Relax in nature, level up your blues dance skills and explore other exciting activities – that’s what Blues Dose Retreat 2023 is all about. Come on over!

When: September 10 to 17, 2023

You can join for:
– The whole week (from Sunday, September 10, 5:00 p.m. to Sunday, September 17, 5:00 p.m.)
– First half of the week (from Sunday, September 10, 5:00 p.m. to Thursday, September 14, midday)
– Second half of the week (from Thursday, September 14, midday to Sunday, September 17, 5:00 p.m.)

Where: Penzion Statek Habří, Habří 19, 592 53 Moravecké Pavlovice

See the map here.

By car: Since there will be participants coming from big cities, we’ll gladly assist you in connecting with each other to share car transport and make your journey to the retreat easier.
It takes 1 hour a 50 minutes from Prague / 50 minutes from Brno / 2 hours 30 minutes from Ostrava
By train: the nearest train station is Rožná, and the closest major station is Bystřice nad Pernštejnem. Don’t worry, we can arrange to pick you up from either of these stations.

Price:

€380 / whole week (includes all lessons, accommodation, full board and all the accompanying program)
€200 / half-week (includes all lessons, accommodation, full board and all the accompanying program)

If money is an issue, let us know in the application, we will try to come up with a discount for you, perhaps in exchange for some help on-site…

Meet the organizers of the retreat:

Edmilson Botelho

The main guest instructor at Blues Dose Retreat 2023 was born and raised in São Tomé and Principe Islands. His dance vocabulary draws from traditional African dances like usôa, puíta, funaná, kadance (kizomba), semba, which he learned before moving to Portugal at the age of 17. There, he discovered Lindy Hop. Currently, as a teacher, he specializes in Lindy Hop, Blues, Authentic-Jazz, Solo Blues, and Afro-Jazz. For him, dance is all about feeling, groove, and joy. You might have spotted him teaching at events like Paris Midnight Blues, Slow Town Blues in Turin, Duke’s Blues inLuxembourg, Blue Monday Festival in Porto, and more. Check out his facebook page.

Martin Šandera

Martin began his blues dance journey in 2018. From 2014 to 2019, he was devoted to swing dance (Lindy Hop) and taught it at Prague’s Swing Busters School. He has also explored tango, boogie-woogie, contemporary dance, house dance, partner acrobatics, and martial arts. In the spring 2022 he co-founded the Blues Dose school in Prague with Pavla Tomanová, where he has been teaching regular lessons since May 2022. In June 2023, he completed a week-long Bluesology Teacher Training in Valencia. Furthermore, he is the main organizer of the retreat.

Míša Clark

Míša will be our cook, and we’ll be assisting her in the kitchen. Although she’s relativelynew to blues dance, her passion for it knows no bounds. Beyond dancing, she’s awoman of many talents – a painter, a tattoo artist, holder of 1st kyu in Aikido, and that’sjust the beginning of the list…

Accommodation:

We will have the charming Penzion Statek Habří all to ourselves. The accommodation capacity is 22 spots, which ensures an intimate and cozy atmosphere – just the way we like it. There are three rooms with 4-beds and one 5+5-bed two-story mezzanine apartment – check out the photos. Plus, there’s room for two additional beds. Each room comes with its own bathroom and facilities. We’ll also have access to a 90 m² dance hall, a covered terrace, a heated hot tub (2x4m), a small pool, billiards, ping-pong atc. There if wifi as well. Full-week participants will have priority in the quadruple rooms, while half-week participants will stay mostly in the mezzanine 5+5. And, if needed, you can even crash in the dance hall…

APPLICATIONS HERE

Food:

We’ll enjoy full board during the retreat. Our cook, Míša Clark, will be preparing themeals, and we’ll gladly assist her in the kitchen (each person will have the chance tohelp with one or at most two meal preparations). Whether you’re a meat-eater, vegetarian, or vegan – we’ve got you covered. Please specify your preference in theregistration form.

 

Blues dance:

Join us for either 15 hours of lessons if you’re in for the whole week or 8 hours if you’re opting for the first/second half of the week – the Thursday morning class is open to both half-weekers. Lessons are Open Level, and the minimum requirement is equivalent to BluesDose school’s Course A (a five-lesson introduction course covering basics likepulsing, open position, close position, side by side, basic steps – step-step, step-touch,basic turns…). Let us know if you’d like to arrange individual private classes to learn these basics before the retreat. Besides dance lessons, there’ll be ample opportunities for social dancing. Additionally, we would like to invite you to one panel talk. So, get ready to dive into the incredible world of blues!

Lessons schedule (subject to change)

 

Sun Sep 10th 1h Ed solo
Mon Sep 11th 1h Ed solo 1h Ed+M partner
Tue Sep 12th 1h Ed+M partner 1h Ed taster afro
Wed Sep 13th 1h Ed+M partner 1h M partner
Thu Sep 14th 1h Ed choreo solo 1h M partner
Fri Sep 15th 1h Ed+M partner 1h Ed+M partner
Sat Sep 16th 1h Ed solo 1h Ed solo
Sun Sep 17th 1h Ed solo 1h Ed+M partner

 

Accompanying DIY program:

Apart from dancing and (of course) some trips in the surroundings, we’ll have space for a DIY activity program. There will be open slots in the schedule where you can propose any activity you love and would like to share with others. You’re more than welcome to suggest any activity you enjoy, and we genuinely encourage your participation on the other hand. Of course, it’s entirely optional, and even if only a handful of people join, why not give it a go 😉.
So far, we know that the DIY program will include:
– An introduction to acro yoga
– An intro to shiatsu massages
– A nature walk focusing on “edible flowers and wild fruits”
– A workshop about KUSUDAMA (modular origami)
– A lecture and guided practice of doing NOTHING 😀
– A drawing workshop
– A taster of FOCUSING (connecting body, mind and emotions)
– Two concerts you wouldn’t expect 😉