Dancing into Wholeness
Contact Improvisation: An Intimacy with Nature
Trusting Spontaneity | Building Bonds of Affection | Realising Human Potential
5 Night Easter Residential
Led by Richard Parker and Lucy Thomas
Wednesday 16th April to Monday 21st April 2025
Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
20 Spaces Available
About the Workshop
During the renewal of spring, immerse yourself in a unique Contact Improvisation residential retreat that blends studio practice with the breathtaking beauty of Findhorn's expansive beaches, whispering woodlands, and rolling sand dunes. Connect deeply with yourself, others and the Earth as the rhythms of nature inspire us in our movement journey.
This retreat invites you to explore intimacy—with yourself, with others, and with the natural landscape around us. Through Contact Improvisation, we’ll delve into the creative flow of life, trusting the wisdom of our bodies and the intelligence of spontaneity. Together, we’ll build bonds of affection that deepen our connection to human potential and to the more hidden, profound truth of our intimacy with Life itself.
Findhorn Ecovillage, with its rich natural environment and new emerging community initiatives, inspires the heart of this retreat. It provides the perfect backdrop for a Contact Improvisation retreat, with its beautiful landscapes inspiring grounding and presence and its community culture of warmth and togetherness.
Its landscape offers endless possibilities for embodied exploration, while its warm community energy nurtures a sense of belonging. In addition to movement in beautiful studios, you’ll have the chance to relax in the sauna, hot tub, or simply immerse yourself in the healing presence of nature. This is an opportunity to dance into wholeness, integrating connection and exploring a positive future we can embody together.
About the Facilitators
Join Richard Parker, the founder of Emerging Hearts Contact Improvisation Dance Camp, and Lucy Thomas, the creator of Being Whole, for this immersive and collaborative residential that explores the practice of Contact improvisation as an inspiration for a life fully lived; aligned, creative and spontaneous.
Richard Parker the founder of Emerging Hearts Contact Improvisation Camp, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the realm of Contact Improvisation, ensuring a dynamic and enriching experience for all participants, known for his focus on community and transformative dance experiences.
Lucy Thomas is a skilled facilitator of transformational spaces which encourage embodiment, spontaneity, joy, relaxation and intimacy with Nature. She is committed to serving the people and land of Findhorn Bay and weaves nature’s principles into the many local movement-based events that she organises on both land and water.
This retreat offers an opportunity to experience the unique blend of Richard and Lucy's expertise within the holding of this natural landscape. Prepare to be immersed in the elements, unplug, have your cobwebs blown sideways, and feel the earth beneath your feet; reconnecting you with your sense of natural wholeness.
Outline of the Schedule
The sessions will be held in a mix of venues including the dance studio, dancing green, woodland, beach, dunes and river.
In-depth Contact Improvisation Classes & Jams
Authentic Movement
Magical River Exploration
Bless Dance (a weekly community happening by Findhorn Bay)
Sauna to Sea Dip
Tour of the Site
Heartfelt Community Experience
Fire Side Social
Meeting the Locals
Delicious Food
Optional: Authentic Movement in Hydrotherapy Pool
Optional: Daily Hot Tubs
Level
This retreat is not suitable for anyone completely new to Contact Improvisation, but it welcomes anyone who has begun to explore the practice, from those with some basic experience to well-seasoned practitioners.
Venue
Nestled along Scotland's stunning Moray coastline, Findhorn Ecovillage an internationally recognised long-standing intentional community, strives to be a model of low-impact, connected living. Now beginning an exciting new chapter of its life where independent community initiatives are at the forefront. There is huge excitement in welcoming visitors who will enjoy and add to the creative, emergent dynamic.
Whether in the studio or moving under the open sky, Findhorn offers a space to deepen your practice and nourish your connection to the earth and one another.
The Universal Hall, our studio for the retreat, was built by literally thousands of people over ten years and at its heart, is an auditorium that is great for dance. Close to the studio is a circular dancing green, a hot tub, sauna with a view, Findhorn Bay, the beach, and dunes. We will also be using the Sunshine Room, a cosy and bright venue with direct access to being outside.
There is the Phoenix shop and cafe on site and a 15-minute walk into the historic Findhorn Village gives you two more cafes and two pubs. A short car ride away is the extraordinarily beautiful riparian woodland along the River Findhorn. Many of these features will play a part in the retreat.
Accommodation
At Findhorn Ecovillage, your retreat experience is complemented by warm and inviting accommodations in the Guest Lodge and Bunkhouse. Situated in the centre of the eco-village, these spaces offer comfort and simplicity, creating an ideal home base for our retreat; a sanctuary to rest and reflect and also a place to foster a sense of camaraderie and connection.
