Programming and Facilitators
Our vision for camp is to provide a broad range of opportunities for movement, exploration and growth.
Our offerings will focus on Contact Improv, Conscious Dance, and Expressive Arts, as well as Community Building, Inner Movement, and Partner Dancing.
Here is a link to our 2025 Schedule - Subject to change. Below is a selection of our 2025 facilitators.
Holli Nicknair is an intuitive facilitator of awakening, awareness, alignment, compassion and grace. With 20+ years practicing and facilitating mindful movement, she guides Awakening Souls in aligning heart, body, mind, and Soul through mindful embodiment practices and intuitive wisdom sessions. Holli's authentic expression fosters freedom, spaciousness, healing and connection on and off the dance floor.
In 2005, Holli moved to PDX, served on the original board of directors for Portland's Sacred Circle Dance and later co-created Mindful Meltdown. In 2017, she founded Return To Center: Women's Ecstatic Dance in Portland and most recently initiated the first Ecstatic Dance Series in Northern Maine, her homeland. Learn more about Holli here: https://www.hollinicknair.com/
Oblio Z Stroyman, aka DJ MaestrOblio (they, them) composes musical poems, collages concepts, shakes us out of our default grooves to show us different facets of ourselves. They weave together the past and present to offer the dance floor a glimpse into what is possible when we fully show up as a community to co-create our future.
DJ MaestrOblio was a core facilitator for Coalessence Ecstatic Dance in Eugene Oregon, and has been a guest DJ for many dances communities including Corvallis Ecstatic Dance, Bend Ecstatic Dance, Turtle Dance, Om Culture, Queer Ecstatic Dance Retreat, and Dance Camp Northwest. They are a strong part of the contact improvisational dance community, and are the imaginer of the community dance practice called “Dance Seen.” In their other persona, Mx Fugue Farce, they worked as DJ for a drag/clown performance art troupe at Lightening in a Bottle, Electric Forest and Oregon Country Fair. They endeavor to bring the warm, connected, conscious dance vibe to the club floor. They aspire to help create an environment where “artists, weirdos, and misfits can find their tribe, discover new facets of their identities, and cultivate a connected community through counter-culture and catharsis.”
Hayley Shannon (she/her) is an embodiment guide devoted to the healing power of movement, expressive arts and community. She created Dance Healing ten years ago after a profound healing experience while training in dance/movement therapy in Greece. She’s served diverse communities inter/nationally including shelters, orphanages, festivals and retreats. Hayley investigates how dance is a catalyst for personal, collective and planetary evolution with a particular interest in land based ceremony and collaboration. Her training includes a BA in dance and communications, somatic therapy at Tamalpa Institute with dance icon Anna Halprin and her daughter psychotherapist Daria Halprin (Level 1-3 plus one year apprenticeship), breathwork and qigong.
"Owlchemy" is an ever-evolving heart-share by David "Owl" Chen (he/him). Owl live in Sisters, Oregon, a land of lava rock, juniper & sage, panoramic mountain ranges, and wild rivers. This land inspires both reflection and rapid transformation, qualities that inevitably weave through deeply intentional sets. A set with Owlchemy is much more than just music; the loving vision is to share ceremonies of beauty, power, and self-remembrance.
Born and raised in the heart of Baltimore, MD, Baba Kauna Mujamal has over 30 years of experience performing and teaching traditional West African Dance.
As an original member of the world-renowned Washington DC based Kankouran West African Dance Company, Baba Kauna deepened his understanding of traditional African Dance and Music. His many years as one of the principal dancers for this company gave him intense daily training with Senegalese Master Dancer Assane Konte.
Sarah Lee Parker is a hot-blooded American who has found her soul in Guinea, West Africa. Since her first visit to Senegal and Guinea in 2004, and during her subsequent 18 multi-month return visits, her whole life has become about building a two-way bridge of learning and understanding between Guinea and the west. Passionately seeking to level the playing field for Africans in this world, she facilitates awareness and transformation through dance, music and cultural immersion.
Maureen Momo Freehill MFA, Directing Asian Performance U of Hawaii. Founder of DailyDance.Us, offering nature- based retreats + somatic wellness training and intermodal arts performance globally. Facilitator of NatureMoves.org nurturing embodied intimacy between humans and nature.
Over 40 years as improvisational performer, educator and director; recognized internationally for innovative fusing of somatic modalities with what’s natural. Guide for Butoh Landscape offerings in lineage of founder Kazuo Ohno.
