Dance, yoga and somatic movement workshops and retreats

Paleochori welcomes only visitors who are going to attend some workshop or event that is taking place there. Accommodation and meals are included, as co-living is an important element of the experience, yet in case you are already staying somewhere else on the island,  you can attend only the workshop. 

So, in case you want to visit us, please make sure that you have contacted our team before, in order to inform you about the workshop or event taking place during that period, and provide you with all the necessary information! Usually our workshops start from Monday and last until Saturday, from 3 to 6 hours per day. 
 

Retreats / workshops

In our venue you can find almost every week of the summer, weekly workshops and retreats for somatic movement, dance, and yoga, and practice on an openair platform with a breathtaking view under the guidance of experienced and inspiring instructors! 

A great opportunity to get in touch with your creativity skills in a non-judgmental, safe space, while being part of a community of people with similar quests.  

Advanced or beginner in movement practices, makes no difference; our retreats are open for anyone who wants to join and have fun, be part of an outdoors adventure and inner exploration. In these classes there is no need to learn any steps nor to conquer any technique. It is about expression, self exploration and enjoyment of free movement. Α series of movements and interactions for everyone to investigate the sensorial self.
 

What is somatic movement?

A somatic movement is one which is performed consciously with the intention of focusing on the internal experience of the movement rather than the external appearance or result of the movement. In 1976 Thomas Hanna introduced the term Somatics for the first time to describe a number of techniques that share one important similarity: They help people increase bodily awareness through a combination of movement and relaxation.

Somatics describes any practice that uses the mind-body connection to help you explore your internal self and allows you to develop a better awareness of your physical movement and learn to relax tight muscles to disperse tension and restore function. These practices allow you to access more information about the ways you hold on to your experiences in your body. Somatic experts believe this knowledge, combined with natural movement and touch, can help you work toward healing and wellness.

Summer 2023 schedule 

~2 - 9 july 203

Losing Ground | Intimate Circles _ Unplugged Revisited 2023 with Kyveli Kouvatsi & Giorgos Sioras Deligiannis

…an occasion to listen with your skin, what exists beyond it.

Giorgos Sioras Deligiannis & Kyveli Kouvatsi will share their unique Losing Ground practice in an 8 day retreat. The result of long movement research into improvisation, co-movement, touch, empathy and consent. A physical practice of the post-pandemic era for the lost pleasure of touch and the richness that sensation contains.

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/workshops-posts/workshop-4/ 

~9 - 16 july 2023

Seeds _ Unplugged Revisited 2023 with Marina Tsartsara & Defne Erdur

An 8 day Somatic Art Practice and Dance retreat. "We will be planting many seeds together this week. With the support of images, materials i.e resources from our inner worlds and the out world surrounding us; trusting the creative potential of each seed that we all bring we wish to host this week in a seriously joyful and joyfully serious way…We will support each other to give and take time, space and nourishment to realize where we are on the cycle of our own creativity : seed in a palm, seed under soil, cracking seed, sprouting, growing, fruiting, decaying… fertile and potent no matter at which state… you are welcome!"

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/workshops-posts/somatic-art/ 

~16 - 23 july 2023

The Nomadic School of Moving Thought | e x p a n s i o n | from Art to Life _ Unplugged Revisited 23 with Sonia Ntova

An 8 day creative school where the practices of embodiment and care are the essential elements throughout the whole week. This ‘school’ is not only about acquiring skills but taking a step further by applying them to other aspects of our daily practice. It is a process that moves towards a sensitive ecological understanding of “becoming”.

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/workshops-posts/workshop-1/ 

~23 - 30 july 2023

Revisiting Let’s be comfortable in our own skin: sensorial relations _Unplugged Revisited 2023 with Androniki Marathaki 

How does it feel to be comfortable in our own skin? Α special dance improvisation practice in an 8-day dance retreat. Do you want to discover ways to coordinate your movement with your senses? Do you want to move through a process that concerns not how it can be observed from an external point of view, but how the movement itself informs, sensitizes and activates the various organizations and arrangements of the living and whole Body? Do you wanna feel comfortable in your own skin? An invitation of a dance that is released from that void of material existence, tangible reality of the human body and its relationship to the infinite, eternal and wild movement of the world.

