Queer & Pride Amsterdam is creating space for a Queer Spiritual Retreat - a space to resist, recharge, and reinvent. Philosophies of different Queer BIPOC come together, alligned in their journey for communal healing. With this retreat we invite you to feel and expand your understanding of your senses, of your bodies, and to deepen your relation with (queer) ancestry and community. This retreat is a collaboration between LUKU Collective (Jomecia, Joanne, Myra Fanta) x House of Vibrations (Gail) x ANALEMMA (Fazle Shairmahomed) and takes places in Amsterdam Zuidoost, at Bijlmerparktheater.
SESSION 1 - LUKU COLLECTIVE - 16 JULY
TALAWA DANCE & DIASPORA STORYTELL
The Talawa dance technique and diaspora (Griot and Mato) storytell technique are fused in this session by LUKU Collective, which is an interdisciplinary Afro-futuristic storytelling collective by Jomecia, Joanne and Myra Fanta. They invite you to look deeply into the past, present, and future. Inspired by Sankofa, it values drawing wisdom from history, moving forward with purpose. The Talawa Technique™, incorporates elements of African and Caribbean dances to uniquely combine polycentrism, multiple movement qualities, grounding, and polyrhythm separately for training, opening the ancestral library of the black body and teaches the black body how to utilize it. Storytelling in this session is inspired by the Senegalese Griot storytelling style and the Marron-Surinamese Mato storytelling style. Griots transmit the oral traditions of their community through stories, poetry, music, and song. They are regarded as the keepers of their community's history and are responsible for preserving and sharing the values, beliefs, and practices of their culture. The Mato uses a combination of spoken word, song, music, and sometimes dance to convey stories that often contain moral lessons, historical accounts, and folklore.
Instagram @luku.xam
SESSION 2 - HOUSE OF VIBRATIONS - 17 JULY
SOMATIC SOUNDTHERAPY
House Of Vibrations presents the Sonic Vision Journey, a workshop led by our Sound Alchemist, Gail. This transformative experience invites you to reconnect with your true and authentic self through a harmonious blend of ancient ancestral knowledge, current quantum physics, and neuroscience. In this workshop, you will discover how specific sounds affect certain sensations in the body, which are intricately linked to emotions. Learn how {sound} frequencies can alleviate energetic blockages and shift your state of mind, providing insights into the roots of your behaviors and habits. This workshop emphasizes re-establishing the connection between your inner child, higher self, and mostly, your present self, delving into profound personal layers. While the journey may be intense and confrontational, it brings crucial insights to the surface, offering clarity and practical guidance to enhance your well-being.
Instagram @thehouseofvibrations
Website https://www.houseofvibrations.org/
SESSION 3 - ANALEMMA - 18 JULY
DANCE & ALTAR MAKING
In this workshop you are invited by Fazle Shairmahomed to develop a personal and communal understanding of ancestry rooted in spiritual practices of meditation, writing, body movement, dance, multi-sensorial stimulation, altar making, and group talks.The aim is to create a decolonial safer space where we can develop an understanding of what communal healing could look like in a society that is continuously coming into existence through colonialism. You will be prepared with exercises that are inspired by Butoh, Body Weather, Gnawa and Zar, bringing us to bodies that do not exist anymore, the soul inside of us, towards the politicized body in which we exist. We explore how our bodies relate, and how the transcendental exists within the presence of a group. We will work on a consciousness of how to get into this state and find your own path towards controlling or letting go. Analemma is a community based queer initiative queer to create rituals in a multicultural world where people live hybrid identities. This initiative shapeshifts into performance rituals, workshops, film altar, a booklet, and now also into this retreat.
Instagram @analemma.ritual
Practical
All sessions will center Queer, Black/Brown, Indigenous, People of Color, but is open to anyone mindful of the experiences of QTBIPOC being centered. No prior experience is required, but it is in your own advantage if you identify yourself with the fight for decolonization.
All sessions >>>
Time 18:00 - 21:00 (Doors open 17:30, please be in time)
Location: Bonte Kraai, Kraaiennest 68, Amsterdam - Dansstudio (NOTE that we have changed the location)
Capacity: maximum 20 participants per day
Registration and donation payment
A few days before sessions you will receive a confirmation and practical information. Please check your email.
Participation to the workshop is free, but we kindly request you to donate our new initiative.
Queer Spiritual Retreat
NL29BUNQ2084607337
BIC: BUNQNL2A
