We must move forward! I am choosing to dance forward. Will you join me? 

We are beyond ECSTATIC to announce that Dance the Medicine is presenting our first in person offering since May 2019. 

Over the course of 4 days and 3 nights we will journey together using a process designed to shed layers, to go Inward and discover what has been left unsaid, to then come Outward and celebrate who we are, and move Onward with purpose.

Join us as we harness the power of Dance, Writing, Art, Visualisation, Ritual and Nature to uncover the things which have been left unsaid, the unconscious barriers which are slowing our forward progress. We do this with the goal of leaving the retreat changed, ready to take action and with purposeful direction to move forward in our lives. 

Retreat to the forest of Foster, Quebec in Canada, with 20 others. Bask in glorious nature, swim in the river, dance under the stars (and inside too), eat delicious & healthy locally prepared foods, all while being with other dancers! 

YOUR TEACHER

✤ BERNICE RAABIS (Nelson, BC - Founder of Dance the Medicine)

While now an experienced international teacher of Conscious  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 9 years; Dance Church, a multi-generational Sunday morning dance event, and Dance The Medicine, a weekly conscious dance class based on the principles of Soul Motion, Movement-based Expressive Arts and Somatic Therapy. By 2016 Bernice was working beyond her local community, she co-founded Ecstatic Dance International,  began hosting successful trainings and events in Amsterdam, Guatemala and Portugal and eventually founded Dance the Medicine Team with the mission of infecting the world with dance in hopes that everyone, everywhere, would one day have a place to dance in community. While Bernice  loves to DJ and plan transformative events,  facilitating  profound processes is the true work of  her heart; using dance, art and ritual to connect and liberate dancers is most definitely her happy place!

YOUR HOST

✤ CRISTINA CIOBANU (Magog, Canada - Host, organiser at Dance the Medicine, artist, healing therapist - Mending Hands)

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.

Located in the Eastern Townships, on the banks of the glorious Yamaska River, L'Auberge Yoga Salamandre will be accommodating us from the 1st until the 4th of August. This venue focuses on wellness and is enchantly immersed in nature. Salamandre was designed to offer a beautiful environment conducive to introspection and inspiration.

Part of our process will be to create a tight container. This means that for these 4 days we will spend our time dedicated to the training and present with one another. We will leave phones in the rooms and stay on-site for the duration of this immersive experience. 

Your choice of accommodation ranges from a private room of your own, a shared room, dorm room, tenting/caravan or off site accommodation for locals. All accommodation is basic but charming, with shared toilets and showers. To see pictures and learn more, please visit L'Auberge Yoga Salamandre.

Our meals will be catered by local eateries. Food will be fresh, healthy and robust, to feed our dancing bodies. Our menu will be vegetarian and gluten friendly. You are welcome to bring supplemental protein of any kind. There will be a place for you to store the extra food you bring but space is limited. Please contact us with any dietary questions.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

We ask you to arrive between 15:00-17:00 on Monday 1st of August to allow time to check-in, explore the grounds and settle in before we start. The retreat will start with dinner at 18:30.

The retreat will end after lunch at 14:00 on Thursday, 4th of August.

WHAT TO BRING

- Headlamp (also known as head torches, these are really useful to walk around at night)

- Clothing suitable for dancing (every day we will dance)

- Clothing suitable for being in nature

- Comfortable outdoor shoes (lots of nature to explore) 

- Ear plugs (if sharing accommodation) 

- Toiletries (natural & biodegradable products please)

PAYMENT

A non-refundable deposit is required to book and secure your place. Balance due 30 days before retreat starts. Please carefully read our Retreat T&Cs as by booking on our retreat, you become legally bound by these terms.

FAQ

→ I'm coming from abroad. What are the current travel restrictions for entering Canada?  Unfortunately Canada has some of the strictest restrictions in regards to the coronavirus. As of May 08 2022 Canada requires the following. 

• Canadian citizens (including dual citizens), people registered under the Indian Act, permanent residents of Canada, or protected persons (refugee status) are allowed to enter Canada.
• Fully vaccinated foreign nationals may be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary travel.

Travellers entering Canada by land, air or water, regardless of citizenship, must follow testing and quarantine requirements.

