Hi everyone!
We had a magical expandance and Omprov workshop in Costa Rica this year. Thank you to Johanna and Stefanie at Living Forest; Lake Arenal Retreat Center, and to Stefan Wenger for a joining me and teaching the improv section of the course. We've had some incredible feedback since the workshop (see below!), and we're both looking forward to teaching upcoming expandance and Omprov classes in Sonoma County, California. Stay tuned for details, and if you'd like to know about upcoming workshops and retreats, please e-mail me at rachel@expandance.com
- Rachel
"Dear Ravishing Rachel and Snuggly Stef,
In the weeks
since the expandance-Omprov retreat, I’ve been reflecting on what you
created for our group in Costa Rica. I think I can best describe it as
“igniting the life force." You intuitively led us through a series of
experiences that tapped into parts of ourselves that many of us had
forgotten: parts that hold our vitality, our energy, our vulnerability.
You
held those tender, young parts of us with deep respect and care,
allowing them to grow and flourish, so that by the end of the retreat we
felt integrated; renewed.
The best part is
that you accomplished this through FUN! It was like getting healthy by
eating lots of chocolate. Healing through laughter and movement? Check.
Learning scary life skills through play? Yeah, baby! Being held,
seen, and appreciated for exactly who I am? The best part. Sign me up,
please, again and again.
With Love and Gratitude,
Prudence Tippins"
"My week in Costa Rica with Rachel and Stefan is definitely going in my
memory treasure trove. I have done Authentic Movement, and thought
perhaps that this would be similar, but expandance is so much more. I
found myself going deeply into my experience of my body and finding
unexpected places that urged me to move them, and at other times being
completely filled with joy and delight as I improvised dances with
others in the group. I tend to be the sort of person who feels as if I
have 2 left feet as soon as I go to a dance class, but for some reason I
keep putting myself there. At the age of 56, I finally found the dance
class I have been looking for all my life, and am so sad that Rachel
lives in California and I live in Iowa!"
"I knew nothing about
improv and was a little nervous about being "bad" at it or "doing it
wrong", but Stefan made it clear throughout the week that everything we
did was welcome. As the week went on I found myself taking more and more
risks, and having a total blast. The warm-up games are being shared
with my friends and I am wishing I could find a place to do improv here
without having to worry about being around a load of well-practiced
funny people from the Theatre department on campus who know what they
are doing!"
"By the way I have several people who want to come
next year, so you may need to do 3-4 weeks of workshops, if you are up
for it!!!!"
- Joanna Lawson EdS, LMFT, CYT (Psychotherapist and Ontological Coach)
"I
was thinking about how the retreat has impacted me, and I realised that
since then I've stopped worrying so much. expandance got me really
connected with my body, I rest when I feel to, play much more, enjoy
doing exercise because I can feel how much my body expands, even if it's
a quick boogie in the kitchen! I don't push my body so hard to work, I
feel the flow more. I realise when I do that, it's ok, the world doesn't
end! I realised I'm not supposed to feel like I'm trying to push
an elephant up a hill. expandance was a gentle, fun and playful way to
get in touch with my body again, let my inner child have some fun, be in
the moment, and best of all not worry what anything looked or sounded
like!
Omprov
has given me confidence, I speak much more freely. I used to overthink
what I was going to say, but given the safe space to explore not doing
that, I realised I didn't need to worry, I could just let it come out!
And I got to laugh so much, and I love to laugh! I feel so Blessed
because I got to share this with some truly Amazing and hilarious
sweet people, and everyone just took the leap and trusted they'd be met,
and they were.
I
got to make some Beautiful new friends from different parts of the
world, and became closer to those I already knew. The closing circle was
the perfect ending to a Truly Wonderful week, Thank you Dear Hearts
Rachel and Stef, for your willingness, openness and your trust."
- Caroline Smith
"Rachel's expandance classes and technique was so adaptable to where we
were feeling as a group so at times you found yourself gleefully leaping
and dancing for joy and at other times deeply connected within your own
body in movement that was gentle and profoundly healing, especially for
me as I went into it having some physical injuries. My favorite aspect
of the dance classes was the working in small groups of three and how amazing it felt to connect with others and feel the movement between
people as one unit flowing together effortlessly while always being
perfectly supported by Rachel's loving guidance. I really appreciated Rachel's gentle approach and that she
somehow always seemed to know exactly how to guide us in every moment so
that I always felt in safe hands and was encouraged to connect to my
own center, to flow and do what I needed for myself no matter what
movement exercise we were engaging in."
- Lauren Auricchio
