Cocréa Mindful Partner Dance: Foundations Day-Long Immersion

Exploring the Essence of Deep Connection that Underlies All Partner Dance.

If you enjoyed Wren LaFeet’s Slow, Saucy and Sacred workshop in September, if you are curious to explore the depth practice of connection that partner dance can provide, if you want to become a better partner dancer all around, this workshop is for you.

A continually evolving holistic movement modality, Cocréa blends the connected fluidity and presence of blues fusion dance, with the organic expression of authentic movement, concepts from contact improvisation, contemporary and other vernacular dances such as swing, salsa and hip hop, and a contemplative approach to life.

Experience Level: content will be tailored to best support beginner/intermediate movers.

Cocréa = Collaborative, Organic Communication, Revolutionizing Embodied Awareness.

What is being offered:

Completion of this workshop will satisfy a PARTIAL pre-requisite to participate in the Level 1 Cocréa Facilitator training anticipated to take place in November 2023. Location TBD.

Cocréa is as much a practice for personal and relational development as it is a training ground to become a better dancer. This day-long immersion will be an exploration of embodiment, intimacy with sovereignty, and refinement in listening – both with the self and others. We will embrace form and structure and deepen into a practice of presence with one another.

Playing within structures and physics common to many of the world’s social partner dances, dancers will learn tools to invite and allow an effortless flow to emerge through deep listening and responding in presence with the moment. Through meeting and joining energy, we emphasize connection, communication and creative expression between two humans within a community of others.

Themes we’ll play through:

Polarity – the mutable energetics of lead and follow
Consent
Emergence
Change and Co-Creation
Sensuous Presence
Pause
Patience
Stretching into discomfort and uncertainty
Attunement

What the attendee could learn/intention of the workshop:

Core Stability & Balance
Lead-Follow-Switch-Neutral Dynamics
Variable Frames of Connection
Accessing Intuitive Movement
Expanding Connection Points
Activating Your ‘Spinaesthesia’ – Jedi Musicality

Building on the foundational elements of social partner dance technique as our common language, Cocréa teaches how to wield creative expression with consideration to another body and practice nuanced responsiveness to one another in improvisational, co-created dance. It is a gateway to accessing the body’s wisdom to deepening self and relational attunement, co-regulation and the nourishment available from affirmative consent practicing, boundary honoring, touch positive community. Our intention is to explore form and play creatively from our heart, body and spirit, in full support, respect and appreciation of ourselves and one another.

We are also super excited to continue our collaboration with Jordan River and DRIP, so please attend the Friday, January 20th event in the evening as well!

LOCATION:

Awakenings Wellness Center

1016 SE 12th Ave,

Portland, OR 97214

DATE & TIME:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22nd

10:30AM – 3:30PM

EXCHANGE:

Sliding Scale $100-150

We do have 5 Reduced Income tickets at $50 available for pre-sale. Please ONLY select this option if you truly need it. Thank you. Due to the limited capacity of the space we are limited on the number of reduced price tickets we can offer.

Sliding scale prices will increase by $20 day of event.

PRE-REGISTER to save a little money!

What attendees should bring:

Comfortable clothes to move in.

Two pairs of socks.

A water bottle.

Snacks to stay nourished and a lunch for our longer break.

WREN LAFEET

Wren celebrates dancing in partnership for 24 years and loves serving humanity as a somatic permissionary. Teaching partner dance internationally as a practice for mindful, authentic living, and enlivening communities by facilitating his signature modality, Cocréa, has been his joy for over a decade. Wren guides somatically curious humans towards right relationship by exploring connection through listening and responding, and inviting, allowing and embracing change. He is a celebrated TEDx speaker, featured author in “ReInhabiting the Village” and ardent proponent of pioneering a new renaissance through authentic connection and consensual touch.

Wren is a cis-gender, able bodied white male residing in Cherokee territory (Asheville, NC). As a non-binary identified, 11th generation American descended most recently from artist and blue collar working class parents, Wren is in a deep reckoning with the numerous and nuanced aspects of self that influence how we navigate interpersonal relationships and cultural identity on the journey into right relationship.

As a Danyasa trained facilitator, former Awake at Work program facilitator, certified Attunement Therapy practitioner, Do Good Things with Power program graduate, and holder of a BA in Drama and Dance from the University of Washington, Wren promotes dance as an embodied approach to spirituality and medicinal salve for our modern ailments of disconnection and dislocation. His mission and prayer is to play his sacred role in bringing about a new renaissance on Earth through embodied practices that return us to harmony with nature and the unseen realms.