Words inspired by master Painter from China over one thousand years ago, Kuo Hsi

Plant Medicine & Nature Immersion New Years Retreat Costa Rica - December 28th, 2008 - January 3rd, 2009Sweat lodge, cleansings, medicine ceremonies and spirit dance lead by Hernando Villa and Kathi von Koerber and, Yoga by Celina De Leon. For the new year our intention is to gather for deep cleansing, personalized healing, nature immersion, dance andenvironmental inspiration. The retreat combines Amazonian medicine ceremonies, super-foods, and dance and rejuvenation practices from various lineages. Classes and ceremonies take place in the morning, afternoon, and evening at La Posada rainforest retreat center and in sight specific locations such as a 100 ft. waterfall, a rainforest mountain lodge nestled deep in the forest, and at the nearby beach along the central pacific coast. Participants come into deeper understanding of their commitment to their purpose, interrelationship with nature, and creative flow in life. Hernando Villa is a native son of Colombia. He is a healer and a member of the Sacred fire of Itzachilatlan, an affiliated network of sacred medicine traditions, Tribal Elders and Chiefs from all of the Americas who have been sharing their gifts and traditions with each other in the Sacred Condor/Eagle connection. He has been engaged with indigenous groups of South America such as the Shuars, Sionas, Kofanes and the Emberas through in depth work with the ways of plant medicine, music, and ancient wisdom keeping. Hernando has been offering his music and purification cleanses in different environments such as prayer circles, workshops, tribal elder facilitation, indigenous preservation projects, and youth leadership. His prayers are focused on and around the temascal, pipe ceremonies, and medicinal cleansing sessions. For more info: http://www.geocities.com/circulodelfuego1/index.html Kathi is a healer and dancer from Germany/South Africa. Together with Hernando Villa she supports the prayer of working with ancestral medicine. Kathi lives in Colombia with Hernando and has been working with plant medicine from around the world for many years. She embraces dance, music and ceremony as a form of creative growth, and has studied in depth with tribes such as the Bushmen in southern Africa, the Tuareg in the Sahara, the Zulu in South Africa, the Lakota, Navajo and Cherokee in the United States, the Kofanes in Colombia, and the Xawante in Brazil. She has danced and performed her whole life internationally and been teaching for the last 6 years internationally as well. Kathi combines techniques of the Japanese Butoh dance form, Bioenergetics, Tribal Trance dance, African Spiritisim, Native American practices, shamanic voice practices, meditation, and deep cellular spirit work. Kathi believes that Breath is the Reflex to Live. To live is to walk through life, and this walk is a dance lead by a melody. Each person has their own melody deeply connected to their mission in life therefore your dance is your prayer. For more info: http://www.kiahkeya.com Celina is a lifelong student and scientist of yoga, ayurveda, and medicinal plants. She combines her experience in these areas to share yoga as a path to broaden awareness of our inherent nature as liberated joyful beings interconnected to everything around us. To be at peace exactly where we are at while delving into our transformative potential is the essence of what she strives to share. After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in human biology Celina completed Yoga teaching certification courses at Greenpath Yoga in San Francisco and at White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara. Thanks to a fulbright scholarship she was able to spend time in India delving further into her work while spending time with many renowned teachers. Over the years she has taught diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds in several different countries. About the Space: The retreat center La Posada is located next to the Rio Naranjo River and is the entry point to the Eco Era Wildlife Reserve. It is nestled between the Cerro Nara Mountain upriver and the Central Pacific coast dowzzn river. Its location along a rainforest biological river corridor makes it an ideal place for deeprejuvenation and sincere inquiry into the pulse of spirit. The space includes yoga decks, a saltwater pool, and ethnobotanical gardens. For more info: http://www.ecoera.org Cost: Registration fee: $1,500 US Dollars. Price includes complete workshop, yoga, 3 medicine ceremonies, sweat lodge, delicious meals, & accommodation in cozy bungalows overlooking a river. 50 % deposit must be received by November 15th. Full payment must be received prior to the beginning of the workshop. Transportation: Airfares are not included in the cost of the workshop. Participants will arrive in San Jose on December 28th. You will be met at the San Jose airport and transported in a group car 3.5 hours to the retreat center. Once you arrive at the airport, all costs our covered. Participants will be transported back to San Jose on the day of January 3rd. Registration & Information: Limited to 15 participants. A letter written statement on any medical issues is required. Checks and money orders can be made to 'Eco Era' and can be sent to: Eco Era PO Box 3335 San Rafael CA, 94912

Upcoming Retreat IN Brasil October 2008
25th of September till 5th of October.
10 Day Intensive Improvisational Nature AFRO-Butoh Spirit Dance.
In combination with Yoga, Ayahuasca Ceremonies, dances with the Funio indigenous people of Bahia and Sweat lodge purification ceremonies.

At Lua private retreat in the jungle Goias, 4 hours from Brasilia. Entry to Lua is one and a half hours on foot crossing a river 7 times.
www.yatra.yage.net/vale.htm

Taught by Kathi von Koerber and musical accompaniment by T Bird Tall Flame Luv. Sweat lodge, Cleansings and medicine ceremony facilitated by Hernando Villa from the Sacred Fire circle of Itzachilatlan in Colombia and Yoga by Deva Hari Parkash. Kathi von Koerber will be giving private Shamanic journeying sessions. Special guests include Geli and Markus Sieber from the music group Mirabei from Mexico, and musicians and singers from Lua them selves.Bodywork will be offered at additional costs.

