4 Days of Contact Improvisation, Solo Movement and Psoas work with Carmen Serber at the beautiful Hanna Barn on Vashon Island. Exploring the co-creation of fluidity and form, grounded in care.

October 9 - 12
4 full days
Hanna Barn on Vashon Island

Pricing (incl. accommodation onsite and 2 meals)
Early bird until June 1:  $650 - $1000
June 1 - July 31:            $750 - $1000
After July 30:                 $850 - $1000

Registration

This residential retreat is a deep immersion into easeful, timeless movement—into falling effortlessly through space, rising with clarity, and landing with buoyancy. It offers a space to cultivate coherence and refined spatial awareness by exploring subtle relationships within the body and how they resonate outward into movement and beingness.

At the heart of our exploration is the return to the body’s fluid core. A reawakening of its innate intelligence and a coming home to our bones where structure, support, and belonging reside. Fluidity and Form co-creating our movement potential.

Psoas Work
Throughout the retreat, we’ll work with our deepest fluid tissue, our psoas, located at the gravitational midline behind the abdominal muscles deep within the belly core. The psoas teaches us about tenderness, about humanity, and about life as a continuous unfolding. When we land, locate and tune into the world of the psoas, it shows us that depth and flow arise not from effort, but from participation. It is a pathway toward wholeness — toward power rooted in integrity, safety, agency and care.

Dance practices/(Contact) Improvisation
We will explore the spine, pelvis, and limbs in relationship to the psoas, sensing both their interconnected mobility and their restrictions. Playful micro movements and hands-on work will inform these processes. Our perceptual inquiries will support greater refinement and coordination as we dance solo, in duets, trios, and as an ensemble. Our somatic discoveries will expand the foundation from which we develop our dancing together. We will discover that physical skill and relational skills are not separate practices. They belong together and go hand in hand.

All dance explorations share one central intention: to stay connected to our core –to care about who we are and to allow ourselves to be fully ourselves, no matter what.

Questions We’ll Explore
How can we stay rooted in our core while the field expands?
How can we grow larger without leaving ourselves behind?
How can we let ourselves be moved by the whole experience of being in dynamic relationship with ourselves, others and the more-than-human world?

Structure
The retreat weaves together Contact Improvisation, solo practices, hands-on bodywork, rest and jamming. Our chef, Hannah, will prepare nourishing dinners for us each evening and provide a simple breakfast to start our days.

I look forward to witnessing your individual process while supporting our collective creative unfolding. I am devoted to helping you cultivate core awareness in motion — and to noticing when you begin to move away from yourself.

What I care about
I care about the skill level of your dancing and supporting you in growing it.
I care about how you touch – and the depths and responsibility behind it.
I care about your conversations with your partners and the space around you.
I care about your intention, your enthusiasm, and that care guides what you do.

Location
The work we'll share in the Hanna Barn on Vashon Island will be non-judgmental, playful, encouraging, and deeply curious. A place to learn, to go inward, to rediscover home in your own body and in relationship to others. A space devoted to weaving art and life together.

Who Is It For?
This offering is for those who wish to deepen their practice of Contact Improvisation and the art of relational movement, and who already bring a foundational understanding of one or both.

It’s especially suited for movers who want to:

• Expand their physical skillset
• Deepen their practice of relational attention
• Cultivate greater fluidity and responsiveness in their dance

It also welcomes dancers, therapists, bodyworkers, and athletes who wish to enrich or reimagine their movement, teaching, or healing practice — and anyone who misses the embodied, movement-based dimension often absent in massage and therapy trainings.

Studio and surrounding

More details on accomodation, food, carpooling, ferries, retreat schedule, packing list, FAQs and refund policy

Accommodation

“Landing in Delight” is a residential retreat. Above the dance studio there is a spacious communal sleeping area with one bathroom. Up to six people can comfortably stay there with generous space between sleeping spots; more people can be accommodated if participants are happy to sleep a bit closer together.

Joan, the owner of the studio, provides blankets and sleeping mats for those arriving by airplane. In addition, there is ample space for camping on the property, which is sometimes still pleasant in October depending on the weather.

There are also plenty of nearby Airbnb options. I found places available for around $500 for four nights, which can make accommodation quite affordable when shared with another participant.

Food

Each evening, Hannah Stone will prepare a simple, nourishing dinner that is mostly vegetarian. We will also provide wholesome breakfast items in the morning. A fully equipped kitchen will be available, along with tea and coffee throughout the day.

Participants are responsible for arranging their own lunches and snacks throughout the stay.

Upon arrival, you will be invited to sign up for one shift assisting Hannah with dinner preparation during the lunch break, and one shift helping with clean-up after dinner.

Carpooling

After registration, I will share a carpooling spreadsheet where you can coordinate rides with other participants.

Ferry schedule from Fauntleroy to Vashon Island

Schedule

Oct 8th
Arrival day. 
Dinner at 6:30pm

Oct 9th
8-9:15          Breakfast
9:30-12:30  Session 1
12:30-3:15   Lunch break
3:30-6:00    Session 2
6:30              Dinner

Oct 10th
8-9:15           Breakfast
9:30-12:30  Session 1
12:30-3:15   Lunch break
3:30-6:00    Session 2
6:30              Dinner

Oct 11th
8-9:15          Breakfast
9:30-12:30  Session 1
12:30-5:30  Free time
5:30-6:30    Dinner
6:30-9:00    Session 2 - JAM/CDP/Scores

Oct 12th
8-9:15          Breakfast
9:30-12:30 Session 1
12:30-3:15  Lunch break
3:30-6:00   Session 2
6:30             Last Dinner together 

Oct 135th
Departure DAY

What to pack

• Water bottle
• Plenty of dance clothes
• Unscented personal toiletries
• Bedding: sleeping bag, sheets, blankets, and pillow if you’re staying in the barn. If you fly in, Joan can provide blankets and sleeping mats.
• Camping gear: tent with rain-fly and sleeping pad if you’re camping
• Rain jacket
• Towels
• Closed-toed shoes
• Sandals/open shoes
• Flashlight

Optional:

• Cup/mug or insulated thermos for hot/cold beverages
• Notebook & pen for reflections or notes
• Layered clothing, we are in the PNW
• Knee pads if you need them
• Musical instruments
• Earplugs

FAQs

• What's the typical weather in October on Vashon Island? October on Vashon Island is moderately cool, damp, and often cloudy, featuring average daily highs dropping from high 66F (19C) and low 45F (7C).
• Barn situation/setup? Up to six people can comfortably stay there with generous space between sleeping spots; more people can be accommodated if participants are happy to sleep a bit closer together.
• Closest town? Vashon (often referred to as Vashon Town or the "main town"), located approximately 4–5 miles northwest of the Point Robinson area. It serves as the primary commercial hub for the island.
• Is there cell reception? Yes, but I encourage limited phone use during the retreat/embrace the digital detox. Keep phones out of sight when possible.
• Will there be a place to store personal food? Yes.
• Can I sign up for less days? At the moment, I only offer 4 full days.

Refund Policy

Refunds: 90+ days: refund minus 10% fee. 60–89 days: 25% fee. 30–59 days: 50% fee. 15–29 days: 75% fee. 0–14 days or no-show: none.
Transfers: Allowed with $50 admin fee