Michal Lahav began her love affair with contact improv in 1998. Since then she has explored it across the globe, in national parks, her living room, and perhaps yours too. She has taught numerous workshops locally as well as at dance festivals, including Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation ('11,'13,'16), West Coast Contact Festival, Dance Camp Northwest (2002-2024) and at institutes, including Seattle University, Louis and Clark College, and SANCA Circus Arts school. She also organizes the annual Orcas Island Jam coming up on it's 10th year. Michal integrates studies of yoga and dance with a curiosity for movement, human behavior and a great lust for everyday life.
Anna Dale, a movement enthusiast, has hosted Ecstatic Dance events for 15+ years, curating music that invites dancers to explore ego, shadow, and the unconscious. Her spacious, artful approach fosters joy, renewed identity, and deep spiritual connection, rekindling relationships with Nature through grounded embodiment. The dance floor becomes a portal for magic and healing.
Dustin Wong (He/Him), recently discovered a passion for Contact Improvisation Dance because it allows integrating aspects of all his movement practices and foundational movement experience. These include traditional Hawaiian dance (Kahiko), kung fu, ballroom (Salsa, Rumba, Hustle, Waltz, Tango, & Swing), and just dancing at live music, DJ events, and ecstatic dance for the past 15 years. He is also very passionate about music and provides deeply engaging and appropriate soundscapes to explore movement with. Well travelled internationally, he brings a perspective informed from various music and dance cultures both traditional and contemporary.
Aditi Grandy (she/her) teaches Sattva Yoga -- an integrated yoga practice with all aspects of yoga including meditation, yoga poses, breathwork and freedom dance. This dynamic yoga practice supports deepening and healing within our self and with each other. Aditi has been a part of the Seattle Ecstatic Dance community and Dance Camp Northwest since 2014
Beth Moon ( she/her ) is a teacher of many things including yoga, meditation and pottery. Her passion is healing through movement, breath, self expression and connection. She is co-founder and facilitator of Nectar Eastside Freeform Dance and has been a part of the Seattle freeform and contact dance community since 2014.
Noé Khalfa (they/he) and Adnan Khan (he/him) are passionate facilitators of dance and movement spaces that invite deep embodiment, play, and connection. Noé has been guiding ecstatic dance, contact improvisation, and movement workshops for over a decade, while Adnan brings his DJing gift and love of rhythm, energy, and guided meditation into the mix.
Together, they create BloomDance—an immersive, consent-centered dance journey that has become a favorite at Dance Camp. Their facilitation blends dynamic music and interactive elements to inspire full-bodied expression. They’re thrilled to bring BloomDance back for another unforgettable night!
Sheena Medicina is a life-long dancer & Ecstatic Dance journey facilitator. She cooks up fresh mixes of uplifting soundscapes with hints of cumbia, twerk, bass, pop, psychedelic downtempo, tribal electronica, house, organic & world beats, with plenty of funk & throwback tracks in the mix & always a good healthy dose of feminine medicine.
Todji is a multi-faceted artist, sculptor and musician. He has studied Brazilian percussion for 12 years, and played drums in his teacher’s bands for audiences of 40,000 people in the streets of Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval in Brazil. His sculptures have been exhibited and collected around the world: www.todji.com
Peggy has a BFA in dance, was a Pilates instructor for 15 years, trained in yoga and massage, and has been a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner since 2001. The Feldenkrais Method informs her work most, but ongoing explorations in dance, meditation, and energy studies allow her to be especially intuitive and creative. Like a dance, Peggy creates ways to address people's unique needs in the moment, whether in a class or working one on one.
Wyld is a sensitive and awkward animal whose native tongue is dance.
The 5Rhythms practice has given her the route to the root of creative expression and healing. Offering this freedom is her most profound joy. She has been holding 5Rhythms spaces since 2018 in devotion to the Mystery and in gratitude to the creator of this practice, Gabrielle Roth, who once said "It takes discipline to be a free spirit."
Kurt teaches partnering and improvisation workshops focused on sensing and moving from one’s moment-to-moment state, clear communication about availability and consent, and savoring relational interaction.
After dancing in New York, Kurt lived and worked in Europe from 1988-2012, teaching and performing at festivals, schools and companies throughout Europe and Asia. From 2007-2011, he directed the Masters Program in Contemporary Dance Pedagogy at the HfMDK in Frankfurt, Germany.
