The Sacred Dance Guild’s motto is “Dancing the Sacred, Moving the World.” Sacred Dance Journeys are one way the SDG lives out this motto. These travel packages – for small groups – to sacred sites provide meaningful experiences for the mind, body and soul through movement and dance, as well as cultural activities designed to highlight these beautiful locales.
SACRED DANCE JOURNEY TO PERU – 2024
The Sacred Dance Guild’s Sacred Dance Journey to the Sacred Valley in Peru from JULY 19-25th, 2024 was an amazing adventure. Our host, the beautiful, nature inspired Munay Sonqo Retreat Centre which its heart-felt mission to create a nurturing environment for healing, learning, regeneration, and expansion – was everything and more we could have imagined! It truly was a sanctuary for the soul – a place where the external and internal realms merged seamlessly, located in an oasis of native plants and fruit trees, nourished by a magnificent waterfall – a place to connect to the incredible depth and beauty of what nature offers. The Sacred Valley of Peru is a majestic spot in the Andes Mountains and home of the twelve mountains known as “Apus” — “luminous beings” who are said to intercede on behalf of people. At Munay Sunqo, the journey is not just a physical exploration but a spiritual pilgrimage, an odyssey to the core of one’s being, guided by the whispers of Munay (love) and Sonqo (heart). It’s an invitation to discover, embrace, and honor the sacred temple within, in harmony with the profound energies of this extraordinary place. This sacred space is adorned with a stunning crystal at its center, radiating unique vibrational frequencies that uplift the energy of both the surroundings and those who find there way here.
August 2024 Update: Do see photos and videos that were posted during the Retreat on the SDG Facebook page. A link to an album will be posted here as well – do watch for that!
Information on the retreat is below:
OUR FACILITATORS
In this amazing place on the planet we will have the opportunity to commune directly with these mountains, experience ritual and ceremony with local curanderos and pacos (healers) AND be taken on a transformational journey of discovery with our Sacred Dance Retreat Facilitators Marylee Hardenbergh and Vannia Ibarguen .
Marylee Hardenbergh has taught Sacred Anatomy, Space Harmony, and site specific performance at the Sacred Dance Guild’s Sacred Dance Journey to Bali (2022) and at the 65th Anniversary Mini Festival at Connecticut College with performance at Jacob’s Pillow (2023). She is honored to serve as co-vice president on the board of the Sacred Dance Guild, along with Tricia Lee, with whom she taught in Bali. She recently returned from teaching community-based, site-specific dance in Korea and Australia. Hardenbergh was the original artistic director of Global Water Dances; she is a board-certified Dance/Movement Therapist and is the Director of Global Site Performance. She loves visiting sacred sites around the world. See further details on her website.
Vannia Ibarguen is a Peruvian facilitator, performer, choreographer, dance instructor, and Artistic Director of VIDA – Vannia Ibarguen Dance Arts. Her research is focused on the interaction between dance and technology, and also the relationship between classical, contemporary and folk dance styles. She was a gymnast in her youth, then worked as a professional ballet dancer for more than 10 years, and then she decided to earn her MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland. Vannia has received awards for her choreography in the United States, Peru, Argentina, Cuba, and Colombia. She is also the Artistic Director of Global Water Dances, a biennial event where more than 100 cities around the world create outdoor dances to create awareness about water issues in the local and global community. Vannia is also faculty at the Cerritos College’s Dance Department, Board member of the California Dance Education Association and Professional Fellow at the Arts Council for Long Beach, California. See further details on her website.
OUR JOURNEY
Our journey will include:
- 6 nights accommodation at Munay Sonqo (*Shared Room) Munay Sonqo Mesa
- 18 awesome and abundant vegetarian meals (specific dietary requirements can be accommodated)
- Transportation to and from Cusco (approximately 50 km) – Airport or other Central Location for group (could be additional charge for single pickups or drop offs)
- Ceremony, Ritual, Movement and Dance – Dancing the Divine Feminine: Celebrating Pachamama We will be exploring and deepening our understanding of the Divine Feminine through our individual and collective dancing. According to some, the planet Earth has its own 7 chakras, with Peru being the second chakra with the land holding the most feminine energy on the Earth. It is the place of Pachamama, the Earth Mother or the Divine Feminine. In the Quechua language, Cusco (Qosqo) means “world’s navel”… the channel of nurturing from the Great Mother. The city was the geographical and spiritual center of the Inca empire.
- In our retreat, we will embody, and dance deeply the experience of being held by this incredible land in the Sacred Valley of Peru.
