Ecstatic Dance Festival® 2024 - Conscious Dance, Music and Healthy Living

ECSTATIC DANCE FESTIVAL® 2024

Find your path. Unlock your potential. Learn. Explore. Create.

~ WHEN? Wed, 24 July - Sun, 28 July 2024

~ WHERE? Gillingham, North Dorset @ Osho Leela Personal Development Cetre

This is a wonderful invitation to get your dancing feet ready! Our very own festival devoted to Ecstatic Dance, movement and holistic wellbeing! No experience required to join the festival. All welcome! We invite you to co-create this unique experience of togetherness with us! Attune to Nature, Dance on the Earth and beneath the Summer Sky. A transformational adventure and personal growth gathering with around fellow conscious dancers!

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME & LINE UP: ECSTATICDANCEFESTIVAL.CO.UK (will be updated soon with 2024 line up)

Festival takes place in the North Dorset countryside, at Osho Leela Personal Development Centre, situated on 18 acres of land, with ancient trees, small forests and a wildflower meadow, vegetable gardens created with permaculture principles, and an apple orchard. They have been creating a community here since 2000 by developing the land, building cabins and expanding a little more every year and we are really excited to host our retreats and festivals here!

Get your camping gear ready & join fellow conscious dance, music, nature, and healthy living enthusiasts! After a sold out festival in 2022 & 2023, we recommend booking in advance. Tickets available NOW!

ACCOMMODATION IS EXTRA:

Bookings directly through Venues Website (Limited indoor accommodation) please scroll down and click on the link at the bottom of the page and see 'Your Booking Details' section for available accommodation from the drop down bar. Camping with your own gear or if you're staying in your own campervan is included in the retreat ticket price unless you require an electric hook-up for for your campervan.
Any questions about accommodation please contact the venue directly 01747 821221

If you have any festival related questions, feel free to send us an email: ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com

WHAT TO EXPECT?

• Beautiful dance and workshop spaces with great sound systems including 2 indoor spaces, large Marquee, (large Geo Dome-if more than 100 attendees), plus dancing outdoors and around the campfire (we will also have Silent Disco Headphone outdoor dances!)
• Great Ecstatic Dance DJ's and daily Live Music with the amazing URUBU Collective: Alua, Jansen, Carl & Seth plus awesome DJ's!
• MVMNT Drum & Bass & Breakbeat sessions with James Buchanan and his powerful sound system!
• A variety of Transformational Embodiment, Wellbeing, Movement and Ecstatic Dance workshops with different facilitators (Active Meditations, Yoga, Breathwork, Bioenergetics, Playfulness, Connection, Intimacy, Conscious Touch, Hugging, Singing, Cacao Ceremonies, Sound Journeys and of course Ecstatic Dance and much more!)
• Relaxing and Rejuvenating Massage/ Bodywork offerings
• Alcohol and drug-free environment
• Delicious 3x vegetarian meals per day, x12 total (we all eat together at set meal times)
• Indoor / Outdoor Cafe & Healthy Bar (for coffee, cake and other yummy creations!)
• Hangout on the sofas
• Campfire & Storytelling, Singing
• Saunas at lunchtime & evenings x7 total
• Beautiful nature walks
• Camping (bring your own camping gear)
• Campervan (stay in your own campervan) or Indoor Accommodation (limited availability) for additional cost , please book on venue's website (link to be added soon!)
• Facilities: Shower & Toilet block with hot running water, covered indoor/outdoor dining areas, tea/coffee available at any time, phone charging stations, 2 indoor workshop/dance spaces + large Marque, large Geo Dome and plenty of outdoor space for outdoor activities (slacklining, frisbee etc) and camping!
• Photos/Videos: We live in the age of social media and so to capture our alcohol and drug free festival, we want to share to the world that we can have a great time without intoxicants. We will be photographing and videoing this festival. We thank you in advance for accepting this fact, and we ask please not to attend if you're not happy being captured. Our media team, will of course be sensitive, and will only use the best shots of you.

♥ EXAMPLE DAILY *SCHEDULE

7:30 AM – 8:`30 AM Good Morning Meditations

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Yummy Breakfast

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Morning Ecstatic Dance / Workshops

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Magnificent Lunch

2:00 PM – 6:30 PM Sauna/ Nature Walks / Massages/ Afternoon Workshops

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Delicious Dinner

8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Evening Ecstatic Dance / Workshops

10:00 PM – 00:00 AM Campfire/ Sauna/ Evening Performances/ Dance Parties

*PLEASE NOTE: there will be a few different workshop/dance spaces and schedules, this is just an example schedule, all workshops and timings might change slightly as we want to offer some flexibility with the schedule during the festival.

