Kaynaktan Turkey Dance Retreat
November 5th-9th, 2025
Yenice Vadi, Turkey
A gathering for seekers of embodied wisdom to reconnect with the technology of ancestral dance.
Date: November 5th-9th, 2025
Location: Yenice Vadi Retreat Center, TURKEY
This year, we will journey through three distinct dance traditions from North Africa, Anatolia, and Persia, carried across generations as living expressions of prayer, poetry, and play. Led by cultural wisdom keepers, we will explore what the meanings and stories within these ancient movements can awaken in our own bodies and guide us in our own personal and collective lives.
You don’t need to be a “dancer” to join us. We welcome all who are willing to listen, feel, and move with what is present.
Offerings:
A time for deep self-inquiry and connection through the wisdom of age-old movement traditions with the guidance of soulful teachers;
Gnaoua Dance with Anas Khermoui, Mohammed El Allouki, and Abdelmalek Al Kadiri
Sufi whirling and Anatolian Sacred Circle Dances with Alper Akcay
Persian Poetry through Classical & Folk Movement with Schirin Chams-Diba
Therapeutic movement and somatic exploration sessions awakening presence within your sensing body offered by the stewards of Kaynaktan Dance;
The Body Remembers with Becky Hicks
A movement journey through the landscape of our visceral body and cellular memory,
Embodied Mythmaking with Rüya Günergin
A collective movement ritual to co-create the story of now,
Opportunities for gentle reflection and integration through guided watercolor & journaling sessions, and restorative practices.
4 nights in a serene retreat sanctuary nestled in a lush Turkish valley on the Aegean coast, featuring nature-integrated accommodations, sacred movement spaces, swimming pool, Turkish bath, & sauna.
Nourishing your body with vibrant, health-conscious meals made from seasonal, local ingredients.
LEARN FROM WISDOM KEEPERS
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Alper Akçay is a Sacred - Ritual Dancer, Performer and Medicinal Movement Instructor from Istanbul, Turkey.
Alper offers heart centric workshops in movement healing practices, Anatolian-Central Asian Sacred Dances, meditative and circle dances of universal peace.
Recently he has become a Middle Eastern certified dance leader on Dances of Universal Peace. He is also a member of Unesco International Dance Council CID.
Alper is walking on the path of Sufism and Tasavvuf (Islamic mysticism) and has been practicing Mevlevi Sema and Alevi – Bektashi Semah over for the past twenty year.
He collaborates with many other well known artists across
multipledisciplines including in mixed exhibitions, projects and performances.
Alper has performed and collaborated
in local and international events, festivals and projects in various regions including Europe, South Asia, Middle East and North Africa.
For more information-www.alperakcay.com
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Anas Khermoui, 26, is a passionate Moroccan artist, musician, and cultural guide from Essaouira. Deeply connected to the heritage of his hometown, Anas expresses the spirit of Essaouira through his diverse talents. Growing up in the old medina, he developed a strong appreciation for arts and culture. His skills as both a painter and musician, combined with his love for meeting people, offer a genuine window into the soul of the city.
Mohammed Amine El Allouki, 40, also from Essaouira, is a renowned professional Kouyou performer, widely regarded as one of the city’s most talented. He began his artistic journey in 2000, training under legendary maâlems like Maâlem Abdallah Guinea and Maâlem Mahmoud. With over twenty years dedicated to his craft, Amine has mastered the intricate rhythms and movements of Gnaoua music and dance, mesmerizing audiences with his extraordinary skill and deep commitment to preserving this rich cultural legacy.
Abdelmalek El Kadiri hails from Essaouira, a spiritual crossroads and cradle of the Gnaoua tradition. Born into a family rooted in the Sufi path—connected to the brotherhood founded in the 11th century by Sheikh Moulay Abd Al Qadir Al-Jilani—he was immersed early on in a world where music and ritual are inseparable. His artistic career began at 15, in 2000, under the guidance of renowned masters like Maâlem Abdellah Gania, Maâlem Abderrahman Paco, and Al-Charif Regragui. This deep, spiritually-informed training shaped him into a sensitive artist, grounded in tradition yet drawn to the stage. In 2007, he won the first Gnaoua Young Talent Festival and quickly emerged as one of the most promising maâlems of his generation. Since then, he has performed widely, both in Morocco and internationally, including in Germany, Spain, France, the UAE, and the UK.
