This weekend brings together practical anatomy tools from the Axis Syllabus to deepen the practices of dance, movement and eco-somatics. 

Expect rigour and pleasure in equal measure.

Our schedule for both Saturday & Sunday:

9.45am - arrive *ON TIME* at secret location (emailed to all ticket holders after purchase), any late arrivals may have to wait until a host is available to collect them, we ask that you respect this start time for the sake of the group container, guests will be guided to the location, and the walk is roughly 5m
10.00am - 1.00pm - teachings
1.00pm-2.30pm - lunch break
2.30pm - 5.30pm - teachings
Optional:
6.00pm-8.00pm - sauna (limited tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis)

What is the Axis Syllabus?

The Axis Syllabus is an open-source research framework that draws on biomechanics, anatomy, physics and movement science to offer practical tools for understanding how the body moves most efficiently and safely.

Rather than a technique or style, it is a living reference system, a way of asking better questions about alignment, force, momentum and gravity.

It offers a lens for intelligent, pleasurable, sustainable movement.

What will I be learning?

Over the weekend, you will pick out movement tools from a toolkit that may be as useful on a hillside or for wood chopping as they are in a studio or bedroom. Specifically, you can expect to explore:

Anatomical principles for grounded, efficient and flowing movement on uneven terrain.
We may workshop these skills as a group and/or in ‘personal choice’ research; with trees, rocks, people or in land work.
Each individual can tailor the work to their own interests with personal guidance and group support. 

Somatic scores developed and refined during Thirteen Moon Dances (a year-long daily outdoor performance), inviting deep attunement to weather, ground, season and natural environment.

Contact Improvisation principles applied in nature; sensing, listening and responding to land and other bodies with equal curiosity

All within the umbrella of:

The body as ecology - exploring porosity, responsiveness and the intelligence of a body that understands itself and others as part of nature, not separate from it.

This is learning that lives in the body. You will leave with practices you can take back into your daily life, your movement research, and your time outdoors.

Who is it for?

Suitable for movers, dancers, somatic practitioners or anyone simply curious about their embodied relationship with the natural world. No prior experience of Axis Syllabus is required, simply a willingness to move, get curious, and get outside.

What should I bring with me?

We will have access to a covered space and will work both ‘in’ and ‘out’. Come equipped with weather-appropriate clothing and footwear to be comfortable to roll on the ground and be on the land all day. In August, this may range from barefoot, sunscreen and hat to full waterproofs, but we will work/dance/play whatever the weather. 

There are no kitchen facilities on site, only a small stove for boiling water. Please bring your own cups for teas and enough food for a whole day. There will be a 90m lunch break, though we are not very close to local shops, so we recommend being as prepared as possible - especially if staying on later for the sauna.

Bringing comfortable items is optional, though it may aid your experience; pillows, blankets, cushions, yoga mats etc. There may be moments you wish to take a rest. Though if the weather is nice, the land will hold you well.

A notepad and pen for personal journaling and academic consolidation.

If you have any further questions, please email your host Jessi:
[email protected]

We ask that all participants choose a ticket option that aligns with their financial situation. This is valuable work, and we always aim to keep our prices fair and affordable. If price is a barrier to you, please get in touch.

About your facilitator Zoë Solomons

Zoë Solomons is an osteopath, qualified Axis Syllabus teacher and professional contemporary dancer with over fifteen years of experience teaching movement nationally and internationally. Her work sits at the intersection of dance, anatomy, somatic practice and the living world, with a focus on connection, scientific rigour and embodied curiosity.

Zoë holds a degree from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and has taught for dance centres and companies across the world since 2008. She brings a rare depth of anatomical knowledge to her movement teaching, making the often abstract principles of alignment and biomechanics tangible, practical and useful in the body.

The eco-somatic practices offered in this workshop grow directly from Zoë's ongoing artistic research. Her project Thirteen Moon Dances  (a year-long daily outdoor dance performance) asked a radical question: what does the body learn when it returns to the same place in nature, every day, through every season and in every weather? Dancing in thirteen locations across thirteen lunar cycles, Zoë developed a living practice of attunement, letting land, weather, light and time become teachers. The scores and tools she brings to this workshop are hard-won from that daily commitment.

Zoë has been practising and performing improvisation since 2000, and considers it a life practice as well as a professional skill. She is a well-established figure in the Contact Improvisation community, regularly teaching CI intensives, festivals and jams, and this year will be teaching at Freiburg CI festival.

Zoë's movement vocabulary is also shaped by a long practice of partner and folk dance traditions; European and African folk dance, tango, Contact Improvisation, salsa and lindy hop, which give her teaching its warmth, relational intelligence and rhythmic richness.

She believes the body and the natural world are not separate things. This workshop is an invitation to feel that truth in your bones.

We look forward to having you!
Jessi & Zoë