| ICMTA Teachers' Gathering 2026 - Programme
Note: The schedule is subject to change. Here is the outline of the programme. Please see below for the details about the presenters and their sessions. All times below in UTC+1 time zone. Please check your time zone (for example here). We made the choice to run the long sessions and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies quite late in the evening for Europe, to make these available to most time zones (early morning in AUS/NZ, morning/early afternoon in the US). The Impulse Sessions and the Peer Sharing spaces are available to the European time zones on both days, and are alternating for the AUS/NZ and US time zones. (Note: We made this choice because most of our members are based in Europe, and all members of the organisation pod are in Europe as well. ) The recordings will be available to all registrants for 2 weeks to catch up. Note that Peer Sharing spaces will not be recorded. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 – OPENING 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM / Opening Ceremony held by Catherine Wright, Movement Medicine®, Scotland, UK 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM / Founders' Panel - a panel discussion with founders of ICMTA recognised schools, moderated by Ben Yeger. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 – INTEGRITY We
delve into personal and professional integrity as the base of our work.
We will explore topics like embodied ethics, congruence, and how our
diverse modalities can ensure our shared network remains a safe,
vibrant, and inclusive container for all. 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM / Peer Sharing held by Sonja Hellmann Note that Peer Sharing spaces will not be recorded. 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM / Impulse Session: Alex Svoboda, freedomDANCE, UK 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM / Impulse Session: David Mooney, Movement Medicine®, Ireland Inner Ecology: Movement Medicine - Internal Family Systems - Polyvagal Nervous System 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM / Impulse Session: Deborah Lewin, Open Floor, Scotland, UK 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM / Impulse Session: Kerry-Ann Stanton, Open Floor, New Zealand 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM / Long Session: Daria Halprin, Life/Art Process, co-founder (with her mother Anna Halprin) of Tamalpa Institute, California, USA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 – IMPACT We
transition from integrity into action. We will focus on how to ground
change, spark social impact, and expand our presence into our wider
communities. 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM / Impulse Session: Christian De Sousa, 5Rhythms® and Movement Medicine®, Devon, UK 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM / Impulse Session: Adi Argov, 5Rhythms®, Palestine/Israel 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM / Impulse Session: Sapana Doshi, Open Floor, USA 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM / Peer Sharing held by Sonja Hellmann Note that Peer Sharing spaces will not be recorded. 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM / Long Session: Melissa Michaels, SomaSource, 5Rhythms®, Colorado, USA Navigating the Edge from Center: Keeping our destiny dates amidst it all 11:15 PM - 12:00 AM / Closing Ceremony with Gathering hosts Kaia Hawkins and Bence Gaspar Presenters and Details of the Sessions (in a chronological order of the programme) Note: We add information as soon as we have them, please check back soon again. TWO HOSTS to hold the whole Gathering together Aotearoa, New Zealand Kaia Hawkins is a dynamic embodiment teacher and advocate known for her fearless approach to transformative growth. Rooted in a deep connection to Māori culture and a fierce commitment to decolonisation, Kaia intertwines Art in Motion practices with a focus on personal awareness and healing. As the founder of Manahau Embodied Movement, Kaia cultivates bold, inclusive spaces that challenge norms and empower individuals to reclaim their narratives. With a background steeped in movement and cultural exploration, Kaia invites participants to explore embodied practices that honor their identities and provoke meaningful change. Hungary/Germany Bence’s teaching combines over 20 years of practice in dance, yoga, and meditation; a PhD in evolutionary ecology; and in-depth studies in critical social theory. FRIDAY Scotland, UK “Dance First; Think Later!” Samuel Beckett Catherine has always been engaged in awed wondering about the mysteries of what it is to be a human. She has a PhD in the philosophy of mind and taught academic philosophy in both the USA and Scotland. She trained in conflict resolution and therapy (Gestalt and Process Work). It wasn’t until 1999 that Catherine found conscious Dance, and Susannah and Ya’Acov Darling Khan. She was part of the first apprenticeship and professional training of the Movement Medicine. She believes that when we give the body more of a say we have access to much more wisdom than our minds or even our hearts could fathom. Asking your belly or your spine how you feel gives lots of information the mind doesn’t have access to. We learn to befriend our own nervous system. And the dance allows ALL of us to be engaged in meeting life with ALL of our capacity. Opening Ceremony Friday, 8:00 PM UK Arriving in your body. Being in your space. Being in your heart…. and then feeling into all of us… and our Gathering together. Ben Yeger is a MM teacher and Facilitator and has been teaching all over Europe since 2012. Founders' Panel moderated by Ben Friday, 9 PM UK Panel discussion with founders of our recognised schools, on the topic of the Gathering: From Integrity to Impact. Confirmed panelists:
Video contributions from:
SATURDAY Peer Sharing held by Sonja Hellmann (see bio below) Saturday 9 AM UK Note that Peer Sharing spaces will not be recorded.On both days, Sonja will hold space dedicated to sharing amongst peers. All participants are welcome to: discuss the workshops, bring topics they want to explore, be silent together, dance, laugh or simply witness. Drop in whenever you can – come later, leave earlier, bring your coffee or your dinner. Each day begins with a sharing circle in the main room, on the day's theme or whatever you bring. From it, themes emerge for small-group conversations; on Sunday there is also a collaboration table. We meet all together at three short anchor points (Saturday 9:10 AM, 10:05 AM and 11:05 AM). The Peer Sharings are not recorded. We warmly encourage you to join whenever you can.