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Schirin Chams-Diba is a mystica, dancer, yogini, healer, and pilgrim at heart. From a young age, she has followed a distinct call to embark on a life-long journey of healing, adventure, and truth. From a long line of Persian healers and wise women, she has trained intensively in sacred dance, yoga, spiritual lineages, esoteric arts, and natural medicine. After years of exploring the world, devoting herself to in-depth study, and shaping her own practice, she feels called to share her skills in service to the Greater Good. Bringing together all these riches has led her to develop her method for Essence of the Feminine™.
For the past decade, Schirin has held workshops and retreats in New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Thailand, India, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, USA, Kazakhstan and Guatemala. She has taught at renowned festivals such as the Bali Spirit, Spirit of Tengri, Agape Zoe, Symbiosis, Boom, Lightning in a Bottle, NZ Spirit, Bumi etc.
As a multi-disciplinary dance artist, Schirin is a founding member of the world music project Karavan Sarai, with both albums ranked in the top 10 World Music charts. She regularly performs live with world-renown musical acts at festivals and concerts. Live performance highlights include: virtuoso Omar Faruk Tekbilek , Beats Antique, Yuval Ron Ensemble, Bedouin Jerrycan Band, Peruquois & Praful, Rajasthani Gypsy Caravan, BaBa Zula, Bahramji, Grammy winner Hamid Saeidi, the cast of Jillina Carlano’s Bellydance Evolution ˜Fantasm - Odyssey of Dreams’ production. She is the visionary and creative director of the artivism dance 'The Rose & the Nightingale'. She is a core cast member of the dance ritual theatre SheRose, touring with singer Marya Stark.
www.schirinchamsdiba.com (http://www.schirinchamsdiba.com/)
Instagram @schirinchamsdiba
RETREAT IN THE AEGEAN VALLEY
We’ll retreat for four nights in a secluded valley sanctuary on Türkiye’s Aegean coast, where a community-led farm with stone cottages, farm animals, a sauna, and a traditional Turkish hamam will nourish both body and spirit.
ACCOMODATION
Private Hotel Rooms
These rooms are located on the ground floor of the hotel, featuring both underfloor heating and air conditioning. They have private decks in the back, along with an en-suite bathroom for your exclusive use. Some rooms feature a fireplace and a jacuzzi.
Private Nature Rooms
These standalone houses are located very close to the main area. With their private kitchens and unique designs, they provide an enjoyable retreat. They are also equipped with underfloor heating, air conditioning and private terraces. The rooms can be arranged to have a queen bed or up to 3 single beds.
Tree Houses
Each tree house has its own private garden and mini pool. Inside, the houses include a fully equipped kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room. They are equipped with underfloor heating, air conditioning, and a fireplace.
Stone Houses
These two secluded cottages are found up on the hillside. They have a living room with a fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen, a bedroom with king-sized round bed and a bathroom.
The private terrace and garden have a comfortable seating area, a dining table and chairs, a sun deck with sun-loungers and a jacuzzi.
Glamping tents
These glamping tents are designed to provide comfort of a real room, while immersing you in nature. The tents are spacious, with room to easily stand, a comfortable bed to sleep in with natural fabrics, and private toilet and shower.
TESTIMONIALS
Miriam Peretz (taught Whirling and Sacred Circle Dances at Kaynaktan Topanga Dance Workshop)
“I felt grateful to be able to share my offering with such a warm, loving, open and creative group. I am so happy to be included in this vision and really look forward to more!”
Hasti Voss (participated in Kaynaktan Topanga Dance Workshop)
“This workshop wasn’t just about moving our bodies, but learning about deep traditions of movement. It all somehow connected back to nature, to the source.”
Marie Towler (participated in Kaynaktan Topanga Dance Workshop)
“I cannot thank you enough for the love and care you shared throughout the workshop. The community you are creating is a beautiful blossom of Love, light, story, dance and movement. I am so grateful to have been a part of this inaugural workshop and appreciate your open hearts, wisdom, and vision for creating this space!”
Pricing
Early bird pricing for the retreat programming is €750.
Early bird pricing ends on August 15th.
Accommodation costs, which include all meals for the duration of the program, vary based on your chosen option and are listed below.
If you would like to share your accommodation with a friend or partner please indicate it on the sign up form.
There is a space available for a photographer/videographer to attend at a significantly reduced price. Please reach out to us if this is you.
If you would like to attend, and require financial support, or wish to set up a payment plan, please email kaynaktandance@gmail.com.