Food
The residential is fully catered with vegetarian / vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll be cooked for by Karen Grant, a community member and experienced retreat chef.
Travel
EasyJet flies directly to Inverness Airport from Gatwick, Luton & Bristol Airports.
From Inverness Airport, there is a direct train to Forres and an easy short taxi ride from here to Findhorn Ecovillage.
Timings & Costs
Wednesday 16th April to Monday 21st April 2025 (Easter Weekend)
5 nights and 5 days.
20 spaces available
Full retreat residential options vary from £475 - £695
Accommodation check-in from 2pm on 16th April, check-out by 12pm on 21st April.
Full retreat non-residential option for £350
Arrange your accommodation either camping/campervan onsite (contact Findhorn Bay Holiday Park to arrange) or staying offsite. Please book with us before making arrangements.
Instalment payment option via our Inclusivity Form.
At Emerging Hearts we hope to make our events as accessible as possible. We understand that while we try to price our events reasonably, support may still be needed. If you are on a lower income, we offer the option of paying in instalments, if the price is truly out of your range.
Special single-session tickets for local residents only. Contact Lucy for the ticket link.
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Richard Parker
Richard Parker is passionate about the relational and deeply human experience that can be revealed through Contact Improvisation. His workshops are a refined balance of skills, creativity & free exploration, taking participants on a journey into the co-creative wonders of this practice, which always includes a healthy dose of safety and care for one another. With a grounded and easy-going approach, he loves sharing both his detailed and extensive understanding of the principle movement forms within Contact Improvisation alongside the subtle nuances, helping people to truly embody the fundamental aspects of the dance. Most importantly creating a sense of relational awareness and a sense of togetherness as we co-create within the dance space.
He has been developing his skills and knowledge as a Contact Improvisation (CI) dancer since 2006. Over the years he has extensively trained with many amazing international teachers within CI including Karen Nelson, Lisa Nelson, KJ Holmes, Nita Little, Andrew Harwood, Ray Chung, Martin Keogh & Joerg Hassmann. Since 2011 he has shared his teaching of CI within Professional, Educational, Festival & Community Organisations as well as organised his own CI Festivals, Retreats and Camps.
“A true love for the form and genuine investigation is at the heart of Richard's teaching. He plans and delivers material in a thoughtful, reflective and thorough way, each exercise leading on to the next fluidly. His gentle, clear and encouraging manner gives students the confidence to push their practice further and his commitment to staying true to the form ensures that others can continue to discover and enjoy the beauty of the dance.”
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Lucy Thomas
Lucy holds space with a unique warm presence, humour, generosity and deeply embodied wisdom. She synthesizes the width of systemic wisdom with the depth of somatic presencing and a knowing of our multi-dimensional nature. Working from the perspective that we are already whole, designed by Nature with a self-healing capacity. Lucy's approach is inclusive of the context of our times; acknowledging the severity and multiplicity of the challenges we are facing. With groups and individuals, she facilitates reconciliatory movements between parts towards wholeness. Dedicated to the cultivation of togetherness, spontaneity, and the intelligence of the Earth through our bodies. She is here for the collective remembering of humanity's power and wisdom.
Trained in the facilitation of systemic constellations in 2010, she has evolved a practice which connects intimate somatic movements with systemic shifts. By working through the body and the felt sense, she engages the non-linear unspoken knowing that is our indigenous 'wiring'. This offers relief on many levels which can seed changed attitudes, perspectives and behaviours. In this way, she works one to one, with couples and groups. Since 2020 Lucy has been steering her facilitation toward galvanising and enlivening the embodied engagement of those in her community. Her current projects include weekly CI classes, Bless Dance; an intergenerational happening by Findhorn Bay every Sunday, Danced by Water; weekly authentic movement sessions in the local hydrotherapy pool and also contributing to local food resilience at Roseisle Gardens.
This is what people have said after working with Lucy:
“I have never felt so held valued and seen.”
“So much has shifted in me which I can see and feel in my body, in my thoughts and things I've been looking at came together like a puzzle.”
“My whole concept about 'the body' has been shaken. I guess what showed up was much bigger than just the physical part.”
“I felt an immediate significant shift after each of the two sessions I had.”
“I feel stronger to stand in my truth, my energy is rising and my fear is subsiding”
"Trust the process" - learning to see (and feel!) the amazing intelligence of life as it's unfolding, including the difficult.
Get In Touch
If you have any questions about the residential or in general about contact improvisation then please don't hesitate to get in touch via the contact page.