UNFURL: A Summer Solstice Contact Improvisation & Breathwork Retreat

Name: UNFURL: A Summer Solstice Contact Improvisation & Breathwork Retreat
Start: 2024-06-20T15:00:00-06:00
End: 2024-06-23T15:00:00-06:00
Location: Private Ranch in Evergreen

Schedule

Thu Jun 20 2024 at 03:00 pm to Sun Jun 23 2024 at 03:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Private Ranch in Evergreen | Evergreen, CO

Tickets and Info: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/unfurl/1141510
This summer solstice, Alicia Grayson, Danny Balgooyen, and Spencer Jacobson cordially invite you to UNFURL with us in the gorgeous mountains of Evergreen, CO for a 4-day, 3-night exploration of contact improvisation and conscious breathwork.
Come immerse yourself in nature, tune into your primal essence, connect with community, and celebrate the solstice with reverence and play as we dive deep together into the potent medicines of contact improvisation and conscious breathwork.
At UNFURL you will have the opportunity to let go of the outside world, nourish and play in connection to self, others, and nature, and unfurl into the truest expressions of you.
🌿 Retreat Highlights:
🤸‍♀️ Contact Improvisation Workshops & Jams led by Alicia Grayson (full bio below): Whether you are completely new to contact or an experienced practitioner, this is an opportunity to explore this powerful and playful non-verbal movement artform in a supportive and inclusive environment. Alicia is a world-class teacher and we are so lucky to have her share her wisdom right here at home in Colorado.
✨ Breathwork Sessions led by Danny Balgooyen (full bio below): Explore the transformative potential of your breath as you release stagnant energies, tap into inner wisdom, and embrace self-love as the breath guides you deeper into your essence. Circular/Connected Breathing is a tool we can utilize to transform ourselves on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. This process activates the pineal gland, which helps us journey into expanded states of consciousness that connect us with our higher selves, resulting in profound experiences of clarity. The breath expresses with an active inhale and relaxing/surrendering exhale. There is a total of 50 minutes of active breathing and we will be laying down in a restorative position throughout. No experience needed. This is an amazing opportunity to be held by Danny’s leadership in a very supportive environment.
🏞️ Idyllic Nature: Set on 40-acres, nestled in a beautiful valley in Evergreen, our venue is an idyllic backdrop for our journey. The venue is owned by our dear friend who loves and supports our work and our community. Wake up to morning walks, sauna, breathwork and a cold plunge 🔥💧
🤝 Community Connection: this is an opportunity for our community to get together and celebrate life! Share the beauty, joy, depth, and tenderness of a weekend of nourishing meals, breathwork, contact improvisation, and unfurling together. This retreat will support us to bring these connections back into our lives!
Together we’ll weave this tapestry of breath, movement, stillness and play.
We can’t wait to see who joins us.
How do I know if this is for me?
★If you have read this far and are feeling excitement
★You are looking to connect and deepen with like-minded community!
★You are new to contact improvisation and wanting a safe, supportive environment in which to learn. Seriously, the best way to start with CI is an immersion where you can really break through fears and blocks!
★You are an experienced CI dancer and looking to deepen your practice with the support of an amazing teacher like Alicia Grayson
★You are part of the Denver or Boulder dancing community and looking for a way to deepen with our wonderful tribe
Experience levels: all experience levels welcome! Especially if you are new to contact improvisation or breathwork.
Diverse backgrounds partial scholarships:
We understand that various forms of privilege can play a role in financial access to our containers. We believe that diversity is an important aspect of building a truly transformational journey and we desire to impact and support all people with our work. We are providing some partial scholarships for people from diverse backgrounds who may not otherwise be able to afford the full ticket price.
Partial scholarships are generally about 20-50% the cost of a regular-priced ticket.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/2bMKD1Z2LEsRb2dy6
About our venue:
Photo gallery available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vIX6wbE9JTle3zapIrzDeCJpl9EcawjN?usp=sharing
The “Ranch” is on 40 acres filled with sheer rock walls, tumbling boulder fields, quiet forest, and mountain meadows. Including 4 alpacas, 2 ranch dogs, barn cats and regular visits from local wildlife.
