JOIN US FOR A DAY RETREAT!

SERPENTINE FLOW:
Ritual Movement for Transformation in the Year of the Snake

DANCING SPIRITS DAY RETREAT
 is an immersive offering devoted to wellness, connection, and ritual.
Participants will experience the transformative power of sound therapy and sacred movement embodied in the Serpentine energies of Danbala & Ayida Wedo, and Oxumare. It provides a unique opportunity to connect with your inner spirit, deepen your understanding of Haitian Vodou traditions, and to practice the art of folkloric dance from Haiti and Brazil.
​ You'll learn from passionate and experienced facilitators/practitioners, connect with like-minded individuals, and leave with a deeper appreciation for dance as sacred ritual, and a renewed sense of self.

Bethanie Hines Photography

DANCING SPIRITS RETREAT OFFERINGS 

AFRO BRAZILIAN DANCE WORKSHOP
​"Flowing with Oxumare"

In this workshop, we honor Oshumare (Oxumare, Osumare), the divine serpent-rainbow deity known throughout West African and Afro-Diasporic traditions, for their role in movement, transformation, and sacred flow.

In the Yoruba Ifá tradition, Oxumare (also spelled Oshumare) is the orisha of continuity, movement, and transformation, embodying both masculine and feminine aspects in perfect harmony. Often seen as a rainbow or serpent, Oxumare connects the earth to the heavens, symbolizing the eternal cycle of renewal, abundance, and spiritual flow.

In Vodun (Voodoo), Oxumare is revered as the sacred rainbow serpent, bringing balance, healing, and prosperity to the world.

In Candomblé, Oxumaré governs wealth, elegance, beauty, and fluid movement. This orixá is called upon for strength, clarity, and the capacity to shift and adapt with grace.

Together, we will explore sacred movements of Osumare through dance, storytelling, rhythm, and color. We will learn to flow like water, spiral like the serpent, and embrace transformation with grace. This is an invitation to embody fluidity in motion, spirit, and intention.

Nurture Your Mind, Body, and Spirit at the Dancing Spirits Retreat with a Special Sound Healing Session

A SOUND BATH FOR CLEANSING,
REBIRTH, AND RENEWAL
"Serpent's Song"

Enter the healing vibrations of Serpent’s Song, a crystal bowl and gong sound bath woven into our daylong folkloric Haitian and Brazilian dance journey. Rooted in the wisdom of the serpent – symbol of rebirth, healing, and deep earth knowledge – this immersive sound experience invites you to release stagnant energy, cleanse your auric field, and awaken inner power.

Guided by resonant tones of crystal bowls and the primordial vibrations of the gong, you will be invited to also use your voice and mantra to create sound through your chakra system.  As the sound currents wash through your body, mind, and spirit, allow yourself to shed old skins, clarify your intentions, and attune to the regenerative essence of the serpent within you.

​This is an opportunity to enhance your overall well being through the experience
of a unique and transformative healing modality.

Benefits of this sound bath include:

​Energetic cleansing and emotional release

Nervous system soothing and deep rest

Reconnecting to ancient sound vibration transformation

Integrating movement practice with meditative sound healing

Come ready to recline, receive, and emerge renewed as we honor the serpent’s medicine together.

Learn how to craft your personal sacred space in this interactive spiritual bath workshop

Create a sacred self-care ritual that you can
​incorporate into your daily life 

SPIRITUAL BATH CREATIONS
"Goodness in a Bowl"

Photo: Bethanie Hines Photography

What self-care rituals/practices have you incorporated into your lifestyle to remain spiritually clean?

 

 

This workshop is an invitation to create a sacred space for self-care and spiritual renewal through the art of crafting personalized spiritual baths. Spiritual baths are herbal treatments that aid in self-care rituals and practices. This Dancing Spirits session begins with a collective opportunity to set intentions, seek blessings, an abundance of love, peace, healing and good fortune.

