✤ An online training for budding conscious dance leaders and community builders ✤

→ Have you been dreaming about starting your own Ecstatic Dance and don't know where to begin? 

→ Are you a conscious dance teacher whose classes lack the numbers you desire? 

→ Have you been running conscious dance events and feel it's time to take it to the next level? 

→ Join us and fellow burgeoning Ecstatic Leaders on this exciting new adventure!

This 9-module training will take place every Wednesday over a period of 10 weeks (with a 1-week break for Easter). Training begins on 8 February and ends on 12 April.

✤ Central European Time (UTC+1) 18:00-21:00 (Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin)

✤ Western European Time (UTC+0) 17:00-20:00 (London, Lisbon)

✤ Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) 12:00-15:00 (New York, Montréal)

✤ Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) 9:00-12:00 (Los Angeles, Vancouver)

All sessions will be recorded and released with 48 hours to allow participants to make up any missed sessions and stay on track with content and assignments.

The organisation of a conscious dance event involves wearing many hats. Our training is delivered in 9 modules which build upon each other. Our curriculum is designed to answer some of the most common questions we are asked.  

✤ 01  - DANCE (8 Feb)

→ What makes conscious dance 'conscious'? 

→ Why use dance to build community?

→ What does it take to run a successful Ecstatic Dance?

✤ 02 - VISION (15 Feb)

→ How do I turn the community I dream of into a reality?

→ What format will best serve my community?

→ What are the first steps to take?

✤ 03 - COMMUNITY (22 Feb)

→ How do I attract a diverse community?

→ Where is the best location for my dance? 

→ How do I gather a dream team and who do I look for?

✤ 04 - VENUE (1 Mar)

→ How do I find the perfect venue?

→ What should I look for and what pitfalls should I avoid?

→ How do I negotiate hire rates?

✤ 05 - MARKETING (8 Mar)

→ What are the most effective ways to promote my dance?

→ How do I create attractive artwork?

→ How can I grow my following on social media?

✤ 06 - MUSIC (15 Mar)

→ What music is appropriate for conscious dance events?

→ What structure is required to create a dance journey?

→ How do I hire DJs?

✤ 07 - MONEY (22 Mar)

→ How do I work out a budget for my dance?

→ How do I calculate my pricing?

→ What should I pay my team?

✤ 08 - CEREMONY (29 Mar)

→ Is it necessary to have an opening/closing ceremony?

→ What does it mean to 'hold space'?

→  Does a conscious dance have to be spiritual?

✤ 1-WEEK BREAK FOR EASTER ✤

✤ 09 - ONWARD (12 Apr)

→ How do I keep momentum once my dance has begun?

→ What top tips do you have to avoid common pitfalls?

→ How do I continue to grow my community?

We will answer these questions (and many, many more) as we divide our 3-hour sessions between lectures on the day's topic, breaking into small groups for discussion and assignments, while making sure there is time each day for Q&A. 

YOUR TEACHER

✤ BERNICE RAABIS (Founder of Dance the Medicine)

While now an experienced teacher of Ecstatic Dance Leaders, Bernice began humbly in a small dance studio nestled in the Kootenay Mountains of Western Canada. Here she ran bi-weekly events for over 8 years; Dance Church, a multi-generational Sunday morning dance, and Dance The Medicine, a conscious dance class based on Soul Motion, Movement-based Expressive Arts and Somatic Therapy. By 2016 Bernice was working beyond her local community, co-founded Ecstatic Dance International and began hosting successful trainings and events in Amsterdam, Guatemala and Portugal. In addition to having DJed many Ecstatic Dances around the globe, she was also at the helm of our hugely popular Ecstatic DJ Conference this past May, gathering 200+ aspiring and professional DJs from all over the world. She is on a mission to infect the world with dance in hopes that everyone, everywhere, will one day have a place to dance in community. 

YOUR HOST

✤ CRISTINA CIOBANU (Montréal, Canada - Unicorn at Dance the Medicine)

Romanian by birth, world-traveller by choice and French-Canadian by adoption, Cristina is a passion-led event organiser and dancer by default. She’s been an art and circus teacher, a fire dance performer, a restaurant-bar and hostels manager and a very dedicated Earth and Human activist. In 2016, after encountering the spiritual community on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, she decided to serve the world as an event producer assistant and on-site manager in retreat centres that focus on well-being and movement therapies. This is how she got to meet Bernice from Dance the Medicine, and immediately after, she knew that her mission was to contribute to DTM’s vision. Cristina continues her training in conscious movement practices through alternative healing therapies such as Thai-yoga massage, complementary medicine and self-sustainable gardening.

