Open Floor Meets Truth Salon: Dancing Freely, Speaking Vulnerably

What happens when we bring the practice of free form movement and dance together with the practice of speaking authentically and vulnerably, all held in a safe container? What happens if we allow space for embodied freedom, deep intimacy, aliveness and a growing trust in the Unknown to emerge?

Come play with us in a facilitated exploration through moving and speaking. We will have time for free form dance facilitated by Taisiya (pronounced Ta-’ee-see-ya) and time for authentic communication in a space held by Sofia, and then we will discover what happens when we invite the two to play together on the dance floor!

Date: Saturday, May 11th from 11am – 4pm

Location: Holistica Arts (new location)

350 Barack Obama Blvd, Suite 30, San Jose, CA 95126

There is a parking lot with ample parking

Cost: $75 with a sliding scale of $50 - $75 for those in financial need

Two options to register:

1. please email Sofia at sofialandon@comcast.net with your name and phone number and send payment to Taisiya Kupriyanova via Venmo at @OpenFloorSanJose or Paypal at @openfloorsanjose (If you need other payment methods, email Taisiya at taisiya.kupriyanova@gmail.com)
2. Eventbrite

Cancelation policy: Full refund before or by April 27th, 50% refund from April 28th - May 8th, no refund after May 8th

For questions, please contact Taisiya at taisiya.kupriyanova@gmail.com or Sofia at sofialandon@comcast.net.

Wear comfortable clothes to move and sit in. Wearing layers is recommended. Bring a water bottle and snacks. Optional: bring your favorite pillow to sit on and a journal to write in.

There will be backjacks, meditation cushions and yoga bolsters in the space.

We will move and sit and have breaks in between.

About Taisiya Kupriyanova and Sofia Wood:

Taisiya is trained in Open Floor movement practice modality. She has been dancing conscious dance for over ten years. Taisiya loves movement and this type of dance has been a great teacher for her, becoming an integral part of her life. She is also a practicing registered dietitian. Taisiya looks forward to dancing with you and allowing the dance to transmit its magic.

Sofia has been coaching, facilitating and teaching groups in both the corporate and private sectors for over 25 years. She is a certified Getting Real coach and a graduate of both the Coaches Institute Training program and the Co-Active Space Leadership program. Sofia has a gift for making people feel at ease and safe, creating a gentle space for our humanity and messiness so that we can take risks in being transparent and vulnerable with each other. She looks forward to diving into intimacy and truth with you.

For more about the Open Floor and Truth Salon practices, see the descriptions below.

More about Open Floor:

Free form movement in a facilitated container. A space to move, let go, express and be. No steps to learn. No way to do it wrong.

What is Open Floor? It is a free form movement meditation practice that draws on body's resources that all of us have and that are always present. On the dance floor we get a chance to explore these resources and then take them off the floor and use them in a daily life. Maybe it shows up as being grounded while waiting in a long grocery line. Maybe it shows up as being centered in a challenging meeting. Maybe it's finding out what makes it so hard to move towards something that's been avoided for a long time. Maybe it's having a felt experience of expansion when automatic response is to contract. Everything is welcomed at Open Floor - bad days and good days, happiness and sadness, tiredness and excitement. Come and dance!

More about Truth Salons:

In Truth Salons, we are practice partners for each other, committing ourselves to doing our best to stay present with each other, allowing space for our humanness and messiness, and devoting ourselves to listening, speaking and moving from our own truth. Through steeping in this practice - over time, with gentleness and patience - our trust in ourselves and in truth grows, and we find ourselves moving from truth in our everyday lives with more ease and grace. In doing so, we notice that we stay more connected to the aliveness and joy of the moment, and are less likely to disconnect from our own heart and body - in essence “leaving ourselves” - when we interact with others.

We use a blend of silence, experiential exercises and open, unstructured dialogue (with communication guidelines) to support us in staying present, listening to our bodies, and taking the risk of sharing the truth that most wants to be seen in the moment. Come play and dive deep!