up, grounding the practice with the guidelines and centering ourselves up for the journey. Each phase will include time for integration.
Sensitivity
Sometimes you’re told you’re too sensitive
Sometimes you’re told you’re not sensitive enough
Well, your Sensitivity is a your Superpower
And it’s just the right amount
We’ll be exploring Sensitivity as a portal to presence and embodiment, as well as being embodied in our Sensitivity.
Power
You have Power
Moving through your body
You’re electric —
Spirit made matter
Can you feel that?
Your power is your birthright — simply by being alive life-force power flows through us. Sometimes our access to this power is shutdown, sometimes we’re unearthed and it causes damage (electricity as metaphor). This is the gentle exploration of power — not power over or power given or taken, but a dance that delves our relationship to the power that moves within our own bodies.
Vulnerability
To reach into our dark recesses
And reveal our soft underbellies
Even simply to our own selves
Might seem like risking too much
But perhaps not as much
as never going there at all
We gently explore Vulnerability an intrinsic (and necessary) part of being human.
Purpose
I float the Void
Lost
But for
this inner compass
And finally Purpose — cultivating awareness and relationship with our deeper sense of purpose, beyond the cognitive, and moving with it.
Please note: the themes are invitational and you’re welcome to come and dance in community with whatever is moving in you.
With Love,
Jolene
FAQs:
I’m new to Dance Awake – can I come?
Please do! All you need is to be willing to dance (and know that your dance doesn’t need to look like anything like you might expect dance to look like). See the Dance Awake guidelines for more details of the practice.
How will I be able to dance for the whole day?
As we drop our expectations of what our dance should look like and allow our bodies the freedom to move just as they want to, giving our loving attention to each cell something miraculous happens: you simply can! Also, this is retreat so there is plenty of rest and rejuvenation included in the day – as well as the option to rest whenever you need.
What is Dance Awake?
Dance Awake is a conscious dance practice focused on mindful movement and self-discovery. It’s a way to explore one’s inner world through movement, fostering physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This practice emphasizes non-judgmental, free-flowing movement, allowing individuals to connect with their bodies and emotions, and to express themselves authentically.
*Um, finances are not great right now, but I feel like I need this, what to do?
Get in touch and we can work something out, or use the code LOVE40 at the checkout (there are a few spaces open at a paid forward rate).
Is there nudity or drugs involved?
No. Dance Awake fosters the skill of going to deep spaces without substances and that is what we will be working with on this retreat.
Who is facilitating?
Filmmaker, writer, artist, mother, inner explorer, dance-lover – after many years of conscious dance practice, and much process and embodiment work, Jolene trained as a dance awake facilitator in 2018 and has been facilitating regularly ever since. See www.danceawake.org/facilitators for more info.
Testimonials:
“Jolene has a beautiful depth of being that is compassionate and containing. Her facilitation has depth but with a lightness of touch and her fantastic playlists that are different each time. I find her writing and thinking about themes and life, very insightful.” Angela