BELOW IS THE VIDEO OF OUR 2023 ECSTATIC DANCE FESTIVAL® HIGHLIGHTS & AFTERMOVIE

WHAT IS THE ECSTATIC DANCE FESTIVAL ABOUT:

• Ecstatic Dance Festival® is an invitation to awaken the dancer within! Dance to feel alive, find your creativity and freedom through conscious dance!
• An experiential playground for co-creating transformational experiences through dance and other movement and embodiment practices
• It is full of Life-affirming transformational workshops beyond the old Drug and Alcohol paradigm
• Live music with outstanding musicians
• Connection with ourselves and our bodies explored through a cross-section of approaches.
• Learn powerful exercises for grounding, releasing fear/stress/ tension/ trauma from the body and developing deeper presence and body awareness.
• Explore as individuals and a group, a wide variety of ecstatic dance and active meditation processes.
• Using music, movement, ritual, and connection to achieve a unified field of being.
• Rest, Relax & Rejuvenate
• Attune to Nature and the living environment, release stress and come home to your Ecstatic-Self!
• Experiential not-to-be-missed festival!

Whether you are looking for a way to better deal with the everyday stresses of life, get away from the City life and connect to Nature or whether you just simply want to try new body-mind based exercises, dance & laugh, meet and connect with new people, relax in the sauna, we invite you to explore the tools & practices during this deep dive of 4 days or day/weekend and discover positive benefits for yourself.

<<<<<*~ PRACTICAL INFORMATION ~*>>>>>

PRICES: SPECIAL DISCOUNT WILL BE EMAILED TO ALL 2023 ATTENDEES!

Included in the festival ticket price: All workshops, 3 x vegetarian meals per day (12 meals in total), teas/coffees, lunchtime and evening sauna sessions. Remaining Balance due 1 month prior to the festival. Please note camping is included in the ticket price, but indoor accommodation/campervan space is an additional cost, see more info below.

- 1ST RELEASE £420 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Fee (Balance of £320 due by 24 June. Option to pay the remaining balance in 2x £160 payments. Please pay via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!

- 2ND RELEASE £470 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Fee (Balance of £370 due by 24 June or as soon as if you've booked after 26 June. Option to pay the remaining balance in 2x £185 payments. Please pay via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!

- FINAL RELEASE £520 (Food, Workshops + Sauna) DEPOSIT £100 + Fee (balance of £420 due by 24 June or as soon as if you've booked after 24 June. Option to pay the remaining balance in 2x £210 payments. Please pay via bank transfer, details in order confirmation email) Accommodation is Extra!

CAMPING: Please bring your own camping gear: tent, mattress, sleeping bag or duvet, pillow, extra blanket, earplugs etc. If coming by car, there is a free car park on site.

CAR PARK: there is a car park available on site free of charge to all festival attendees. As much as possible, please arrange car shares to limit the carbon footprint and reduce the amount of cars on site. There will be wheelbarrows available to transport your camping gear etc to the camping fields and everything is located short walking distance.

CAMPERVANS / ACCOMMODATION: additional cost. Please see available accommodation and book via the venue's website (link to be added soon)

CAMPING: Camping is included in the ticket price!

GLAMPING: £60 for 4 nights Female or Male glamping tents.

SHARED DORMS: £80-£120 for 4 nights Female or Male dorms. Please do not book a dorm if you snore.

CAMPERVAN SPACE: £40 for 4 nights (stay in your own live-in vehicle, hook up available for extra £12)

PRIVATE ROOMS: £120-£220 for 4 nights (rooms in house, mobile homes, pods, pine lodge)

NEARBY ACCOMMODATION: Please check local Airbnb options if you prefer.

EVENTBRITE ORDER CONFIRMATION: Email might be in the spam folder. Please check. Do not print any paper tickets, we will check you in by your name.

- Unfortunately no dogs/ other pets are permitted on site.

- Children/kids: Unfortunately this year's festival will not be suitable for under 18's.