https://freedom-dance.com/team/alex-svoboda/
UK Alex Svoboda, PhD, has trained with pioneering masters of conscious movement Gabrielle Roth and Anna Halprin. Today, Alex divides his time between London and Petrovac. He works internationally and continues to develop freedomDANCE through teaching, research and teacher training. When Living with Integrity Means Saying No to Your Students Saturday, 4 PM UK Conscious movement practices can help participants live with greater integrity by acting in alignment with their deepest values and needs. My research for Action-Oriented Mindfulness suggests that developing this capacity is one of the important long-term outcomes of regular freedomDANCE practice. If
our teaching supports this kind of integrity in our students' lives,
how do we embody it ourselves when difficult professional decisions
arise? This interactive 45-minute workshop explores one of the most challenging expressions of integrity: saying "no" to a student. That "no" can take many forms, for example:
Drawing on interviews with experienced teachers, we will explore questions such as:
Rather than offering definitive answers, the workshop aims to generate practical wisdom and contribute to a shared body of knowledge that supports ethical, compassionate and sustainable teaching.
Ireland He/Him I completed a long term deep apprenticeship with Ya'Acov and Susannah Darling Khan and the School of Movement Medicine for over 18 years, including one of the School faculty members and have been teaching the Movement Medicine Apprenticeship program for the past 6 years. This continues to be a deeply fascinating and life changing relationship with this dance practice. I have been teaching an embodiment conscious dance practice for the past 17 years and started teaching Movement Medicine in 2011. I am qualified in the full Movement Medicine CPD training path (Heart and Seer, Phoenix, Ritual, Initiation, Apprenticeship Leadership CPD’s). I teach Movement Medicine extensively throughout Europe and in the Americas, including weekends, residentials, Phoenix retreat,and together with my wife, Yasia, we teach Initiation and the Movement Medicine Apprenticeship program. I'm also a fully qualified and practicing Psychotherapist for over 16 years. I have professionally trained in psychodynamic, person centred psychotherapy. I also have 12 years experience in Somatic Psychotherapy. I have also trained in Internal Family Systems and weave this deeply effective and compassionate approach into all my teachings. I have also trained in many modalities related to Nervous System regulation and trauma informed work such as the Polyvagal Theory and Practice with Deb Dana. This Nervous System understanding deeply informs my teaching. I integrate these skills and my passion for shamanic pathways into my work. I have been on a 7 year deep journey with the Redpath and my Lakota teachers in Sioux Valley, Canada. I teach this dance because I love this practice, it has thoroughly changed my life and I love to share this work. I see it as a contemporary map to explore how to be present and engaged in life in these times we live in. I am fascinated by our capacity as human beings to heal and how we can transform our wounds into medicine for growth and deepening self acceptance so we can be more fully ourselves and give all that we have to give in this lifetime for the benefit of all life. Inner Ecology: Movement Medicine - Internal Family Systems - Polyvagal Nervous System Saturday, 5 PM UK Polyvagal
is a clear map to understand our nervous system and is a deeply
compassionate and insightful model for understanding our natural
defensive / protective responses to our neurobiology. Internal Family
Systems is a scientifically based, deeply compassionate, trauma informed
and very clear approach to our inner world. IFS teaches that every
person has an undamaged, compassionate soul core known as the "Self"
with a dignifying perspective that all young parts have positive
intentions, even when their behaviours are painful.
https://www.vitalmoves.co.uk/ Deborah (she/her) is a knowledgeable, experienced and trustworthy elder who will compassionately, and with great care, patience, skill and humour, guide you into a deeper, more intimate connection with yourself, bringing all of who you are into a world that needs YOU! Trained by Gabrielle Roth in 1994, Founding Member of ICMTA, OFI and currently Training Faculty for OFI, Bodyworker and Systemic Constellation practitioner, she weaves her skills into all she offers, working both one-to-one and with groups, online and in person. Her perspective is informed by 40 years of living and working in the Findhorn Spiritual Community and Ecovillage in North East Scotland. Embodied Ethics Saturday 6 PM UK As an
embodiment practitioner, what are the cues your body gives you when you
know something in your core feels out of alignment with your values or
in alignment? And what happens when your sense of what’s ‘right'.. from
your lens… isn’t ‘right’ from a colleague’s or students perspective?
