Refocus Retreat is for people with of love of movement, a commitment to community, and a thirst for adventure. As an exciting expansion on our Focused Study workshops, this experience remains grounded in the values and the mission of Acts of Matter: to bring diverse people together to enhance each others’ experience in life and in dance through sharing, listening, and learning.

Rebecca Lemme and Cherise Richards are long time friends and collaborators with a shared background in dance and dance making. Having met pursuing their MFAs in Choreography at CalArts, they are ecstatic to come together again to create an opportunity for people to gift themselves time to refocus their energy through a combination of self-care and adventure.

Cherise has spent the last 10 years living and working in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and has lead adventure retreats as a master surf instructor and head yoga teacher with Surf with Amigas. She is also a capoeirista, and owns a jewelry company called Sting Bling.

Rebecca lives and works in Los Angeles, CA where she directs the performance group Acts of Matter, runs twice-annual Focused Study workshops, and is an Associate Professor of Dance at CSULB.

We are excited to work with individuals with various ranges of backgrounds and experience who have an interest in a deep dive over five days into investigation, self-reflection, rigor, joy, and community. Most applicants will have a semi-regular movement practice of their own that they are excited to expand over this week in Nicaragua.
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The RETREAT

This retreat is come as you are, take what you need, be open and generous with yourself and others. We'll take a deep dive into somatic exploration while also taking advantage of all the joyous and relaxing qualities of the tropics.

Each retreat will be tailored to fit the needs and experience of the participants, and different movement and adventure activities will be scheduled every day. You can opt in or out of anything, though everyone is encouraged to take advantage of daily group movement and dialogue sessions.

Daily group sessions
• Yin yoga
• Improvisational movement
• Dialogue sessions

Optional Movement/Adventure/Community activities
• Floorwork + Inversion workshop
• Contemporary Release (dance)
• Introductory Capoeira Surf lessons
• Horseback riding
• Estuary boat tour
• Community kickball
• Lots of beach time
• Dinner on the town
• Massage (additional fee)

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OTHER DETAILS OF THE EXPERIENCE

Coco Loco Eco Resort is a beautiful, beach-side resort committed to being community oriented and having a small ecological footprint. The resort has a stunning pool and an open air movement studio, both with ocean views. Please note, the floor of the studio is concrete.

There are several cabanas accommodating solo stays or 2-3 people per room. A solo stay, pending availability, has an up-charge of $100. Cabanas are equipped with personal bathrooms and showers, but do not have AC.

The only amenities of the resort that are not included in your price are alcohol and massage. Flights are not included in the price of the workshop, but are currently quite reasonable.

Questions? email us: refocusretreat.nica@gmail.com