CANCELLATION POLICY

We offer this festival in order to support the growth of physical and mental wellness of attendees and it requires many hours of organisation and planning. We ensure we have sufficient funds to do this with the following policy:

- Participants join the festival at their own risk. Ecstatic Dance London accepts no responsibility for spontaneous joy, open-heartedness or sore cheeks from too much smiling.

CANCELLATION BY ATTENDEES:

-All festival tickets are non-refundable and deposit of £100 is non refundable. If you cannot attend the festivaldue to any reason or personal matter including covid, we will not be able to issue a retreat ticket refund, sorry.

-Accommodation bookings are refundable if minimum of 30 days notice is provided.

-You are welcome to pass on your festival ticket to a friend, colleague or family member, resell your ticket or consider gifting your place to someone, there are many people in our network who do not have the funds to attend such a festival. Please let us know name and email address of the person attending in your place by sending us an email with replacement person’s details to: ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com

- If you cannot attend the festival and less then 30 days notice is provided, we can try to resell your ticket to someone on the waitlist (only if the festival is sold out) and partially refund your festival ticket fee if the ticket gets sold (£100 deposit is non refundable)

CANCELLATION BY THE ORGANIZER/VENUE:

Due to situations beyond our control, Ecstatic Dance London reserves the right to change booking or cancel the festival and shall inform the customer as soon as possible. You may transfer your full payment to another festival/retreat or you may request a refund of your payment to us, constituting a full settlement. Alternative arrangements will be offered but we do not accept responsibility for any costs incurred, including travel. Ecstatic Dance London is not responsible for your expenses incurred in preparation for any cancelled festival such as travel costs, loss of work, and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip. As organizers of this festival, we do not take any responsibility for any matters beyond our control or for any covid related matters that occur during the festival

VENUE

Ecstatic Dance Festival® 2024 is located 10 minute drive by car from Gillingham train station in North Dorset

ADDRESS: Osho Leela Personal Development Centre, Thorngrove House, Common Mead Ln, Gillingham SP8 4RE

DIRECTIONS AND HOW TO GET THERE: https://osholeela.uk/getting-here/

TRAINS: Nearest train station Gillingham, Dorset. There are local taxi services and we will send a list at the beginning of June with contact details to all participants. One way journey from station to venue costs around £10 (depending on fuel prices). We do encourage car & taxi sharing if possible as it's more eco friendly. Group discount applies on trains if travelling in a group of 3 or more, please check https://www.thetrainline.com for train tickets and train schedule.

LIFT SHARES: Attendees will receive a link to a WhatsApp group to arrange lift shares and train journeys. Link to WhatsApp group will be sent at the beginning of July.

WHEN: Wed 24 July - Sun, 28 July, 2024. Come along for all 4 days to get the most out of the experience! We might also release weekend tickets closer to the festival start date, depending on capacity.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE: We ask participants to arrive between 4pm-6pm on the first day to allow time to check-in, set up tents, explore the grounds and settle in before we start. Festival will start with dinner at 6:30pm followed by a welcome session from 8pm. Festival will end after lunch 1pm-3pm on the last day and there will be plenty of time to pack down tents and depart. Please do not leave before the end of the festival. Aim to depart around 4pm to give yourself enough time.

EXTRA NIGHT’S STAY: Option to stay at the venue until Mon, 29 July 11am for a reduced rate including dinner & breakfast. If you're staying in any accommodation, there will be a charge for extra night accordingly. Sign ups and payments - please go to the Osho Leela office directly on Sun, 28 July after lunch.

FACILITIES: 2 indoor workshop/dance spaces plus + large Marque, large Geo Dome, indoor and outdoor dining areas, tea/coffee available at any time, coffee/cake shop & healthy bar, plenty of outdoor space for outdoor activities (slacklining, frisbee etc) and camping, beautiful nature for walks, sauna at lunchtime and in the evenings, showers/toilets in the main house and also in the purpose build shower/toilet block with hot running water, power sockets available in all accommodation, hang out areas & sofas in the main house.

MASSAGES/BODYWORK SESSIONS: Available for additional cost, card payments will be accepted. More details and sign up at the festival.

FOOD: All meals are included (3 meals per day, total 12 meals). Venue runs a vegetarian/vegan kitchen and does its best to meet the most common food requirements for guests such as gluten free/ lactose free/ vegan and all dishes will be clearly labelled. Venue might not be able to cater for other special diets. Please complete dietary requirement section in the booking form. Teas/coffees available at anytime with a selection of alternative milks. Filtered drinking water also available to refill your water bottles. There is also a Coffee/cake shop/healthy bar which is run by Osho Leela community and will be open at certain times during the day.

