Workshops at the Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY

Interdependence in Motion:
A Continuum Retreat

Watermark Arts returns to Omega in 2022!

 

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June 30 – July 5, 2019 Somatic Movement Summit: The Creativity of Health, Mirroring Nature

Health is not a stable state. Living at the center of a complex and changing set of circumstances, how do we nourish our well-being? The somatic movement practice of Continuum teaches us to engage more willingly, effectively, and artfully with our circumstances. In sequences of breath, sound, and movement, Continuum brings us back to the fluid nature that runs through the natural world, encouraging us to remain curious and engaged. This retreat, with focused movement sessions throughout the week as well as a period of silence, fosters the integration of Continuum practice into intentional art making, verbal expression and core experience of the world. Retracing in movement the evolutionary journey that has brought humankind to this place and time, we gain a powerful perspective and recover key elements of our cosmic, fluid, and terrestrial origins, which become resources for our current personal and cultural situations. The skills shared in this workshop are of benefit to persons interested in moving the world from embodiment, including bodyworkers, artists, activists, therapists, teachers, and parents. Hosted by Elaine Colandrea and cotaught with Priscilla Auchincloss, Robin Becker, John Bianculli, Ellen Cohen, Suzanne Wright Crain, Bobbie Ellis, Ashima Kahrs, Melanie Gambino, Bonnie Gintis, Amber Elizabeth Gray, Linda Rabin, Beth Riley, Val Leoffler, and  Sharon Weil. watermarkarts.org

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July 1-6, 2018 Somatic Movement Summit

Water supports all life; it is the generative primordium that unifies existence. In a fractured world, we are well served to fully embody the ways of water. Embodying water, we take on its ability to adapt and remain coherent through radical change. In the felt sense of fluidity, we feel more whole and alive, enabling us to see fresh options and resiliently navigate change in our health, our relationships, our work, and our communities. The breath, sound, and fluid movement explorations in the somatic awareness practice of Continuum take us on a deeper dive into the art of becoming like water. Daily movement sessions delve into the fluid process of embryological development, allowing us to experience the transformative and regenerative nature of our own physiology. An essential truth emerges: we are living art. Somatic explorers, each following his or her own stream while supporting others with presence and insight, create an enriching community. By nourishing our life force, we connect with our innate creative capacity where freedom and joy reign. The week includes one evening session. Optional offerings include an evening performance from Watermark Arts and classes applying Continuum to yoga, dance, self-care bodywork, and fabric art creation. The skills shared in this workshop are of benefit to persons interested in moving the world from embodiment, including bodyworkers, artists, activists, therapists, teachers, and parents. This workshop ends Friday at 12:30 p.m. Teachers are subject to change. Hosted by Elaine Colandrea and cotaught with Mary Abrams, Priscilla Auchincloss, Megan Bathory-Peeler, Robin Becker, John Bianculli, Ellen Cohen, Bobbie Ellis, Ashima Kahrs, Rebecca Lawson, Melanie Gambino, Bonnie Gintis, Amber Elizabeth Gray, Beth Pettengil Riley, Val Leoffler, and Suzanne Wright Crain. watermarkarts.org

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July 23-28, 2017 Somatic Movement Immersion: Inhabiting the Body, Moving the World

Come celebrate your life as a living source of energy, knowledge, and creativity in the Somatic Movement Immersion. By deepening into somatic-based presence, we awaken the power of our own well-being in service to creating a more humane world. Generations of somatic pioneers—including Emilie Conrad, Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen, Laban-Bartenieff, Moshe Feldenkrais, F.M. Alexander and others—have laid the groundwork for cultivating a deep human experience of wholeness that opens new pathways of perception and action. Practitioners of somatic movement and those inspired by somatic study and practice are invited to explore this evolving field. Together we use leading-edge approaches from Continuum to more fully inhabit our breath, bones, fascia, and vision, as well as the lymph, affect and autonomic nervous systems. Throughout the week, we focus on applications of somatic inquiry to personal self-care, artistic expression, interpersonal relationships, professional work with clients/students, and community engagement. Daily sessions, incorporating Continuum breathing, movement and sound practices, create a regenerative context allowing us to experience the transformative and artful nature of our own physiology. We come away able to navigate life with greater freedom, resilience, and effectiveness. The week also includes evening talks and video presentations, as well as performances of somatic-inspired dance, music, art and poetry. CEU’s are available for bodyworkers The Somatic Movement Immersion is hosted by Elaine Colandrea of Watermark Arts and cotaught with Mary Abrams, Priscilla Auchincloss, Megan Bathory-Peeler, Ellen Cohen, Suzanne Wright Crain, Bobbie Ellis, Melanie Noblit Gambino, Bonnie Gintis, Amber Elizabeth Gray, Caryn Heilman, Rebecca Lawson, Val Leoffler, Linda Rabin, Beth Pettengill Riley, and Bonnie Simoa. Guest presenters include John Bianculli, Elisa Cotroneo, Martha Eddy Ph.D, and Marc Grossman, O.D., LAc.

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July 3 – 8, 2016

The Continuum Movement Immersion

 

A beloved teacher at Omega for more than 25 years before her passing in 2014, Emilie Conrad was a celebrated dancer, somatic pioneer andvisionary. Known for her radical vision of human possibilities and her groundbreaking work with spinal cord injuries, Conrad founded Continuum Movement as an expression of fluid movement and an ongoing inquiry process of the human experience. The principles of Continuum Movement are now incorporated by an international audience of professionals in fields such as physical therapy, trauma recovery, dance, yoga, therapeutic massage, psychoneuroimmunology, craniosacral therapy, Rolfing, and physical fitness. Join us for the week of July 3-8 to honor, explore, and celebrate the scope and vitality of Conrad’s contributions to artistic expression, the healing arts, and somatic movement education. Guided by teachers personally trained and authorized by Conrad, experience immersion in five days of Continuum Movement sessions. Incorporating breath, sound, and fluid movement, these participatory sessions focus on essential aspects of Continuum—cultivating fluidity and whole body sensing, developing open attentive awareness—while exploring Continuum’s applications to many fields. Daily sessions are designed to introduce and engage participants at all levels of experience to the practice and concepts of Conrad’s work. Continuum-inspired evening events include an art exhibit, a dance and poetry performance, video screenings, a presentation on the development of Continuum, a roundtable discussion of the role of somatic embodiment, and a gathering to share Continuum and Emilie Conrad stories. Hosted by Elaine Colandrea of Continuum Movement Arts in conjunction with Omega, “The Continuum Movement Immersion” will be co-taught with the following teachers: Mary Abrams, Ellen Cohen, Bobbie Ellis, Rebecca Lawson, Melanie Noblit Gambino, and Linda Rabin. Contributing teachers include Priscilla Auchincloss, Megan Bathory-Peeler, Robin Becker, Kathy Benners, Beth Pettengill Riley, Frank Carbone, Bonnie Gintis, Amber Elizabeth Gray, Caryn Heilman, Ashima Kahrs, Bonnie Simoa and Suzanne Wright Crain.