COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
We create spaces for students to refine their creative voices in a supportive and challenging environment in response to the social and environmental issues of our times.

Improvisation is a skill cultivated to partner with each moment with a receptive and instinctual body. This class focuses on challenging physical investigations that break open our ability to listen to the mythical inner world, the environment and each other. Participants explore ways to enter states of transformative action through breath, directives, awareness and clarity of purpose to embody a more vibrant performance presence.

The body is an instrument that may be fine-tuned to access one's movement voice and sensitize kinesthetic perception. Dances arise from the stories that are held in our bodies; collective memories, experiences and inner states of being. Technique helps us to know ourselves and, at the same time, challenge those perspectives, creating paths towards unexplored potential. This comprehensive training includes work on the floor, self-acupressure, and challenging yet adaptable movement sequences.

Movement is a tool for communication between body and place. When we practice and cultivate body listening, dances arise from the stories held in the land; collective and personal histories, mythology, lost narratives, experiences, and the spaces in between.

This course invites students to excavate their creative voices through interdisciplinary exploration. Participants are exposed to different approaches to the creative process and are encouraged to reclaim, discover or deepen their voice through research, self-reflection, and constructive feedback. This course draws on the teacher's experience directing 20 original group and duet works and as collaborators with renowned companies.

"Apapacho" is a Nahuatl word (from Rodrigo's homeland of Mexico) that means to soothe the soul. In this online workshop series, you will learn how to use your hands, breath, and gentle movement to cultivate a listening practice of self-care during times of change. You will learn eight potent points in your body that bring emotional balance when held, alchemize pain into wisdom and expand consciousness.

Imagination in Motion is a course that supports children in their natural ability to play, imagine and dance together with music from around the world while building social skills, empathy and creative empowerment.
DANCE MONKS founded and curated Ook'ot International Dance Festival in the Yucatan, Mexico in January, 2020. The 8-day intensive focuses on rigorous training and creative experimentation for dedicated students and professionals within a supportive community of high-caliber international artists.
PAST GUEST TEACHERS:
Dr. Yanique Hume (Jamaica) Dances of Orixas
Mijail Rojas (Cuba) Survival Skills for the Stage
Erika Suarez (Xalapa) Contemporary Flamenco
Rodrigo Esteva (Mexico City) Site-Specific Performance
Mirah Kllc Moriarty (US/Slavic) Improvisation & Dance Making
Don Damaso Rivas (Mayan Elder) Expert on Mayan Architecture