What happens when the Code of Ethics your modality has developed isn’t
the same as that of a different modality? How do you/we approach the
topic of ethics and values in the face of difference? Surely this topic,
engaged with transparently and kindly is our own offering of ‘World
Work’?
https://www.dancewithkerryann.com/ I am an Open Floor Dance Teacher with a lifetime of dance. Dance as a Doorway; Embodied Integrity as we Age Saturday, 7 PM UK Open to any age, this 45 minute “Impulse” session will give you a taste of ... a peek at ... a murmur of ... a whiff or maybe a taste of ... what it is to age and move with integrity ... to open to the exploration of what integrity might be for you... What is it to be in integrity with our aging self and how might we express this through dance and movement? i.e. embody our integrity. To use dance as a doorway to understanding... “The whole process of passing through doors is one of learning to know yourself”, Clare Ward. Dance allows us to move with the distinctions of body, language and emotions and their intersection with what we may call Soul. A process of being and becoming. What might this expression of integrity offer our peers, those younger than us, our dancers? This tiny session will encourage you to take track yourself personally and to double track how you might do this as a teacher. In essence, what is beyond ‘move it or lose it’! “Offer your soul to the realm of unity and receive the gift of integrity”, Gabrielle Roth. California, USA Daria Halprin is among the leading pioneers in the field of movement/dance, expressive arts education and therapy. With Anna Halprin she co-founded Tamalpa Institute, and was instrumental in the development of the Halprin Life/Art Process, as an innovative approach to psychology, artistic practice, and dance as a healing force. Personal Mythology in Life, Art and Leadership Saturday, 8 PM UK As teachers we have answered a call to pass on what we have learned, to guide others through what are the tender and turbulent waters of becoming. This takes a unique set of skill, in-sight, humility and love. The path is meaningful and joyous beyond measure. At times it may feel like a beautiful duet between burden and blessing. Such is the dance and the art of life. Participants will be guided in the use of three interweaving art mediums, movement, drawing and poetic narration in an exploration of questions, themes, dialogues and enactments with the unrecognized or disowned parts of our identity and embodiment as teachers.
SUNDAY
UK Facilitator,
DJ and artist, Christian has held space for thousands of people to go
on transformative journeys through dance. Creator of the legendary
Sweaty Thursdays in a church in south London, he trained in 5Rhythms
with Gabrielle Roth in 2004-05 and worked with Ya’Acov & Susannah
Darling Khan since the before inception of Movement Medicine, becoming a
MM Pathfinder & Faculty teacher. He also initiated and led the
seminal dancingTao and Earthdreamers collectives. Shining the Light; Dancing in the Shadows Sunday, 10 AM UK Shining the Light; Dancing in the Shadows
https://www.5rhythmsadiargov.com/ Palestine/Israel A perfectly imperfect fiery human being, a mother, a grandmother. Born
and raised in bloodshed Israel Palestine, while being a caring
sensitive person by nature, shaped me as the human rights devoted
activist I became as I enter my elder phase. To Care. To Act. Sunday, 11 AM UK https://www.freedom-dance-collective.com/ California, USA Sapana Doshi, PhD (she/they) is a mind-body teacher committed to healing, justice, and liberation from the personal to the global. Sapana is trained in two embodiment and conscious dance practices: as a facilitator of The 360 Emergence and as a teacher of Open Floor. She founded Freedom Dance in 2023 with Merge and Emerge, a laboratory for embodied decolonization that drinks from the well of The 360 Emergence. From Inclusion to Collective Liberation Sunday, 4 PM UK This session introduces the work of the Freedom Dance Collective based in Oakland, California USA - a movement practice space for People of Color. It starts from the premise that the social world is deeply interconnected with the dance floor. It then explores the challenges and opportunities of fostering deeply inclusive and liberatory movement practice spaces in the context of historical and on-going coloniality. Peer Sharing held by Sonja Hellmann (see bio below) Sunday 5 PM UK Note that Peer Sharing spaces will not be recorded.On both days, Sonja will hold space dedicated to sharing amongst peers. All participants are welcome to: discuss the workshops, bring topics they want to explore, be silent together, dance, laugh or simply witness. Drop in whenever you can – come later, leave earlier, bring your coffee or your dinner. Each day begins with a sharing circle in the main room, on the day's theme or whatever you bring. From it, themes emerge for small-group conversations; on Sunday there is also a collaboration table. We meet all together at three short anchor points (Sunday 17:10, 18:05 and 18:40 UK). The Peer Sharings are not recorded. We warmly encourage you to join whenever you can. Colorado, USA Soul midwife, educator, author, and artist, Melissa is the Founder/Director of Golden Bridge and Golden Girls Global — two not-for-profit initiatives dedicated to improving and empowering the lives of diverse people through body-centered initiatory experiences, mentoring, and