a contemporary rites of passage programme
for moving mindfully towards what matters most
Undertaking this kind of leadership journey is a powerful way to inform the trajectory of our adult lives.
It is for those whom want to make their life more meaningful, to increase their effectiveness and to move directly towards their dreams.
It is for those who would like to make a difference. It is for those who want to cultivate confidence and embody thier potential.
It is for those who want to build a supportive community and collaborate with each other in achieving their ambitions.
No previous leadership experience is necessary, we will work with where each person is right now.
No dance or art experience is necessary but a willingness to engage is essential.
“I was left with trust and belief that I am capable of a lot”- 2014 participant.
The original journies in 2014/15/16 were only open to young women aged 20-29.
In 2018 we ran a intergenerational weekend verison open to all ages and genders.
2019 will see us offer an online version.
How?
Mindful movement and the expressive arts are used as the core tools for professional and personal development. We work with:
5 Rhythms dance to develop somatic skills and self awareness.
Art based and conventional coaching, plus techniques and tools to find personal purpose, passion and a sense of power
Nature immersion time to connect to the world around us.
Embodied leadership exercise’s to enhance personal impact.
Practical project management tools.
Training in effective and inspiring communication.
Stress and state management skills
Non-denominational ceremony to aknowldedge important moments in our lives.
“I’m left with tools to help me address my wants and my needs in life and get those met moving forwards”- 2015 participant
Rites of Passage is a creative journey into embodied leadership. It is designed to develop the next generation of inspiring and insightful social leaders. 5 Rhythms dance, the expressive arts and time in nature are used as core tools for professional and personal development, alongside training in effective communication, project management and art based coaching to build personal awareness.
We work intensively over several months, developing each participant's own style of embodied leadership and offering teaching and tools to find purpose and a sense of personal power that can serve society in some way. We will develop creativity, confidence and community.
Leadership can best be defined as influencing others and having an impact in the world- and this can take a myriad of forms.
We will support each other into finding our own personal passion and in moving towards offering work that reflects that, by creating concrete goals towards achieving our personal aims. Yes- dreaming and designing is important- yet action is actually where it’s at!
We encourage the women in moving towards working on, with, or for, initiatives that serve society and the individuals within it in some way.
We will travel together through this dance/arts based "Rites of Passage" to mark the transition from youth into adulthood and in finding their own style of embodied and authentic leadership within the world. There is powerful support in creating a strong community of same sex peers whom can understand our challenges and encourage us to be the best that we can be.
The programme is facilitated by highly experienced arts professionals whom specialise in using dance and the arts for professional and personal development. We believe that creativity and connection is vital to living an inspiring and insight-filled life.
5 Rhythm’s dance is one of the key practices of the programme, developing self awareness and self reflection, interpersonal abilities and increasing physical resilience. We believe that embodiment is a key element in developing effective leadership.
We dance both indoors and out, using silent disco headsets to allow us to move in a variety of spectacular outdoor settings and to connect to the wider world around us.
We also bring in elements of non-denominational ceremony, a chance for the young women to mark important moments in their life as they move towards their aspirations.
Please note that this is not a therapeutic programme, yet we will work deeply with refining our vision, finding our passion, purpose and power and being willing to explore what blocks us from being the best we can be.
The work has been kindly supported by 5 Rhythms Reach Out and Arts Council England so that it is accessible to all and any young women who are interested, whatever their income levels and backgrounds are. Melissa Michael's Surfing the Creative movement based rites of passage work is a major influence on this prigramme- please do check her incredible programmes out.
Regularly we have adults asking us can we offer something similar for them, so 2019 will see a long weekend version offered for adults.
The photographic history of the journey shared below was taken by talented photographer Natasha Bidgood (http://www.natashabidgood.com), with a focus on the dance sessions out in the woods.
Participants say:
“I’ve gained belief in my own leadership dreams and that they are valid”
“There have been enjoyable moments, uncomfortable moment, tricky questions, but all so useful in opening myself to the questions I need to ask. Setting the big goals, taking the little steps to get there..”
“I’ve loved growing a supportive network of women”
"Last night we danced on the sea shore with silent disco headsets besides a blazing fire; writing down what limits us on sticks and setting fire to it- shedding what doesn't serve us as we step forward in to learning about the kind of leaders that we want to be…"
" I can’t believe we are on week 4 of the programme already…. seeing us all with the urge to dive in deeper, to really know ourselves as we develop our leadership. It’s not always comfortable being in these investigations- really looking at what matters most. Yet the group is forming and it really does feel like we’ve got each other backs as we start to look at what hinders us and keep us staying small..."
"Heading into the final weekend of our “Rites of Passage “programme :We have travelled far these past months: intensely investigating our inner worlds, coming back to our bodies, putting in work within our communities. Friendships have been forged, we have move through many things- investigated with both intelligence and intuition –and now we are now scooping up the insights seen so we can go on and be in service in some way.
Today I’m really recognizing that this transition into adulthood is actually about response-ability, not in the often used sense of the word- those thousand things we are supposed to be tied down to in adulthood; but in the form of its constituent parts: response and ability. Literally just that: being present and so knowing what ourselves, others and the wider world needs- and then developing our ability to respond those needs and wants in wise, kind and effective ways."
“I’ve loved dancing weekly, the life coaching and leadership skills, pushing my comfort zone.
"I’ve learned I am a leader..”