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 20 fellow burgeoning Ecstatic Leaders on this exciting new adventure!

PROGRAM

This 9-module training will take place over a period of 5 weeks. We will come together each Sunday and Wednesday for 3 hours. Training begins on Sunday 8 November and ends on Sunday December 6.

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 24 hours to allow participants to make up any missed sessions and stay on track with content and assignments.

9 MODULES

The organization 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. 

1- WELCOME/MOVEMENT (Sun Nov 8)

• What makes conscious dance 'conscious'? 
• Why use dance to build community?
• What does it take to run a successful Ecstatic Dance?

2- VISION (Wed Nov 11)

• 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?

3- COMMUNITY (Sun Nov 15)

• 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?

4- VENUE (Wed Nov 18)

• How do I find the perfect venue?
• What should I look for and what pitfalls should I avoid?
• How do I negotiate hire rates?

5- MARKETING (Sun Nov 22)

• 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?

6- MUSIC (Wed Nov 25)

• What music is appropriate for conscious dance events?
• What structure is required to create a dance journey?
• How do I hire DJs?

7- MONEY (Sun Nov 29)

• How do I work out a budget for my dance?
• How do I calculate my pricing?
• What should I pay my team?

8- CEREMONY (Wed Dec 2)

• Is it necessary to have an opening/closing ceremony?
• What does it mean to 'hold space'?
• Does a conscious dance have to be spiritual?

9- ONWARD (Sun Dec 6)

• 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 a little time each day for Q&A. 

TEACHERS

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. 

RENÉE LACROIX (Founder of Ecstatic Dance UK)

French-Canadian by birth and Londoner by adoption, Renée is a passion-led serial entrepreneur. She started businesses in the fashion and food industry before launching Ecstatic Dance UK in London. After encountering Buddhism and establishing a daily meditation practice, she discovered conscious dancing in 2015 through 5Rhythms.  In addition to being an Ecstatic Dance organiser and facilitator, she also found her vocation through DJing. Her Sunday morning dances have been an instant success, gathering 100+ dancers weekly. During lockdown, she learned how to livestream music and quickly established a highly attended dance on Zoom before launching outdoor silent disco-style dances in the park and leading two sold-out retreats this summer. Her vision is to make Ecstatic Dance more accessible and mainstream by hosting welcoming and inclusive events that appeal to a wider audience.

SUPPORT TEAM

•Alex Sevilla - Ecstatic Dance Madrid
•Richard Batts - Ecstatic Dance UK
•OSARA - Ecstatic Dance Bristol

SPECIAL GUESTS

•Esta Polyesta - Ecstatic Dance Netherlands
•La May - Ecstatic Dance Colombia
•Amritaji - Ecstatic Dance Salt Lake City

2 PATHWAYS

PATH A: THE DEDICATED LEADER - €595 

• The full experience: live classes, break-out groups and Q&A sessions
• 9 x 3-hour modules of content (total 27 hours)
• 2 x 60 min mentoring sessions (1-on-1 with Bernice/Renée)
• Weekly assignments, worksheets & resources
• Full access to the recordings (released 24 hours after each class)
• A designated Facebook group to continue weekly discussions and share resources with your classmates
• A graduation certificate & goodies sent by mail
• A support network of 20 fellow Ecstatic 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

PATH B: THE INDEPENDENT LEADER - €365

• Full access to the recordings (released 24 hours after each class)
• 9 x 2-hour modules of content (total 18 hours)
• 30-min mentoring session (1-on-1 with Bernice or Renée)
• All worksheets & resources

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

Q&A

1. 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.

2. 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!

3. For how long will the recordings be available? The videos will be uploaded on Vimeo (password-protected) and available for a period of 90 days after the training ends.

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

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

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Path A: You'll simply need a steady internet connection and the Zoom software installed on your computer.

Path B: You won't need any software, simply a web browser to watch the recordings (uploaded on Vimeo).

PAYMENT

€100 deposit to secure your place. Balance before Nov 8.

Very much looking forward to teaching you!

Bernice & Renée