• Canadians must meet and follow all of the same entry requirements.
• Starting April 1, 2022, pre-entry tests are no longer required for fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada by land, air or water. You must still use ArriveCAN within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada.
• Negative PCR tests are not accepted as an alternative to being fully vaccinated.

Under certain circumstances, you may be exempt from some requirements.
Please check COVID-19 Travel: Checklists for requirements and exemptions - Travel restrictions in Canada – Travel.gc.ca for further information.

Please note that these policies are from the Canadian Government. They do not reflect DTM’s views which celebrate inclusion of diversity. You are welcome to join us regardless of your personal medical choices. 

→ Can I come on my own? Absolutely! More than half of our participants actually come on their own, and many do not know anyone else who is coming. This retreat is inclusive and we strive to create a culture of belonging. The program is designed to facilitate connections between one another with ice-breakers, group exercises and a daily sharing circle in small groups.

→ Is this a festival? No. Festivals are generally larger events with several programs/workshops to choose from and participants can arrive/leave as they wish, also meals are not usually communal. Our retreat is a closed container: we start and finish together. We are limiting the number of participants in order to create a more intimate gathering. There is just one program and all the activities, including meals, are communal. We encourage you to attend all sessions and participate in all activities as this will give you the fullest experience. We will also ask you to use your phone in designated areas only. This retreat is an invitation to dive deeper into your practice and let go of the outside world.

→ What is your cancellation policy? In the unlikely case that we have to cancel the retreat, a full refund will be offered. In case of cancellation from your side, no refunds or transfers will be offered, no matter the reason.

→ If I can no longer make it, can I transfer my booking to someone?

If you find someone to take your booking, there will be a €50 admin charge to transfer your booking to another person. If the retreat is fully booked and you want us to sell your booking on your behalf, we will retain your deposit and refund you the balance only if we find a replacement who has paid in full. Please note we will only accept booking transfers and allow posts on our Facebook event/page if the retreat is fully booked.

ADDRESS

151 Chemin Brandy, Lac-Brome, Québec J0E 1R0, Canada

GETTING THERE

Auberge Salamandre is located 108 km (1.5 hour drive) from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. It is possible to get there by bus or taxi. If coming from the USA, please know that the border is not very far away from the location of the venue.

Portland and Boston are 4.5 hours drive and from New York there’s a 6h40 drive up North.

By Car:

⇾ Follow the 10 E Highway

⇾ Take exit number 88 of the 10 E highway

⇾ Take a right on Chemin de l'Horizon

⇾ Take a right on Chemin Allard

⇾ Take a left on Chemin Brandy

By Bus, there’s several options:

Direct Shuttle from the Airport to Bromont (about 1h45 drive)

One-way costs (about) €77 Round-trip (about) €107

You can reserve your seat here : Aeroshuttle 

LimoCar (about 1h15 to 1h45 drive)

From Montreal (gare d’autocars) to Bromont (Autoparc 74)

One way (about) €25

Round-trip (about) €45

From the Airport (Terminus Mansfield, quai 6) to Bromont (Autoparc 74)

One way €25

Not sure there is a return option (maybe by then)

You can reserve your seat here : Limocar Sherbrooke-Montreal bus transportation service

Any bus you may choose will take you to Bromont (10 min away from the venue). From there, we will pick you up and bring you to Salamandre.

RideShare We invite you to consider the option to share a ride and travel at a small price, in a friendly and ecological way. In Quebec, there’s a large community of people offering to share their car and so there’s plenty of applications and sites you can choose from. You can check them in the links below. The price for a shared ride from Montreal to Bromont is approximately €6/one way.

Kangaride

Rideshare Montreal 

Ridesharing.com

Covoiturage.ca

Rent a car

Help your city breathe! - Communauto Québec

Montreal Trudeau Airport (YUL) Car Rental

Car Rental at Montreal Airport, Best Prices Guaranteed! - Rentalcars.com

Turo | Find the perfect car on the world's largest car sharing marketplace

Private transfer

We could arrange a transfer leaving Montréal at 2PM on Monday, 1st of August and return at 3PM on Thursday 4th of August. If you're flying in, we recommend booking flights landing before 12:00  leaving after 18:00

Cost for one-way travel: €40

Cost for return travel: €75

You can add a transfer to your booking at checkout.

Taxi

From the Airport to the Auberge Yoga Salamandre, the taxi ride would cost somewhere in between €120-150.