PLEASE NOTE: Retreat takes place at Osho Leela and there is a community of people who already live there or have joined one of their live-in programmes. To support the community and help with the practicalities, festival participants will be required to help once during the festival with the dishes- either one day after lunch or dinner. Many thanks in advance for your support with this.

WHAT TO BRING

We encourage all participants to have a Digital Detox during the festival and to switch off phones. Maybe bring a simple alarm clock so you can wake up for morning meditations/yoga.

-If you have booked accommodation, please note that all bedding is provided .

-Camping gear for those who choose to camp (tent, pegs, mattress, insulating mat, sleeping bag or duvet, pillow, extra blanket, hot water bottle, lights to put inside the tent etc)

-Reusable water bottle

-Yoga Mat & blanket

-Ground coffee & cafetiere for coffee lovers (venue provides instant coffee and has limited cafetiere’s so please bring your own if you have one). Community run coffee & cake shop will be open at certain times so you will be able to buy a proper coffee/lattes etc if you wish to.

-Torch (head torches are really useful)

-Clothing in layers suitable for movement/ dancing

-Clothing & boots/shoes suitable for hiking/ outdoors

-Waterproofs or umbrella in case of rain

-Warm jacket or jumper for evenings as temperature will drop during the night

-Swimsuit/ swim shorts for sauna

-Towel

-Ear-plugs (if you’re a light sleeper)

-Toiletries: (natural & biodegradable products if possible please)

-Acoustic music instruments if you wish to such as guitar, ukulele, drums etc.

-Snacks such as nuts/ dried fruit/ flapjacks/ chocolate, avocados etc for when you get peckish or if you want extra yummy things

-Personal items such as phone/ charger/ card/ keys etc.

-Anything else you think will make the retreat more comfortable for you!

♥ FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS RETREATS/FESTIVALS

“That was a very beautiful experience. An amazing journey inward & out. To express in a free space filled with joyful vibes & gorgeous smiling faces. In sound, in rhythm, in motion, in colour, in sweat, the Dance, the Soul.” Cath

“The smiles, the kind eyes, the bits when I lost myself in the music, the joy of the moments when it felt as if the whole room was jumping in unison.” Salvo

“ What a profound experience! The music was so beautiful ... it carried me effortlessly inward facilitating a deep connection to Spirit, moving my body in a way that I felt I had little control over. It was magical! Thank you ” Ashley

“Thank you guys. This was an exceptional experience of deep healing, awakening, and opening. I feel so light, peaceful, and full of Love. Through the workshops we took, I touched some of my wounds, gently but deeply releasing and healing what was ready to be alchemised. Thank you to all the other lovely participants. Please organise the next one soon! ” Tanja

“ The workshop gave me the opportunity to go deeper into my body and discover new experiences which I hadn’t been able to tap into before. It was a good mix of different exercises, and I had a really blissful experience with the breathwork.” Vijay

” I feel so grateful I had the opportunity to attend this workshop. I felt that Seth, through his presence, allowing, way of being, created a very unique, safe space in which I could release, discover, explore and meet different aspects of myself. I was amazed how during the two days I was – often unexpectedly and gently – led to bring forth and embrace a child, an ancient woman, an animal, a spoiled brat, a mother, a lover, a goddess… Also through Seth’s guidance and suggestions I felt within very short spaces of time both my immense sorrow/yearning/pain and my immense joy/gratitude, realising how close to each other these seemingly opposites are. Today I feel a more solid belonging in the world, and a heightened awareness of the soles of my feet on the floor, like the earth, was more magnetic!” Maria

INSTAGRAM: @ecstaticdance_london, @ecstaticdancefestivals, @urubu_school_of_transformation

FACEBOOK: Ecstatic Dance London, URUBU, Ecstatic Dance Temple, Ecstatic Dance Festivals

FACEBOOK GROUPS: URUBU - Ecstatic Dance London, Ecstatic Dance London

MEETUP: Urubu's Ecstatic Dance & Moving Meditation Community, Ecstatic Dance Temple

YOUTUBE: URUBU School of Transformational Arts

WEBSITE: ecstaticdancefestival.co.uk

EMAIL: ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com

Ecstatic Dance London team & URUBU - YOU ARE YOU, BE YOU!