January
In Manchester and Sheffield, the 10-months workshop programme with Maria Canizalez Jerez and Paula Jardim continued to show how the Biodanza system covers the 10 scientific steps to happier living.
February
Five of our members joined the Didactic Training in Italy and Spain – Here they are, smiling away after their first group presentation.
Paula Jardim did a Biodanza taster for people affected by Parkinsons disease at the Wellbeing Day organised by the Bristol branch of Parkinsons UK.
Ingrid Slack was asked to run a 4th weekly Biodanza group for a charity called InterAction in Milton Keynes. This continued until August when the venue was about to be reclaimed by the council.
March
Tracy Seed introduced early years teachers, practitioners and professionals to Biodanza for Children through the early years foundation stage prime and specific areas physical development and expressive arts.
Whilst on holiday in New Zealand Jill Goodwin was invited by Jemma Voisin (student in the Biodanza School of Australia) to give a vivencia on Waiheke Island near Auckland. Karen Biggs (nee Saynor, ex student of the old London School) helped organise it. Jill was delighted to give a class so far away and to such lovely, enthusiastic people.
Maria Canizalez Jerez facilitated a taster session at The University of Manchester Students Union, and Ingrid Slack asked if she would run a weekly Biodanza session for the Thomas Edward Mitten Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit in Milton Keynes… this is now on-going.
Paula Jardim started her 2nd block of 10 classes for homeless women and housing staff. This project was funded by St Mungos, and included a special workshop at International Women’s Day celebrations when the hostel opened its doors to other organisations and members of the public in Bristol.
April
Biodanza International Day was celebrated in Manchester, Derby and Edinburgh. Proceeds of the Manchester workshop went to Mind Manchester, a non-profit organization that aims to promote the health and wellbeing of people who have been affected by mental distress. The charity was chosen in honour of Chilean psychologist R Toro Araneda (1924-2010) who started to develop Biodanza in the 1960s after witnessing the positive impact of music and dance on psychiatric patients. Meantime, in Bristol, Paula Jardim brought Biodanza to the Buddhist Centre where she’s been facilitating meditation sessions for the past 6 years!
Ingrid Slack ran a successful two day workshop of Biodanza theory and vivencias for her group in Milton Keynes as part of her didactic training.
May
Ingrid Slack gave a talk and demonstration of Biodanza to a local Monthly Oasis group with Mind Body Spirit interests.
Paula Jardim got involved with Voluntary Arts Week, Mental Health Week, and Dying Matters offering several Biodanza tasters for the local community. Biodanza was also included in Skills Week, a series of events hosted by Bedminster Town Team that gave local people the chance to share their skills and for the public to explore this area of Bristol whilst learning something new.
June
Paula also kick started the Refugee Women of Bristol’s annual Dance Event during Refugee Week. Biodanza was as successful as in the previous years, attended by over 150 women from Sudan, Kurdistan, Iran, Egypt, Mali, Uganda, and other countries.
Brendagh O’Sullivan accepted a core staff contract with the charity Penny Brohn Cancer Care where she introduced Biodanza on to the residential courses a couple of years ago, at first as a volunteer. The charity, which advocates a wholistic approach to the treatment of cancer is “delighted to incorporate Biodanza into our core services.”
July
Julia Hope Brightwell, Ruth Strupinski and Pip Kennan were part of the teaching team at the Biodanza Festival in Dorset. Everyone was delighted when Elizabeth Barnett resumed her monthly classes in Bristol after taking a health break. Following the taster in February, the Bristol branch of Parkinsons UK published a small article about Biodanza in its newsletter
Naropa’s highlights this year have all been about collaborations: a Digital Detox well-being day with laughter therapist Harish Chavda and friends, an evening at Spatium spa clinic in Pinner, and a couple of summer Saturdays with Pip under the title Dance Play Live.
August
Ruth Strupinski invited Antonio Sarpe to London to teach Module 1 of his Continued Learning Programme. Much learning took place on how to design classes for beginners based on the radicalization of progressivity and the five lines of vivencia. Those who attended left with plenty of resources – music collection, audio recordings and power points with enough lesson plan templates for 1 year of weekly classes. In addition, thanks to Paula Jardim, a very useful collection of video clips of all demonstrations and exercises.
Tracy Seed had the opportunity for the 5th year running to lead Dancing with Life at the Alexandros campus Mt. Pelion, a place of Greek breath-taking beauty. Participants arrived from various nations and embarked on an adventurous and fulfilling journey of discovery.
September
Alex (Alejandro Balbi Toro) gave the Human Movement weekend at the London School. He taught in an inspirational, interactive way by focusing on each category of movement, explaining, demonstrating and giving feedback.
Altair de Almeida gave us the World’s First Biodanza Webinar with Marcus Stueck.
Kavina launched Danzability at her 50th birthday event and invited the amazing Guida Gama from Portugal to present her work on resilience and facilitate a lovely vivencia.
Noel Watkins introduced Biodanza to the Holistic Education Organisation congregation gathered at Leeds Beckett University. The conference featured workshops, discussion groups and panels, and brought together parents, educators and academics from across the alternative academic spectrum.
Maria Canizalez-Jerez and Paula Jardim launched their 2nd ten-month programme of Biodanza workshops in Manchester and Sheffield.
Paula Jardim did an Introduction to Biodanza day workshop at the Folk House, a well established adult education centre in the centre of Bristol that aims to help the local community take part in learning for pleasure. The feedback was great and they invited her back!
October
Paula Jardim started a series of tasters at St. Mungos Recovery College in Bristol, open to those on their road to recovery from homelessness, mental health and addiction, and the people supporting them.
Assisted by Mel Davitt, Brendagh O’Sullivan delivered a vivencia to North Somerset Parkinson’s Association on one of their ‘Comfort Days’ for the second year in a row. She was amazed to see how much movement becomes possible in a Biodanza session. Big smiles all round!
Tracy Seed’s course was featured in the professions Nursery World national publication, which interviewed one of the participants.Ingrid Slack gave a talk and demonstration for Biodanza to the Open University Mind Body Spirit Society. And the Biodanza Retreat in the Peak District with Maria Cañizalez-Jerez was well-received by all who attended.
November
Maria Cañizalez-Jerez opened the British Psychological Society Community Psychology Section Festival in Manchester, helping approximately 90 community psychologists discover the power of Biodanza.
December
International Migrants Day celebrations in Manchester organised by Migrants Supporting Migrants included a Biodanza taster with Maria Cañizalez-Jerez which was much enjoyed by all.
Lots of work behind the scenes throughout the year with developing the rebranding of ABTUK’s website, blog, social media, newsletter, learning resources and more! Our special thanks to Liz Darcy Jones and Fiona Sturrock for their poems and blogpost contributions, and to Pete Simpson for his continued support with the website!
Work was also done in London, funded by the London Borough of Camden, in partnership with St Mungo’s Housing Association, 6 sessions in 2 hostels, working with people who were temporarily homeless. The facilitator has previously worked with another London Borough, for Adults With Learning Difficulties, 2 courses of 6 sessions each.