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/workshops-posts/workshop-2/ 

~6 - 20 august 2023

Unplugged Dance 2023 _ main program 

Unplugged Dance is a dance educational program specially designed by somatic and dance experts for everyone that wants to re-explore body movement in a healing and creative way that is supported by a vivid community! No previous experience needed! 

w/ Anna Konjetzky, Sahra Huby, Quindell Orton, Giorgos Sioras Deligiannis, Delicia Sefiha, Lilach Pnina Livne 

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/ 

~27 august - 3 september 2023

Επιστροφή/Return - a meditation and improvisational movement workshop with Kinitiras / Antigoni Gyra & Vicky Adamou

"A workshop of personal exploration of our material and immaterial body through the five known senses – taste, smell, touch, hearing, sight – and the thousands of unexplored senses that form our human nature, body, soul and spirit. The aim is to create a common experience among the people who will participate which will offer: personal empowerment, information on different kinetic exploration practices memories that will touch tenderly our souls and bodies"

Find more info here https://www.kinitiras.com/return/?lang=en&fbclid=IwAR1htO7HVgjhA2CUNtNJxBvQp8QQ_hS8Hnft9BtBRigqvwJjEstw7dTko_I 

~3 - 10 september 2023

The Body The Player The Journey _Unplugged Revisited 2023  with Rafaela Sahyoun

An 8 day dance retreat with Rafaela Sahyoun. Rafaela creates a playful, physical & sensitive space to experience dance! "The Body The Player The Journey stimulates practitioners to dance their authenticity. An invitation to the modulations of inner and outer connections through mechanisms of perception, approximating each individual to their personal and collective landscapes. •• The work focuses on the body’s mobility from the perspective of biotensegrity, aiming to expand awareness of the body as an integrated living network. Practitioners are invited to access information from their bodily experiences unveiling their available perceptible resources."

Find more info here https://unpluggeddance.com/workshops-posts/the-body-the-player-the-journey/ 

~10 - 17 september 2023

Bloom inside - 8day embodied movement and dance retreat with Kyveli Kouvatsi

A late-summer week of exploration, expression, awareness, sharing and ... blooming inside out! Daily soft moving meditation and breathwork, strengthening and inviting exercises, guided improvisations, in order to consciously experience our bodies and movement, to explore the paths that unfold through the practice of self-observation and to enjoy ourselves dancing!

Find more info here https://fb.me/e/2zDXMTVmG 

~17 - 24 september 2023

Weaving Tender Connections- Embodied movement and dance retreat with Natali Mandila & Thalia Ditsa

A week of somatic, sensory and artistic practice! A sensory experience through two approaches inspired by experiential anatomy and the connection between body and artistic experience. Natalie Mandila and Thalia Ditsa meet and coordinate their practices in a joint week of workshops focusing on physicality. They co-create a practical exploration that begins with the study of bodily systems and extends to dance and multimedia performative creation. The workshops are open to people with or without experience in physical and artistic practice.

Find more info here https://fb.me/e/Si7DyCvE 

All workshops will be taught in English. 

All workshops are for all levels.

In case you need help with choosing the best week for you, please send us an email at paleochoricamp@gmail.com . We will be happy to help you! 

The Venue

An alternative glamping experience on the wooded hills of iconic Lefkada island!

Four and a half wooded hectares of land, on a side hill that enjoys a breathtaking view of Prigiponisia. The remote site of Paleochori offers only sounds of nature while the surrounding mountains provide a uniform evening shadow. The land is cleaned and leveled with a number of retaining walls more than a hundred years old that have been recently restored, while the main element that stands out in the land is a large wooden patio of 100sm.

The space is equipped with autonomous wc facilities and showers with hot water, where we use only biodegradable soap and shampoo. There are specially designed areas for resting in the shadow under the trees with swings and hammocks. There is power by using solar panels in order to charge phones -even though we suggest our guests enjoy some “unplugged” days- and we also use solar lamps in order to light the area. Our primal need was to treat the surrounding space with care and respect for the environment and all the living beings of the land.

Accommodation

In all retreats we offer accommodation in 4m and 5m canvas bell tents, as well as giving the opportunity to attendees to bring their own tent.

Our bell tents are manufactured using the finest 285gsm cotton canvas which are fully waterproof. Mosquito mesh door, windows and air vents ensure you can allow a breeze within the tent but keep unwanted visitors out. All bell tents are properly furnished with beds, small tables, pillows and the service includes bed sheets, as well as body and face towel.

We also offer our guests the option of bringing their own tent, and we provide properly designed, shaded and safe space to place it.

Meals

In all programs we serve meals, cooked with love by our partners, φ | Foodpath Vegetarian meals, plant-based, with fresh, local, organic products.