- Special Guests
- Despacho Ceremony with Q’ero Elder – Coca Ceremony honoring the Earth
- Andean Feminine Archetype workshop, Authentic Movement, Dance Therapy and Art with local dance artist Marisel La Rosa and individual Andean Ancestral Oracle reading with elder Elba Bravo and Andean Flower Blessing Ceremony.
- Daily Dance and Movement Experiences with Marylee & Vannia exploring the shape of transcendence and discovering the Inner Alter. Sessions will be held in “The Temple” a large circular space where underneath the floor is a grid of concentric rings of selenite crystal to activate the seventh chakra, promoting peace, mental clarity, and well-being.
- Our dancing days will include exploring Space Harmony (Laban) and creating your own interpretation of these concepts.
- The mountain and stone shamans of the Incan and the Q’ero (the pre-Incan peoples) carried their altars with them. These altars were woven cloth with stones and other natural pieces. The altars were called a Mesa, which means table. Inspired by this tradition participants can each create their own collection from the natural environment during their week of exploration.
- Free Time for personal explorations – visit the Qualilla Spa, trek to Pitusiray, visit the town of Calca or other local areas, or just breath and enjoy the beautiful gardens of Munay Sonqo!
- Support and connections planning pre and/or post retreat activities in the area (i.e. options include an initial walking tour of historic Cusco with guide, an unforgettable visit to the annual Virgen de Carmen Festival – a traditional Andean Festival with the Cora Apacuy and Konoy dances , a morning (and lunch) with teenage mothers creating amazing leather jewelry, a Peruvian Night Cooking class including local market experience, a “post” retreat day trip to Machu Picchu with a spiritual guide – and then other options “post” retreat could be an excursion to the Rainbow Mountain, joining local celebrations for PERU Independence Day on July 28th – and many other local activities being explored!)
** Many options are being explored – participants will be provided detailed schedules prior to the Retreat which will be updated as activities shift or change!
COST
As always the Sacred Dance Guild strives to create programs to be as affordable and accessible to as many as possible. With great care in our budgeting, and with the help of our volunteer Board of Directors, the total cost for the 7 day, 6 night Peru experience in the Sacred Valley will be $2,000 (excluding airfare, personal incidentals and any pre/post retreat activities) for a maximum of 16 participants. The amount is payable in 3 “deposits” – $200.00 Initial, $800.00 due March 8th and the final $1000 due July 8th (March Update – At this time both the $200 and $800 are payable to secure your place on the adventure!
REGISTRATION
NOTE: This retreat is open to all Sacred Dance Guild members. If you are NOT currently a member you can JOIN our village at any of the existing membership options (student $30, regular $60, senior $45, lifetime $1,000) and then register for the retreat with your User ID and Password under Upcoming Events.
REGISTRATION is now closed.
Contact
For information or questions contact pres@sacreddanceguild.org or leave message at 613-726-1375 and your call will be returned.
Photos of Munay Sonqo Retreat Center
Past Sacred Dance Journeys
Bali: Through Chaos to Creation – Jewels from the Sacred Heart
October 6-12, 2022
The 4th and final Sacred Dance Journey to the awesome, magical island of Bali took place in October 2022.
See the Photo Album for the 2022 Retreat on the SDG Facebook Page.
OUR BALI ADVENTURES 2022 – YOUR TIME TO SHINE!
- To Dance, in a Sacred way is to enter into a communion of heart, mind, body and soul with the Great Mystery
- To Retreat, invites a safe inner space for contemplation, revelation, transformation and illumination.
- To be in Bali, (in person or virtually) is to enter a place of beauty which is honoured and Blessed in the Sacred traditions of that culture.
The 2022 retreat invited a brave and conscious preparation as we moved “Through Chaos to Creation – Jewels from the Sacred Heart”…. both a personal and a communal Inspired Sacred Dancing response to our fragile new world (post Covid et al). “We are the change, We are the Dance, We are the vessels of Inspiration”. Together we are going to share, to reflect, to grow and to honor our vital contributions as Sacred Dancing people on this beautiful Earth of ours.”
Barefoot, Blessed and Beautiful” ….come dance with us.
OUR FACILITATORS
Our facilitators – Tricia mary Lee and Marylee Hardenbergh are awaiting your arrival with anticipation and excitement as these adventures are co-created with you! We are also delighted to have Allegra Ceccarelli (from Brazil, currently researching, studying and living in Bali) as part of our experience.
