Looking back at 2017

Another year has flown by! It´s time to take a look back at all the things we have done to help Biodanza grow in the UK and be inspired again.

January

A slow start…

February

The London School organises a weekend on Musical Semantics with Sergio Cruz

Ruth gives a short Biodanza session for her art class – dancing specific categories of movement and then drawing and painting directly from each experience. The group enjoys this new way of creating – it definitely raises the mood and the energy in the art room

March

AGM in London – new Biodanza games, group discussions, food sharing and a lovely vivencia at the end!

The Bristol Holistic Festival features a Biodanza workshop and introductory talk with Paola onboard the steamship M V Balmoral near the MShed

April

• Maria and Jill represent the UK at the Embrace Gathering in France
• Geane Bonfim visits the UK to co-facilitate a weekend with Paola in Bristol
• Miriam starts a series of 12 Biodanza sessions for Camden Carers in London

May

• Launch of 4th cycle at Dorset School of Biodanza, where Julia Hope Brightwell loves co-teaching alongside Niraj. The beautiful group includes visiting Anneke from Holland completing her training in Dorset.
• Paula presents Biodanza at the Festival of Sport organised by Bristol City Council as part of Bristol 2017 European City of Sport
• After 11 years of teaching in London Gita decides to concentrate on workshops, extensions and events and passes over her Euston class to Sue James.

June

On midsummers day the Richmond Wednesday tribe shares a Biodanza vivencia in Ruth´s back garden and enjoy a summer party dancing on the grass on a beautiful summer evening. Altair organises a Biodanza vivential Aquatica retreat in Cornwall with Marcus Stueck and Alejandra Villegas, the top two researchers of Biodanza in the world.

July

• Kavina presents her monograph at the London School
• Maria organises the 2nd Biodanza Festival North
• Gail takes Biodanza to the  Gong Camp in Devon
• Brendagh presents Biodanza at the Integrative Medicine Foundation Course at Penny Brohn, a leading holistic cancer charity in Bristol, introducing Biodanza to doctors and other health professionals, e.g. osteopaths, herbalists, homeopaths and acupuncturists.

August

Altair de Almeida organises the 1st London International Biodanza Festival, Brendagh presents Biodanza at Hawkwood College in the Cotswolds as part of their Summer Rest-ival, Paula teaches Biodanza at the Folk House Summer School in Bristol, and Tracy Seed spends another wonderful summer in Greece facilitating Biodanza at many community events, leading Dancing with Life ( a week of Biodanza and NVC).

Gita and Sue organise a special event on August Bank holiday Saturday at Gita’s local community centre overlooking Woodberry Woodlands; there was a magnificent turnout of 27 people, including 10 first timers. The evening finished with an outdoor  picnic under the stars , overlooking the reflections of the City skyline over the water.

September

Paula Jardim facilitates a Biodanza workshop at the 3rd Community Psychology Festival in Bristol (15-16 Sept),  jointly hosted by UWE Bristol’s Social Science Research Group and the British Psychological Society (BPS) – and Kavina hosts Lenny Lencina, a didactic teacher from Spain, in Greenwich.

Pavani took Biodanza to a group of 20 recovering addicts of varying ages and backgrounds, the majority of whom were first timers. She has been asked to return to their next gathering.

October

• Another cycle starts at the London School.
• Ruth offers a Biodanza taster for the over 55’s at the Full of Life fair organised by the Borough of Richmond in the Rose Suite at the Twickenham Rugby ground
• Kavina, Claire and Catherine represent the Biodanza Association UK at the 2nd People Dancing International Conference hosted by Tramway, Glasgow.
• Maria invites Luis Otávio Pimentel, director of two Biodanza schools in Spain, to facilitate a series of monthly workshops in Manchester and Sheffield

 November

• Paula Jardim presents “Biodanza, whole health and the art of living” at the Health Humanities & Arts in Health International Symposium at the University of Derby – the workshop was later described by a participant on twitter as “the most joyous and energising session I have ever experienced at a conference”
• Kavina promotes Biodanza at the Annual Enfield Wellbeing Showcase at The Dugdale Centre in London
• Launch of Biodanza at The Dragon Cafe in Southwark ( a space  for people with mental health issues). Naropa and Kavina (assisted by Paul, a student at the London School of Biodanza), have run two sessions so far and plan to do more next year.
• Altair organises a day long Biodanza-Angelic-Gong resonance day in Malvern
• EGM – ABTUK changes its name to Biodanza Association UK

December

Claire celebrates 15 years of Biodanza for Disabilities at the Garvald Centre, now working at 3 of their centres based in Edinburgh and Midlothian, and 5 years at The Columcille Centre (opens video), where approximately 80 people dance Biodanza each week in the centres for people with learning disabilities.

In the community

Milton Keynes

Besides her regular weekly Sunday and Friday groups, Ingrid is now running three different groups in a retirement village in Milton Keynes. Each group is a delight to work with, they are lovely people with mixed ability, for example some members have the beginnings of Alzheimers, some are in wheelchairs, some have Parkinsons, some partially sighted and some can get up and enjoy dancing, Regardless of their impairment all of them participate fully with enthusiasm loving the music, movement and connection and seem to get a great deal from the sessions. It’s a real pleasure to share our wonderful system with them. Ingrid has also started a new group for absolute beginners which is now also beginning to grow and flourish into a beautiful group.

Olga has started her work for The Fuchsia Project with The Team Imagineers, the artists group has received funding from the National Lottery and are feeling the responsibility of putting money to good use in the community. This project is supporting people who are often isolated through teaching them dance, ceramics and felting. During the project Olga will be teaching Biodanza at the Carshalton Environmental Fair and the Pavilion Cafe in Beddington Park for public workshops and for isolated diverse communities and groups – Clusters, a center open to all over-18s with any disability, Home Education group, Russian Community in London, Women’s group in Sutton and a small group of elderly patients at Cloverdale Court in a monthly art group.

North of England

Noel Watkins is also working with children and establishing new groups in Huddersfield as well as putting Biodanza on the map during a Radio 2 music quiz! (Pop Master with Ken Bruce)

Ireland

Nicole Stapff Estefanell is giving regular Biodanza classes in Montessori schools in Dublin and Helene O’Meara is teaching Biodanza classes to various ages at a French speaking school in Dublin, celebrating 8 years of Biodanza at the school.