Sacred Arts Community Camp – May 2023

I will be teaching at the Sacred Arts Community Camp from Friday 26th May to Saturday 3rd June, 2023.

 Something to offer all ages, this family camp in the Chiltern Hills will nurture and inspire you.

* Camping in circles around a fire * Community * Friendship * Dancing * Singing *
* Creativity * Meditaion * Yoga * Tai-Chi * Storytelling * Sports & Games * Nature *
* Activities for children & teens * Acustic music * Cafe * Shop * Alcohol & Drug free *

I met the Dances through the camps, and Sacred Arts Camp has been an important part of my life since it first came into being. It’s the community where my children have been held as they grew from birth to adulthood, and where I have been held in my own growth and development over these many years.

I now lead Dances in many far-flung places, most recently having spent a month in Morocco supporting the Dances in new circles there, but it’s always such a joy to be back at SAC, and I look forward to dancing with you in the field.

For more details and to book, visit the Sacred Arts website.

Practising Presence, Morocco 2023

I will be taking a group to Morocco again from 4-11 February 2023, with my beloved Sufi guide Muiz Brinkerhoff. We’ll be visiting the beautiful new eco-lodge, La Maison Anglaise, in Taroudant. I was lucky enough to be one of their first visitors when they opened, just before the pandemic, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s comfortable and beautiful, as well as innovative and inspiring. Bookings are going well, but there are still spaces, and flights are very reasonable at this point. You can read more by following this link: https://cecu.co.uk/br230204/

Remembering Sufi Sam with Gratitude

Online Sufi Class Tuesday 16th January

7.30-9 pm UTC (UK time)

Jilani and Salik will explore the legacy of Sufi Sam, his Teachings, Dances, Walking Practices, Meditation and Breath Practices, at this time when we remember his passing 53 years ago. You are most welcome to join us live on Zoom or to find the recording later on YouTube.

Here are the Zoom details to join us live on Tuesday 16th January at 7.30 pm UTC (UK time):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/311735038?pwd=Rk01YS9weDJkbXBsQjRFSDc0MVk2Zz09

Meeting ID: 311 735 038

Passcode: 943198

Women’s Retreat 1-3rd July 2022

Coming together as women do… Women’s Retreat 1-3 July

  • The non-residential price, including all meals, is £210
  • You can bring your own bedding and sleep on comfortable bunk beds on a mezzanine above the Dance hall for £230. There are 10 bunks. Some camping is also possible for the same price.

Other accommodation is in very comfortable flats, with kitchens so you can make tea and snacks for yourselves whenever you want. The flats each sleep around 3-6 people. One flat is situated on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible, as is the hall where we will dance and eat.

  • In a shared room with 2-3 people in each room the price is £270 (or £250 per person if two of you are happy to share a double bed!).
  • If you are blessed with abundance and would like to support a woman who would find it hard to afford to come, you can pay a Generosity ‘Paying it Forward’ Price with an additional donation of your choice. Please let me know if you would be willing and able to do this without negative impact on your circumstances, so I can offer this support to someone in need.
  • If you need financial support to attend, please ask. There may be support from the ‘Paying it Forward’ scheme. Additionally, although the costs of hiring the Westwood Centre are fairly high, once they are covered by the requisite number of bookings I am happy to discuss bursaries.

I am very grateful to my dear friend Hannah Flint for cooking for us all weekend, and providing us with delicious, comforting and nourishing vegetarian meals and snacks. All food and teas etc is included in the price, although you are free to bring any special teas, snacks or food items you might need or want. There are small kitchens with fridges, kettles, cookers and microwaves in the flats, as well as the main kitchen where Hannah will be preparing our food. Please let me know your dietary requirements and we will do our best to accommodate them. Certainly we can provide for gluten free and vegan diets.

Please drop me an email or a message to say you’ve paid!
The balance is due in full by 21 June. If you need to cancel after the end of May, any refund will be discretionary – I will do my best to help. I will need to retain a minimum of £50 to cover administrative costs, and further refunds may depend on managing to fill your place. But please talk to me!

The Westwood Centre is in a beautiful location, and there are big windows looking out over the valley which the sun streams through into the spacious and airy dance space. There is a very well-equipped kitchen, and there is disabled access. It’s rural, but on a bus route from Huddersfield. It is also walkable from Slaithwaite train station (1 mile uphill, or a £5 taxi). There are direct trains from Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly. If you need to come by car, we encourage you to share lifts, and we can help facilitate that.

Please do get back to me if you have any questions or concerns. I hope you will be able to be part of this warm and loving group!

Feel free to pass this information on to other likeminded women who might be interested.

The Radiant Heart – Dances in Huddersfield – 14th May 2022

I’m taking bookings now for this day event which Salik and I are offering on 14 May. It’s in a stunning new (to us) venue, which we are very excited to share with you. The Westwood Centre is in a beautiful location, and there are big windows looking out over the valley which the sun streams through into the spacious and airy dance space. There is a very well-equipped kitchen, and there is disabled access. It’s rural, but on a bus route from Huddersfield. It is also walkable from Slaithwaite train station (1 mile uphill, or a £5 taxi). There are direct trains from Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly. If you need to come by car, we encourage you to share lifts, and we can help facilitate that.

Tending the Flame – Dances in Wales! 12-13th March 2022

Dear Friends,

Greetings of Peace to you all! I want to share with you some of the projects I am working on at the moment, in the hope that you may be interested, and maybe even join me.

I am very excited to be travelling to Wales in March with Salik, to lead dances in three different venues. We do hope that if you live near enough you might be able to join us for one or more of these events. It’s the first time we’ve been able to travel to share dances in a live public circle since before the pandemic.

On Friday 11 March I will lead an evening of Zikr in the village of St Dogmaels, followed by a day of Dances in Cilgerran, both in West Wales. Details, including how to book are on the flyer below. I’m grateful to my friends Jane and Dilwara for their support with making this happen in these uncertain times. I have often been to West Wales over the years, and led many Dance events in the area. The local community of friends and dancers, as well as the beautiful land there, are very important and precious to me. I would so love for you to meet me there if you can!

We will also be leading a short session on Sunday afternoon in Bangor, at the Friends Meeting House from 3.30-6.30 pm. This is specifically in support of my mentee, Dance Leader in Training Ruth Christine, who is establishing a Dance circle in Bangor. We hope that we can encourage a vibrant circle to develop! Do come and support us in that venture if you are able to.

As the possibility of travel seems to open up, I am hoping to be in the Czech Republic in July, and in Spain in August, teaching at camps. I am hoping to offer a Women’s Retreat in early summer, and I am beginning to dream a trip to the USA in the autumn (or fall!). Please get in touch with me if you’d like to know more, or to support me in making these trips happen, perhaps with a dance or Sufi retreat in your area. And watch this space for more information as things unfold over the next few months.