- Tricia mary Lee (from New Zealand)
- Marylee Hardenbergh (from USA)
- Allegra Ceccarelli (from Bali)
Our Journey
From October 6th to October 12th our group of sacred sisters were steeped in the Divine Feminine Energy so present in the Balinese culture! The retreat focused on the Divine Feminine. Each day we arrived in the beautiful studio at Bali Mountain Retreat to begin with body blessings and then moved through the day with sessions that will built through the week each deeply connecting one to another as we crystalized our stories from the Stars, the Earth and all of Humanity. Classes began before breakfast and continued throughout the day and on into the evenings with times to dive into the cultural world of Bali!
EMBRACE THE BALI CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:
In addition to 6 nights and 7 days at the amazing Bali Mountain Retreat, and rich and profound daily sacred dance sessions (scheduled pre breakfast and throughout the day) with our facilitators included also in this unique rich and cultural experience were:
- Accommodation in awesome twin shared rooms with ensuite (some singles if required)
- All amazing, nourishing and visually beautiful vegetarian meals,
- Transport to and from the retreat center (pick up/drop off points at Denpasar Airport or Ubud)
- A glorious evening of local music/dance: the 20 piece Gamelan ‘Joged Bumbung’ orchestra and Balinese dancers.
- A ‘Havan’ fire ceremony of purification and release dedicated to Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts
- A Balinese relaxation massage
- A guided forest trek to the temple at Muncak Sari and blessing by a local priest/priestess
- A Balinese cooking class
- A class in making the hand woven offerings and blessings used daily in Bali
- An awesome experience to visit the temple at Sarin Buena for the full moon ceremony with the local villagers
CONTINUE THE JOURNEY – AFTER THE RETREAT!
For many, this will be a one time life experience in Bali! AFTER the Retreat most participants during our first three journeys have stayed on to continue the adventure! This is YOUR choice but the organizers believe that we all should experience the awesome cultural community in Ubud – the cultural center of Bali! We will be there for a number of days following the end of the Retreat and are excited to organize various gatherings of dance performances, temple visits, an unbelievable opportunity to “volunteer” for a day at Yayasan Widya Guna (school for underprivileged children), and many other local adventures and opportunities! You can partner up with new friends you met at the Retreat, have excursions with others you have come to Bali with, or any number of experiences! The organizers will provide information, advice and options for anyone who chooses to continue the journey after the Retreat!
WORDS FROM A PAST PARTICIPANT!
“When you discover Mother Bali, it is as if your soul reconnects with an ancient and sacred part of her deep feminine self that has long been forgotten or neglected. She breathes in fragrance and beauty, touches you with tenderness, serenades you to soften and surrender, and then dances with you in delight.”
Dawn Harris – participant in the 2017 Journey shares her experience ““I had the immense pleasure of participating in the Sacred Women, Sacred Dance retreat in Bali in the fall of 2017. How do I put into words an experience that is beyond words? It was first and foremost deeply transformative on every level – body, mind and soul … connection to community, culture, nature and spirit. This experience literally blew my heart and soul wide open. I had never before felt so loved, loveable, and loving. I cried many many tears of pure joy. I had also never before felt my movement/dance more authentic, inspired and beautiful. I opened to flow …in my body, in community and in nature. And our amazing facilitators, Tricia Mary Lee and Maria Sangiorgi, choreographed this incredible journey with their unique and personal grace, wisdom, love and beauty. The retreat was exquisitely designed to open us to the special beauty and wonder of being women, and yet felt utterly organic. Every detail, and there were so many, flowed in a way that left me feeling completely cared for and therefore able to let go with trust into the completeness of the experience. And then there’s the location … the Bali Mountain Retreat Centre on Mt. Batakaru, Bali. WOWZA! All my senses were awakened with such intensity! I danced in communion with the rich sounds, smells and beauty of the mountain forest (and the chanting of the monks). Truly unforgettable and wholly moving. I will be forever grateful to Tricia and Maria and the Sacred Dance Guild, and also to myself for stepping out of my comfort zones. Such a gift.”
Previous Sacred Dance Journeys
In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Tricia mary Lee and Maria Sangiorgi, both dedicated members of the Sacred Dance Guild, led three amazing adventures to Bali (see below). They offered the generosity of spirit and huge hearts that seem to be in abundance in the Sacred Dance Guild village! In addition to leading these three journeys, when the journey planned for May 2020 was cancelled due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, they leapt forward and created a monthly on line gathering (from June through November) open to all who had been on one of the previous Bali adventures and those who had registered for the 2020 journey. They offered these as their gifts to participants with nothing asked in return but coming monthly with curiosity, an open heart and willing body. Using the theme “Grandmother Wisdom Comes Dancing” (which was the theme planned for the 2020 Retreat that was cancelled) participants were profoundly moved each and every month on this journey that we took together. In appreciation, 7 of the participants created a “Gratitude” Dance to Tricia and Maria as they truly were the “Arms of an Angel” for all over these four years. The dance was recorded on November 11th, 2020 (twice – since once just isn’t enough!!) and offered to them on line that evening. See Version 1 and Version 2 and read the tribute to these amazing angels on earth!