SUPPORT TEAM & SPECIAL GUESTS

✤ Alex Sevilla (Ecstatic Dance Madrid)

✤ Renée Lacroix (Ecstatic Dance UK & Ecstatic Experiences)

✤ More TBC

✤ ONLINE TRAINING (ZOOM) - €795

• The full experience: live classes, break-out groups and Q&A sessions
• 9 modules of content (total class time 27 hours)
• 180-page manual including weekly assignments, worksheets & resources
• Full access to the recordings (released 24 hours after each class)
• Private Facebook & WhatsApp groups to continue weekly discussions and share resources with your classmates
• A graduation certificate
• A support network of fellow Conscious Dance Leaders

Who is this path for?

• Those who want a cohort to learn with and keep as colleagues for the years to come
• Those who learn better in groups
• Those whose schedule will fit well with the hours of the live training
• Those who want to be able to interact with teachers and other students

✤ SELF-LED TRAINING (RECORDINGS) - €495

• Get immediate access to manual and recordings
• 9 modules of content (total video time 22 hours)
• 180-page manual including weekly assignments, worksheets & resources
• Full access to the recordings (for a period of 6 months)

Who is this path for?

• Those who prefer to learn at their own pace
• Those who learn better independently
• Those whose schedule does not fit well with the hours of the live training (yes Aussies & Kiwis, we hear you!)
• Those with limited financial means

→ Will I receive a certification? Only those on Path A will be certified and receive a certificate by mail. We do not certify those on Path B as we have no way of knowing whether they completed the course and homeworks.

→ Will this training cover DJing? We  have one module dedicated exclusively to music (what music is  appropriate for conscious dance events? what structure is used to create  a conscious dance musical  journey? etc), but this is NOT a DJ training  and we won't cover any of the technical aspects of DJing. We do offer an in-person DJ training and are hoping to host one in the near future!

→ For how long will the recordings be available? The videos will be uploaded online and available for a period of 180 days after the training ends.

→ I'm not sure which path is right for me. Can you advise me? Absolutely. Simply send us a message or email us: info@dancethemedicine.com

→ What's your cancellation policy? In case of cancellation from your side, we don't offer any refunds, no matter the reason.

"This training is for the big visionaries, event organizers, and executives of dance programs out there. It takes you through step by step how to create an Ecstatic Dance event. The best part is you’re surrounding by super rad people who truly believe in the vision as much as you do; and who feel alive in sharing that vision. I feel absolutely honoured to be a part of this amazing group as of dancers, organizers, and beautiful human beings. Showing up with my whole heart, it changed me and I feel like I’ve grown a lot."

→ Carol Boccaccio - Canada

"Dance the Medicine prepared me with the tools to grow as an Ecstatic Dance leader and warrior! The container held, even online, was potent and full of space to explore the building blocks for the foundation of my dance. It was an honor to be apart of this community of conscious dance leaders. I now feel fully equipped to go out and infect my communities with the medicine of Dance! 

→ Elissa Eskridge - Costa Rica

"This online training has come in the right time, just when I felt the call to share the awesomeness of conscious dance with my people, after such a crazy year. I am amazed by the connections I have made during this training and the quality of its content which was more than I expected."

→ Dounia Acef - Morocco

"Bernice, Renée and the DTM team are a knowledgable, grounded and experienced group of teachers.  They REALLY care about their students and it's obvious when you experience the quality of the production and information they share. They attract a huge variety of students and the opportunity to network during the course is high."

→ Rafaél Suvaii - Canada

"Through powerful visualization exercises, sharing of invaluable wisdom and experience, and creation of a supportive community, I now have the confidence and knowledge to go out there in the world and make an impact through dance. This training was everything and more that I needed..!"

→ Lien Kabelka - Belgium

"The leadership in this training was outstanding. The content was very well thought out, relevant and rich.  It filled in a lot of questions I've long held around how do do a great job leading conscious dance, but also provided examples of many different approaches.  I loved connecting with people from all over who are passionate about the same thing as me."

→ Sarah Hall - USA

"Renée and Bernice - you two are the leaders we need right now. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!"

→ Nadine Guldimann - Switzerland   

Very much looking forward to meeting you!

Bernice, Cristina & the DTM team