 

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You will:

Explore the healing properties of various
herbs, flowers, and minerals.

Craft your own unique spiritual bath, personalized with essential oils, flowers, and other sacred elements.

Immerse yourself in a guided meditation to activate the healing and transformative energy of your bath creation.

HAITIAN FOLKORIC DANCE WORKSHOP
"The Serpent's Spine: Shedding & Embodying Wisdom Through Undulations & Haitian Dance"

"How do we move through change with grace and wisdom?"

In this Year of the Snake, we are invited to shed old skins and embrace growth. The Snake is also teaching us this year to physically, emotionally, and spiritually let go. This workshop will guide us into the heart of this symbolism through the sacred Haitian dance of Yanvalou, a ritual movement, complete with undulations + spine activations, honoring the serpent spirit Danbala -  the divine sources of creation, wisdom, and continuity. Participants will be guided through the fluid, undulating movements of Yanvalou, learning to connect breath to the spine in a continuous, serpentine flow. By physically embodying the snake's motion, we will work to gently shed stored trauma, release energetic blockages.

Exploring dance as a ritual technology for
​personal growth and transformation! 

Meet Your Dancing Spirits Team 

Our team is committed to fostering a sense of community and empowering individuals to connect with their essence and express themselves through movement and mindfulness.

SHIRLEY JOHNSON

Sound Healing Therapy

PORTSHA JEFFERSON

Founder, Haitian Dance, Baths 

ASATU HALL

Afro-Brazilian Dance 

Shirley (Siri Pritam) is a seasoned healer, licensed psychotherapist, dating & intimacy coach, energy & sound healer, budding herbalist, yoga teacher, aspiring writer, and retreat leader based in the vibrant city of Oakland, CA (by way of the Bronx, NY). With over 15 years of immersion in various indigenous healing technologies, Shirley weaves together a rich tapestry of experience and insight to empower and uplift those they serve inspired by her teachers and ancestors who have come before her.  

Devoted to the Divine Feminine, Shirley has been drawn to the healing arts as a way to reconnect with Great Mystery and support others with their walk.  Passionate about fostering healing and vibrant community living through self-care and self-intimacy, Shirley leads transformative workshops. Her sessions, enriched with meditation, self-inquiry, and yoga, empower individuals to embrace and express authenticity and nurture their holistic selves. 

Currently, Shirley serves as a lululemon ambassador at the Oakland location and contributes her expertise to several yoga teacher trainings.  Her dedication to the well-being of others extends to her therapy private practice, where she specializes in supporting women of color in areas such as co-dependency recovery, money mindset, self-confidence, and sexuality & desire. A graduate of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, Shirley brings a wealth of knowledge to her therapeutic practice. Certified in teaching Vinyasa, Hatha, Kundalini, and Prenatal Yoga lineages, she infuses her classes with a love for these transformative practices. 

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Shirley finds joy in salsa dancing, hiking, traveling, experimenting with herbalism, cooking, and creating DIY spa experiences at home.  Shirley's life is a testament to the integration of healing practices, community engagement, and a celebration of the rich tapestry of human experience.  Shirley gives honor and gratitude to her teachers and mentors for their guidance and transmissions: Krishna Kaur, Elder Malidoma Some, Empress Karen Rose, Maya Blow, Paula Tursi, Dr Afrika, and she is thankful for Mother Earth and her elements, Her Spirit, and her ancestors and their guidance though this wild adventure called life.

Portsha Terae Jefferson has a 25 year history of performance, choreography, research & travel passionately rooted in African/Caribbean dance, drumming and spiritual traditions. Hailing from a blazed Dance trek, her Dancestory is truly emblazoned by that of Ancestral commission. She began her formal training at the age of six at the Marsha Woody Dance Academy. From Beaumont, Texas to the Bay Area, Ms. Jefferson also revered as, "Zetwal Ashade Bon Manbo" has cultivated a trajectory of Dance excellence, dynamic performance and a cultural legacy of training, education and cultural exchange.