Bali: Sacred Dance, Sacred Woman
October 1 to 7, 2017
Following their inspiring 2015 and 2016 retreats, SDG members Tricia mary Lee (Australia) and Maria Sangiorgi (Italy) organized one final Sacred Dance Journey to Bali in 2017, which explored the theme “Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance.” During this adventure we weaved our daily dance into rituals for our personal spiritual practice. As sacred women created our own inspirational movements to express our communion with all that is sacred in our world. Again the retreat was enriched by experiences of traditional Balinese culture during the week on Mount Batukaru.
Bali: Dancing the Sacred Lotus Heart
May 16 to 22, 2016
For more information:
Website – http://balidanceretreat.com/sacred-dance-retreat-2017
Facebook – www.facebook.com/balisacreddanceretreat
In May 2016, fourteen sacred dancers gathered in Bali from Canada, the United States, Hawaii, Australia and Italy for a retreat led by Tricia mary Lee and Maria Sangiorgi. Tricia’s early morning sacred body blessings and Qiqong movements warmed and opened the participants’ energy fields before allowing them to explore and feel more deeply through dance, guided by Maria’s deep body/sound/breath explorations. Art journaling, sharing each other’s dancing gifts, and ceremonies of celebration all took their rightful space within the week, enriched by a weaving of local cultural experiences.
Saying farewell was softened by a brief sojourn in Ubud where participants danced at the Ubud Ashram and visited Yayasan Widya Guna, a local school for disadvantaged students, where they shared more dancing and singing.
“This is the beauty of taking time out for retreat… indeed we danced, discovered, released and rejuvenated through the whole landscape of emotions, which so perfectly fitted with the focus of opening to our “Sacred Lotus Heart.” – Tricia mary Lee, Australia, retreat co-facilitator
Bali: Dancing the Sacred Wheel of Life
May 3 to 8, 2015
In May 2015, twelve sacred dancers gathered in Bali from many corners of the globe – including Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan and Italy – for a retreat led by Tricia mary Lee and Maria Sangiorgi. The theme “Dancing the Sacred Wheel of Life” was woven throughout the week as they explored together the dynamic elements of water, fire, earth and air through dance that engaged both the inner self and community celebration. Movement was enriched by experiences of Balinese culture including temple visits, cooking lessons, a fire ceremony to the goddess Saraswati, as well as local dance and music.
Each dancer contributed her personal gifts to the experience, sharing a diversity of movement and meditation styles that nourished each in heart, mind, body and soul.
“It was a lot of work but the blessings returned manifold for us in the softening of faces, the relaxation of bodies, the reflections in beauty, the communion of souls and the simple expressions of the dancing divine self.” – Tricia mary Lee, Australia, retreat co-facilitator
Sedona and the Grand Canyon
October 5 to 9, 2011
This pilot Sacred Dance Journey gathered eleven sacred dancers from the United States and Canada to dance on the edge of the Grand Canyon and at Sedona’s vortexes. In these inspiring places, the group danced the sacred in many forms, including Celtic and Native American body prayers, free form dance and contact improvisation.
The trip’s highlight was a guided tour of four of Sedona’s vortexes, provided by Mark Amaru Pinkham, Director of the World Alliance for Planetary Enlightenment. The dancers learned about the history and geology of the area through meditations, medicine wheels, ceremonies to the four directions and peace prayers.
“I will never forget the conscious concentration of the group as we interpreted the breathtaking landscape of the Grand Canyon through movement… More important than the dancing, the beautiful red rock scenery, or the energy of the vortexes, however, was my discovery of this unique community of dancers who so generously share their lifelong passion for dance and spirituality.” — Lisa, Toronto (Canada)
Future Sacred Dance Journeys
Would you like to organize a Sacred Dance Journey? The SDG is happy to support member led events. We can provide guidance and support for coordinating your event. Contact us for more information.
Do you know of a great destination for a Sacred Dance Journey? Please contact us and let us know why we should dance the sacred in this part of the world.