Classes, and ceremonial practices take place in the morning afternoon and evening, in sight specific locations. Waterfalls, Mountains, Fire dances, animal totem retrieval dance, forest, etc. Kathi combines techniques of the Japanese Butoh dance form, with Bioenergetics, Tribal Trance dance, African spiritisim, shamanic voice practice, meditation and deep cellular spirit work. Ancient genetic memories are accessed and participants learn to dance in their power, on the crest of their limitations, body mind spirit, and then to utilize this in their daily life. Participants come into deeper understanding of their spirit guides, and their commitment to creative movement in life. Participants will present a solo imrpov dance at the culmination of the workshop in a sight specific nature location.

REQUIREMENTS:
No prior experience is necessary. It is open to all levels.
A letter of introduction about your interest or previous experience in dance, music and the healing arts is required. Also a written statement on any medical issues.

TRANSPORTATION:
The group will meet at Brasilia airport and be transferred together to Lua. Transportation is included.
International arrivals on September 24th with Transfer to Alto Paraiso. Hike in and Workshop begins on the 25th. Departure from Lua on the 5th of October. Spend one night in Alto Paraiso, and bus transfer on the 6th to Brasilia.

COST:
Early registration fee:
1400 US Dollars.
Price includes complete workshop, 3 meals a day and comfortable sleeping arrangements.
50 % deposit must be received by August 20th.
Late registration fee:
After August 20th cost of the workshop is 1500 US.

Full payment must be received prior to the begin of the workshop.

REGISTRATION:
Limited to 20 participants.

Registration CONTACT:
workshops@kiahkeya.com
Kiahkeya Office: Jami Bailey Tel:1718 387 8680

Checks can be sent to
Kiahkeya
Lorimer street apt 4
11211 Brooklyn NY
USA

For more information on the workshop, and previous workshops...
www.resonant-wave.net/dance2008
www.kiahkeya.com

Dancing in Nature integrating the wilderness, the elements, the mystic, dancing at one's purest. The Improvisational Butoh workshop will put you in touch with your own dance, to dance beyond your own limitations. It is a dance that takes place on a cellular level, moving through your own cells, through the chaos, dancing on the thread of life and death.

THE WORKSHOP:
Classes take place through out the day, also including wilderness/ nature excursions, ritual dance, and optional Kundalini Yoga and bodywork. Classes are held in the morning, afternoon, and alternately at night, all in outdoor settings; an outdoor setting in and around rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountain sides and semi-jungle landscapes. Additional teachings in shamanic rooted chanting, trance dance will be practiced. The workshop will involve hiking, swimming, sweat lodge purification ceremony and communal living.

THE DANCE:
The Improvisational Butoh workshop will bring you in touch with your own dance, to dance beyond your own limitations. It is a dance that takes place on a cellular level, moving through your own cells, through the chaos, dancing on the thread of life and death.

BIO:

Kiahkeya founder Kathi von Koerber was born in South Africa of German descent, is an accomplished dancer and film/video - artist. She has danced for over 20 years, and has studied under and danced duets and group shows with the Japanese Butoh dance Master Atsushi Takenouchi and Yumiko Yoshioka for 8 years. She has also studied many tribal dances from Southern Africa, West Africa and South America. Dance for her, is a universal expression, and she is particularly interested in the aspects of spirit dance and Trance rituals. Kathi is passionately dedicated to the earth and the manifest of Kiahkeya. Kathi uses her body as the sponge of her experience. The body initiates a visual narrative through a musical language that insinuates a spiritual phenomena. The trance and intuitive movements of these ceremonial performances become entities in a larger social and spiritual dialog. Kathi has shown her work in Berlin, Prague, Zurich, Paris, Vienna, New York, San Francisco, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Israel Mexico, Brazil, Mali, Singapore, and South Africa etc. www.kiahkeya.com

Tonya Ridgley Tbird Luv, aka Tonya Ridgely, is a great integrator of many talents. As a musical shaman, she transports others into transcedent experience through a whole range of movement, flute playing, vocalizations and combinations of the above. On flute, Tonya has moved well beyond even the adventurous terrain of the modernist, avant-garde, and created a sound that is utterly unique. She incorporates sounds of birds and experimental tonality into her improvisations and compositions. Building on a solid classical European foundation at Carnegie Mellon University and a World Music and Dance foundation at Cal Arts, she has learned to simultaneously integrate and master a broad vocabulary of extended techniques for flute and voice. She has worked with great artists such as choreographer Nia Love, and master musicians, Ry Cooder, Ustad Hossein Alizadeth and Nyoman Wenten. Currently a core ensemble member of Kiah Keya (www.kiahkeya.com.) She has worked woith Kathi von Koerber for 7 years now and they perform and teach internationally togteher. http://www.tbirdluv.com/

Hernando Villa is a healer from Colombia and a member of the Sacred fire of Itzachilatlan. He has been working with indigenuos groups of South America suchs as the Shuars, Sionas, Kofanes and the Emberas. Through his in deapth work with the ways of the medicine and ancient wisdom keeping, Hernando has been offereing his 'curaciones' /healings and ceremonies in different environments, such as prayer circles, workshops, tribal elder facilitation, indiginous preservation projects and youth leadership. His prayers are focused around the Temascal, pipe ceremonies, and cleansing sessions etc.

Hernando intends to plant seeds within the circle of the open heart. He calls upon us to get in touch with our own healing light inside, with our own 'curandero' inside of us, this way we may heal our own body, mind and relations that allow us humans to integrate oursleves with existence.