Often nurtured by Bay Area Dance luminaries Lynn Coles and Blanche Brown to name a few, to Haitian Dance Masters such as Pioneer Vivianne Gauthier with consistent training at Ecole Nationale de Artes [ENARTS], transcended through the establishment of Rara Tou Limen Haitian Performing Company in 2004.

As a cultural practitioner and visionary, Ms. Jefferson's dedication and exploration of Haitian culture have brought her to Haiti, where she has traveled throughout the country to research regional dance, rhythms and musical traditions since 2003. Specific interest and concentration of study took place in Gonaives at Lakou Badjo, where Nago (Yoruba) traditions are preserved, and at Tanp Souvenance Mistik, a Vodou community that celebrates its Rada (kingdom of Dahomey) heritage. Ms.Jefferson's visionary Artistic leadership and RTL Company's unforgettable presentations, classes, workshops, festivals, cultural exchange trips, and retreats, have garnered her the attention as respected colleague and established cultural gatekeeper, forging new trailways through ancient traditions -- staying true to the sojourn carving pathways for many to flourish crossing boundaries and dimensions in the Dance.

Ms. Jefferson has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Conservatory for Contemporary Dance Arts, and as an artist in residence for Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and SF Unified School District. A passionate believer in education and youth development, she has worked for several youth projects and arts education programs, and has graced colleges, universities, and studios, including East Bay Dance Center, Dance Mission Theater and the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. She also serves as a Cultural Arts Specialist with Oakland Parks and Recreation where she continues to share her love of dance with Oakland youth.

Asatu Hall is a co-founder of Luna Nueva Wellness Collective with 20 years of experience working in the Oakland community as a midwife and health educator. She desires to reintroduce Black and Brown women to holistic, safe, and empowering care provided by trained midwives. Asatu leads a full life being a home school mother, mentoring young women, and working in public and community health as an educator and provider.

Asatu has an M.S in Holistic Health Education from JFK University and Masters in Public Health. She is a 3rd generation traditional midwife with roots in Liberia, West Africa, and the United States. She is a graduate of Maternidad La Luz Midwifery School. She is the founder and director of YEWAS Rites of Passage Program for Girls of African Descent. Asatu also founded The Sacred Grove Traditions an Oakland-based, international women-led organization for young girls and women. Asatu is a certified Basu of Smai Tawi Yoga, a practice from ancient Kemet. She is a dancer, seasoned performer, choreographer and founding member of Emesè: Messengers of the African Diaspora, a collective of artists founded in 1998 to promote the African Diaspora of dance, drumming, and music. 

Her background in dance incorporates over 25 years of various genres including Ballet, West African, Haitian, Congolese, Brazilian, and Cuban.  She has had the honor of studying and performing with a number of master artists in the Bay Area. Her mentors include Mestre Carlos Aceituno and Mestra Regina Califa, Jorge Alabe, Blanche Brown, Titos Sompa, Malonga Casquelourd, Jose Francisco Barroso, Juan De Dios Ramos, Zak, and Naomi Diouf, Linda Faye Johnson, Isaura Oliveira, Dandha da Hora, Rosangela Silvestre, and others.

She currently dances with Rara Tou Limen Haitian Dance Company, under the direction of Portsha T. Jefferson.

REGISTER NOW! 

DANCING SPIRITS:
Folkloric Dance & Wellness 
​Day Retreat

$159
Early Bird Discount
August 6-23, 2025

$189
FULL PRICE
after August 23, 2025

​SACRED MOVEMENT. SPIRITUALITY. RITUAL.
WELLNESS. MEDITATION.
​CEREMONY.
CULTURE. 

DANCING SPIRITS IN THE REDWOODS
​ 

We are excited to welcome you to Dancing Spirits Day Retreat
and are looking forward to hosting a transformative experience!