Informed by a degree in architecture, my current work structures approaches to: establishing communication strategies; identifying preferences; building trust; expanding the range of choice in relationship; and navigating social space. I’m passionate about exploring approaches that facilitate joyful, consensual connection.
Xanne Kozuki, aka Uname, (they/them) is the founder of Sneaky Deep Collective, whose mission is to ignite social change through play. Born and raised in Hawaii, they developed a passion for multiculturalism, which led them to a path of majoring in Intercultural Communication. After dedicating the past 20 years of raising two children with special needs, they are excited to be in a position of having the time and energy to apply their passion of building authentic connection and community.
Dr. Jessica Tartaro (she/her) is a cis-gendered, able bodied, Sicilian Jewish Intimacy Coach & Connection Facilitator with nearly 20 years of experience in the healing arts working with individuals, couples and groups. Former Fulbright scholar, she passionately believes that everyone can learn how to have closeness with others – whatever your history – through committed practice, connecting with your body and a good dose of play. In 2022, Jessica gave birth to her daughter Joya, who has become her greatest teacher in intimacy and is now a curious, strong willed, and very charming toddler.
Read more about Jessica’s services and story at www.DrJessicaTartaro.com
Stuart Phillips dances CI as a healing process for over 40 years, teaching, performing & researching said form worldwide Stulips.org
Bruce Horowitz aka Spruce has curated sonic journeys on dancefloors at iconic locations around the world for over 25 years. including in Ibiza, Mexico, San Francisco, Hawaii and around the PNW.
He incorporates EDM, bass, ambient groove, medicine songs and world music into his transformational live sets.
Check out some of his mixes here: (Please follow and like)
Anna Joy Reedy, SEP (she/her) in 2013 found herself in her first cuddle puddle on a dance floor being fed grapes by frolicking little fairies (children). Inspired to recreate this slice of heaven as often as possible and share it with the world, she completed the Cuddlist and Cuddle Party TM certifications along with a series of related trainings. She works full time with touch and trauma therapy clients; she has facilitated consent workshops in and around Seattle since co-founding Happy Humanimals in 2022.
Ian Wilson (they/them) is a cuddle and consent facilitator. They studied facilitation with Cuddle Party facilitators Madelon Guinazzo and Adam Paulman, and cofounded Happy Humanimals in 2022. Ian is a trained Cuddlist and continues this work in one-on-one client sessions. Ian is also a dancer, hiker, musician, artist, and creator.
My name is Becca Sunny Lu (she/they), and I've been an avid dancer and facilitator of fun my whole life! Lindy-Hop (swing) is my speciality, West African dance is my happiest dance place, and Ecstatic Dance feeds my entire body, mind & soul. I'm excited to be bringing some of my somatic healing practices that connect us with our own and each other's hearts. Our time here is short, so let us PLAY & ENJOY!
Michelle Hawk (she/her) is an Alchemist, Shamanic Practitioner, Master Healer and Spiritual Mentor. She mentors and trains practitioners in Alchemy, Shamanism and the healing arts, and helps people master their intuitive gifts and magical birthright. She offers 1:1 work, transformational facilitation and retreats on sacred, forested land near Portland.
Felix Roth was first exposed to conscious movement as mediation in his teens, while living in Osho's commune in Oregon. In the late 90's he started studying 5 Rhythms and later Soul Motion with Vincent Martínez-Grieco, and has been dancing his heart out ever since. He began facilitating dances in 2004, and is one of the co-founders of the Sacred Circle and Mindful Meltdown Ecstatic Dances in Portland, OR. Felix's sets ebb and flow, and invite an exploration of all forms of human expression.
Eulipion Friends returns to Dance Camp Northwest to share our joy of performing live for dancers of all types. We interact with dancers as we perform our music and bask in the energy exchange as the magic unfolds throughout the set. We feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing opportunity for co-creation.
Bob and Alan have been playing together for 45 years and have extensive experience performing for Ecstatic Dance. We are soul mates and look forward to connecting at a heart and soul level with you.
Serge has been a performance artist since 1970. Ellen Stewart invited him to this country in 1974 through her "London La Mama troupe". After also working with Robert Wilson he was exposed to C.I. in 1975 in NYC. His love for World Music brought him to live with the "Baka Pygmies" in 1979. Website: manna presence.com