community action. For 39 years, Melissa has been creating movement-based, cross-cultural educational opportunities liberating the potential that is available during major life transitions. Her work somatically supports people as they navigate through the narrow passageways of these challenging times. This body of work grew from Melissa’s decades of guiding diverse young people from self to soul to service through dance-based rites of passage experiences. Activists, artists, healers, and educators serving on every continent on the planet, Melissa’s mentees, SomaSource leaders, are creating innovative ways to work within some of the most marginalized communities around the world. Together, they are devoted to our collective sustainability through the liberation of the creative spirit. Her body of work includes the book, Youth on Fire: Birthing a Generation of Embodied Global Leaders; online moving journeys, including Thresholds; as well as her video narratives of resilient people and communities mobilizing around the world. Melissa’s award-winning film, Twisted Gift shares her dancing journey through late-stage ovarian cancer into health. Navigating the Edge from Center: Keeping our destiny dates amidst it all Sunday, 8 PM UK Respectfully and honestly showing up to serve in these times is a sacred art. The inner work is uniquely robust as we aim to metabolize the unprecedented images and stories that show up on our screens and dance floors. The outer work is demanding in unfathomable and new ways. People, the Earth, the basic fabric of life are on the edge. The call to find our right place and way through intensifies as the world we have known unravels. During our time together in our ICMTA community, we will journey back to the original call that brought us to this world work. Moving through the Life Line in new ways, we will explore afresh own sacred steps that move us both backwards through our life thus far and forward into the moving work of seeding and bridging that is so needed in these times.Our process will be inspired by the decades of embodied leadership Melissa has offered in diverse communities around the world. Melissa will share stories of the work in spaces where the dance was once forgotten and is now being remembered and amplified. Basic SCORE
USA Leah was born in the paradise of Mandeville, Jamaica to a strong and wise Tanzanian father, and a sweet and eternally loving Jamaican mother. Together, her parents instilled the truth of manifestation, the power of voice, and an unfathomable love. Leah began her movement career at the age of 10, and in 2009, she widened her exploration of embodiment practices through the teaching and guidance of Dr. Melissa Michaels. Leah has since been a student of Melissa, with whom she’s presented at the ISMETA and ICMTA Somatic Educators conferences, is a leader in the Golden Girls Global initiative, and is now a SomaSource Practitioner. THE ORGANISING POD UK Current Operational Leader of the ICMTA Events' Circle Rachel is also taking care of the well-being during the event. Rachel has taught 5Rhythms® since completing the training with founder Gabrielle Roth in 2001 and used the practice as a structure and theoretical and analytic lens in her recently completed PhD. In addition to teaching 5Rhythms classes and workshops has taught creative movement play extensively in community settings, and taught and performed aerial dance in classes, workshops, and events to people of all ages, abilities and experience. Germany Member of the ICMTA Events' Circle (and Operational Leader at the beginning of the TG planning) I’m an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and certified 5Rhythms® teacher based in Bonn, Germany, with diplomas in both Fine Art and Art Therapy. For over 25 years, I’ve been working across artistic disciplines - blending arts, ritual, rhythm, movement, and creative education in schools, museums, street performances, and sacred spaces. As a mother of two teenage sons (17and 20), I bring both grounded presence and creative wildness into my work. Slovakia/France ICMTA Office Manager Lina is a curious soul, a traveller who goes with the flow, and a mother striving to let her children become who they truly are. Certified Open Floor teacher in 2017, she guides adults through experiences designed to foster self-knowledge, deepen connections with oneself and the living world, and restore hope for a better future for generations to come. Her work centers primarily on conscious movement, while weaving in various other practices and techniques. Lina has been working for the ICMTA since 2020. She comes from Slovakia and lives with her small family in the centre of France. ZOOM TECH SUPPORT Portugal ICMTA Marketing & Communications Officer Anaïs (she/they) is a movement teacher and researcher living in South Portugal active in the field since 2017. They craft spaces devoted to community well-being and personal blossoming. Performer, ritualist, oracle, bodyworker, poet, images and music maker, Anaïs bridges realms, continents and practices. She is passionate about liminal numinous spaces, subtleties, silence and unapologetic raw expressions. Her invitation: diving in the luminous cracks of our fertile darkness, and nourishing the mycelium within us and around us. Their spaces invite to cultivate presence, connection and acceptance. Anaïs graduated as an Open Floor in 2024.
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