This three hour workshop led by Lela Besom and Virginia Hickman will give participants an opportunity to practice awareness, yoga, butoh dance techniques, and creative movement exploration through deep listening to their bodies, their inner voice, and the Wilson Springs environment. We will use the energy and beauty of our surroundings to inform our breathing, thinking, movement, and creative output.

Participants will observe and gather natural forms and movement from the Wilson Springs surroundings that will connect to yoga postures and inspire original movement with their own bodies. They will experience a re-merging with the environmental elements from which we are formed and create a visual conversation with the environment through movement.

Through the workshop participants will experience the value of having access to nature in relationship to health and creativity. They will also tap into their potential and feel more grounded in their bodies. Class limited to 18 participants.

About Lela Besom:

Lela Besom is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Fayetteville, AR focused on butoh dance. Besom earned her BFA from The University of Kansas in 2008, then studied zen meditation and contact improv in Cambridge, MA. From 2011 to 2018 Besom lived in Seattle, WA where she began practicing butoh and theater, performing, directing, and producing events with DAIPANbutoh Collective and Freehold Theater. Her butoh teachers include Sheri Brown, Diego Piñon, Joan Laage, Natsu Nakajima, Ken Mai, and Vangeline France. Besom creates solo and group performances grounded in human emotional experiences, human nature connection, and social issues. Website: lelabesom.com

About Virginia Hickman:

Virginia Hickman is a movement artist based in Northwest Arkansas. Her mediums include ballet, contemporary dance, yoga, and Kundalini. She is a 300 hour certified yoga teacher and also works in computer programming. Virginia spends most of her free time at her 30 acre farm in Avoca, Arkansas going on long walks with her five dogs around Sugar Creek and tending to her horses. She plans on turning her farm into a retreat center, focusing on yoga, meditation, dance, and the divine connection to nature. You can find her teaching Kundalini at Be One and Trailside in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Please note:

- This workshop takes place outside at Wilson Springs Preserve. It is recommended that you wear hiking boots or some other sturdy footwear. Bug spray is also recommended.

- This workshop is weather dependent. If the workshop is rescheduled or canceled, you will be notified via the email address you provide during registration.

- Parking for access to Wilson Springs Preserve is generously allowed by Sam's Club, located at 3081 AR-112 in Fayetteville. You may park on the south side of the lot (facing the trees) and look for the kiosk entrance.