There is a main lodge that consists of 1 private room, 1 shared room, 2 1/2 bathrooms, large kitchen, dining area and main space.
There is a second unit that consists of 1 private room, 1 shared room and a larger dorm style room that has 3 bunk beds (6 beds total), 1 full bathroom, kitchen and smaller main space. There are two stand alone cabins on the property (1 private and 1 shared).
The mountain meadow will offer plenty of camping spaces. Campers will need to be conscious of the small potential for a black bear and even smaller potential for a bobcat or mountain lion. With this kind of Colorado wildlife, campers will need to keep food out of their tent, and instead either place it into one of the main spaces, in a car or hanging in a tree. Wildlife to expect can be Mule Deer, Elk, Turkeys and more.
Our group and event space is in a beautifully refurnished Chapel that has a tall A frame ceiling and a large open dance space with large windows that look out upon beautiful scenery.
A sauna and cold plunge will also be available.
The UNFURL Team
Assistants:
Brandon Brashers (Contact Improvisation Magi):
Brandon will specifically be supporting Contact Improvisation while also providing support for the rest of the retreat. If you already know Brandon you know we are beyond lucky to have him assisting this journey. We can’t wait to experience his support and magic.
Philana Hutchinson:
Philana will be supporting ops throughout our retreat and generally spreading her magic. <3
Facilitators:
Alicia Grayson
Alicia has been passionately involved with dancing, teaching and performing Contact Improvisation for the past 35 years. She has taught CI as an adjunct faculty at George Washington University, University of Denver, Naropa University and Shenandoah University. She teaches CI classes in Boulder, CO, and regularly travels nationally and internationally to teach. Her long time practices of authentic movement, yoga and pilates and her love of nature are important influences on her dancing and teaching. She facilitates somatically based transformational workshops, teaches yoga and pilates and works with individuals in-person and online. She is a certified Hakomi therapist, certified perinatal somatic attachment therapist, certified Feminine Power transformational coach and facilitator and mentor for coaches and facilitators in training and certified Biodynamic Breath and Trauma Release practitioner. She delights in exploring and discovering new depths to contact improvisation and related disciplines and is particularly interested in the intersection of physics and expression and the mind/body relationship. She is dedicated to supporting her fellow humans to be the most amazing embodied beings that we are! www.aliciagrayson.com
Danny Balgooyen
Danny is a breathworker, conscious dance DJ, dance facilitator and connection creator. Co-Founder of Inner Light Revival Breathwork, Boulder Ecstatic Dance (BED) & formerly Dance Meets Tantra (DMT). He devotes himself to creating safe, inspiring experiences that invite more authentic expressions of ourselves. He is inspired to show up with his greatest gifts by offering radical presence, safety, and a meeting in the depths of authentic emotion. He is committed to building and deepening community in Boulder, CO.
Spencer Jacobson
Spencer is a transformational facilitator, DJ, poet and serial entrepreneur with a passion for the art of gathering humans to experience the deepest truths of ourselves individually and collectively. His facilitation style invites self-expression, connection, and creativity while playfully and safely exploring the edges of our comfort zone. He is forever a student of embodiment and healing arts - having studied 5Rhythms dance, tantra, contact improv, ontological coaching, cranialsacral therapy, and yoga. Through his training and deep personal experiences he is committed to creating safer spaces that hold a trauma-informed perspective while simultaneously supporting individual responsibility and empowerment. He is co-founder of Dance Meets Tantra and Emergence Brotherhood - and previously founded www.guided.co - an organization that has coached thousands of business leaders around the world. "Your heart knows the way, run in that direction” - Rumi
www.spencerjacobson.com | IG: @spencerjacobson_
Testimonials:
“Alicia is one of the most embodied humans I know. She can facilitate anyone in their coming home to their own body, their own experience, and their own grace in ways that few others can. She listens with her whole self and that is extremely satisfying to be the recipient of. I so strongly recommend working with her. You will be blessed if you do.”
T.C. Spiritual guide and psychotherapist
