Playing the Space Between

Capoeira and Contact Improvisation: This workshop focuses on play within the negative space, which I’ve found to be one of the strongest links between these two art forms. Explore how to navigate this space with curiosity, responsiveness, and play. A central question that guides the practice is: where does the space between two bodies begin to narrow, and when does connection emerge?

Nelson is a CI practitioner whose movement roots lie in Capoeira and Circus. Rich in experience, inquisitive in teaching, and explorative in training. He tends to navigate both movement and life the same way: no strict plan, just an unreasonable amount of curiosity, playfulness, and the occasional, let’s see what happens.

Ecstatic Prance

Ecstatic Prance is a queer-led, not-for-profit sober dance community, usually held at Trinity Centre with the aim to co-create a judgement-free space where everybody can feel comfortable to dance exactly how they want. Whether that is big moves in the middle or little ones at the side. The music can be silly, sexy and playful, laden with bass. Everybody is welcome!

Nick has been a core organising member of Ecstatic Prance for almost 4 years now.

Community Roots Dance

A high-energy, high-vibe, joyful choreographed group dance to a fusion of Afro beats and Celtic melody. Bringing generations together through the ritual of dance, reconnecting people with the power of ceremony and collective intention. The dance is fairly easy to pick up, involves formations and patterns, some contact and body percussion.

Movement Director and professional actress with over 20 years' experience in leading physical theatre, shamanic movement practices, devised theatre and ensemble-building workshops. Specialising in creating dynamic, immersive performances and training people to develop authentic connection to body, breath and voice.

Butoh: Water Worlds

Diving into the world of liquidity, waves, and water life, we will explore the body’s fluidity when moving and being moved by images. Referencing Yumiko Yoshioka’s Body Resonance and the integral Noguchi training as a foundation, this workshop will lead into image-based pair work and witnessed improvisation to discover and develop our rhythms of fluidity and to find the inner and outer water worlds each of us inhabits.

Open to all backgrounds, experiences and abilities

Brazilian Forró Partner Dance

An introduction and all you need to dance this intimate, lighthearted, easy-to-learn and gentle partner dance from the northeast of Brazil.

Julia's classes are light and welcoming, starting with the basic rhythms and steps and moving on to more complex techniques to get a real feel for this beautiful and sensual dance. Everyone welcome - No skills or partner required!

Julia (the one in yellow) has been teaching Brazilian Forró for over 16 years as part of London's most popular Forró night - "Forró Family".

DJ and Dance Facilitator

MC (Maria-Carin) from Come Dance welcomes your freestyle, expressive movement into a space to feel, breathe, and let go—together. Inspired by many conscious dance modalities, she weaves her own unique style into a rich, embodied movement journey—sensuous and deep, light and wild, real and playful. You’ll be guided through peaks and valleys, leaving you feeling fully alive and deeply nourished, connected to yourself, to each other and the earth.

Maria-Carin (MC) loves bringing people together through a vibrant mix of eclectic and electronic beats, creating an open and colourful container for exploration. With her distinctive style, she gently and playfully holds space for vulnerability while encouraging full-bodied curiosity. Her dance floor endeavours to welcome all the colours of the rainbow of human emotion, experience, and expression.
Bright as the sun or dark as the night—and everything in between—bring it on. Come Dance as you are.

Ecstatic Dance

An ecstatic dance journey with a long slow flow warmup, and sounds that help your body yield, soften and roll. From here the beat touches us our body and the ground. Inviting us up to meet life, the beat and our tribe. From the intimate nature of being with the earth, to landing in as our expression to life and our dancing friends.

Jamus has spent most of his life dancing on one sort of dance floor or another. He has a rich music library with many tastes from techno through ethnic world beats and loves mixing the worlds of electronic with acoustic sounds from around the world. Jamus cut his teeth playing music through his work with Lee Bolton and their Embodied Presence Classes. Jamus also teaches contact improvisation, Somatic dance and anatomy classes and Somatic Yoga. He is a sight-impaired member of The Touchdown Dance Company.

DJ / Dance Facilitator

I grew up in South Africa with rhythm in my bones. Music is my medicine, and my passion for dance has swept me across many dance floors and festival fields. My own dance practice has evolved from wild club nights through 5Rhythms and Ecstatic Dance to a conscious dance that opens the heart and moves the soul.

Again and again, I have felt the power of music move me to my core. My aspiration is to facilitate a space that supports others to move from their own depths, gradually raising the vibes to heights that write ecstasy all over the body! I give full permission for the entire spectrum of feeling and expression, aiming to leave you open and invigorated, touched by the power of love and life that runs through your being.

Come as you are, start where you’re at, and be prepared to embark on a wild ride!

Connect with me: Ecstatic Dance Cornwall on FB

Ceilidh into Contact

This year's Emerging Hearts Saturday night ceilidh will be led by caller Karen Woods, with live music led by Joe Evans (accordion). Karen will teach the dances so no experience is needed. The ceilidh will start with traditional Irish and Scottish dances, then gradually shift to include more contact dance elements before merging into a jam. Please note that the traditional ceilidh dancing will last 30 minutes so do come on time if you don't want to miss it!

Karen Woods is a musician, DJ and ceilidh caller with a lifetime of experience in Irish traditional music and dance, and over a decade as a CI dancer. She plays and calls regularly at weddings and private parties with the Butterfly Ceilidh Band, Ceilidh Tree and others. In 2025 she brought together her two musical passions by creating the first unforgettable CI ceilidh at Emerging Hearts. She is also a hypnotherapist and counsellor with a passion for therapeutic movement and dance, drawing on her long experience as a midwife to support women around pregnancy and birth.

Joe Evans first encountered CI as a musician, playing double bass and accordion for jams, workshops and underscores for many years. He is an experienced ceilidh musician, playing regularly with Karen and others, and is involved in a range of other musical projects - his album ‘Like Dewdrops, Like Diamonds’, with Emmy the Harp, was released in 2025 on his label Pumpkin Heist, alongside the debut album for his band Sounding Seas.