“Thank you. I felt as if I was swept away into a really beautiful safe retreat. The lessons of skin, breath and bone brought such a gentle ease and power to contact. I am in awe of your control of the material and how you intertwine biology, physics, metaphor with our very human connections”
M.L.L. Professional Dancer
“Alicia is a fabulous teacher and dancer. She creates excitement and warmth in her classes, and allows everyone to find their own pathway through the medium of contact improvisation. She is extremely knowledgeable about contact and teaches both skill based work and more creative exploration in an engaged and kinesthetically delightful manner. “
J.R. dancer, teacher, performer
★What to bring
★Headlamp/Flashlight
★Relaxed summer & dancing clothes
★Layers for Colorado summer nights. Lows could potentially be in the 40s at night though typically slightly warmer.
★Altar items (optional)
★Journal and pen
★All the camping gear if you are camping: tent, sleeping pad/mattress, sleeping bag, pillow are the essentials
★Don’t forget to bring a towel
★A blanket to lay on
★Light hiking shoes
★Knee pads for contact improvisation - optional
★Any snacks you might need to be happy :)
Schedule Outline:
*Note: this is just an estimate for planning purposes. The schedule is subject to change.
Thursday:
3-5pm Arrive & Settle In
530-630pm Dinner
7pm Opening Container & Evening session
Friday
8-9am Breakfast
930am - 1230pm Morning Session
1230-130pm Lunch
130pm-230pm Break
230pm - 530pm Afternoon Session
530pm-630pm Dinner
630pm-730pm Break
730pm Evening Session
Saturday
8-9am Breakfast
930am - 1230pm Morning Session
1230-130pm Lunch
130pm-230pm Break
230pm - 530pm Afternoon Session
530pm-630pm Dinner
630pm-730pm Break
730pm Evening Session
Sunday
8-9am Breakfast
930am - 1230pm Morning Session & Closing Circle
1230-130pm Lunch
130-3pm Pack up and depart
💜 Logistical Info 💜
📅 DATE & TIME:
Arrival: Thursday, June 20, @ 3pm
Departure: Sunday, June 23, @ 3pm
🏡 LOCATION:
40-Acre Ranch in Evergreen, CO (address to be shared with registrants)
💰 COST:
Super Early Bird: $475 (expires February 18th!)
Early Bird: $550 (expires March 15th!)
Regular: $625 (expires May 15th!)
Final: $700
*Includes all food and CAMPING accommodations*
**Shared room and private room upgrades are available! See tickets page.
🚗 RIDE SHARING: many people will be sharing rides and rental cars from Boulder, Denver, and Denver International Airport, or elsewhere. You are welcome to coordinate with this document or in the Facebook Event. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PletvCsLne_1QKY-C7kIiH6bcCF6Aj1z6PnwNIZIYAA/edit?usp=sharing
🍳 FOOD: Registration includes a light breakfast and two delicious fully catered meals per day. We will be gathering information around food sensitivities in advance of the retreat.
💥 CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY 💥
Please take a moment to review the cancellation policy. All questions are warmly welcomed.
• If you cancel more than 8 weeks out of the event start date, 70% of the full payment will be refunded.
• If you cancel between 4-8 weeks of the event start date, 50% of the full payment will be refunded.
• If you cancel between 2-4 weeks of the event start date, 30% of the full payment will be refunded.
• If you cancel within 2 weeks of the event start date, or if you withdraw from the event after the start of the first day, no part of the payment will be refunded.
📝 TO REGISTER:
Tickets & Info Here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/unfurl/1141510
🗣 CONTACT US:
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the event:
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]

⁉️ FAQ ⁉️
🏕 What type of accommodations are included in the cost?
Camping!
🎈 Are room upgrades available?
Yes! If you prefer to upgrade to private or shared lodging, please indicate that during the registration check-out process.
🍦 What type of food is provided?
Also included in your registration are 3 meals per day with tea and light snacks. Breakfast will be on the lighter side so if you have very specific needs around breakfast, we invite you to bring whatever you might want to supplement. A variety of beautiful, delicious food will be prepared by the chef. Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten Free options are all available.
🛶 What is the recommended travel to the Venue?
Our venue is a 45-minute drive from Denver, 1-hour from Boulder, and about 1-hour 10 minutes from Denver International Airport. We recommend driving and sharing rides.
If you would like to share rides, please use this doc - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PletvCsLne_1QKY-C7kIiH6bcCF6Aj1z6PnwNIZIYAA/edit?usp=sharing
We acknowledge the traditional indigenous custodians of the land on which we share our work, the Arapahoe, Ute, and Cheyenne, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.