Name: FROM LONGING TO BELONGING: The Dance of Relating Full Day Immersion
Start: 2025-04-05T11:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-04-05T23:30:00-05:00
Location: Hairpin Arts Center

FROM LONGING TO BELONGING: The Dance of Relating Full Day Immersion

Join us for a full day immersion of authentic relating, contact beyond contact dance, and ecstatic dance!
About this Event

At laast, we're on for a Dance of Relating FULL DAY IMMERSION! We're about to go sooo deep! Join us for...

Authentic Relating & Contact Beyond Contact Workshop 11am-6pm

Community Ecstatic Contact Dance 7pm-11pm with MUSICAL MINDSET (Apostole) and DJ TINK

*Come for just one OR come for the whole day!

**The full day immersion tickets include the evening dance set

The Immersion:

As much as we might feel alone in our experiences, we all have these incredibly rich inner worlds, colored by longing and loss, desire and doubt, exhilaration and… exile. In a society that has conditioned us to contort to belong, we’ve deemed so many parts of ourselves unworthy to be seen or expressed. Can you relate?

And so here we are, carrying this existential wound–a perpetual “ouch” just beneath the surface. In an effort to not be “too much,” we dilute not only our shadows but, tragically, also our light. Ironically, then we’re left feeling like we’re “not enough”…

What a vicious cycle.

Are you tired of this battle?

Are you tired of feeling like you can’t be your true self in this world?

Are you ready for something new?

This is your invitation to reclaim these parts of you. Your life force energy lives there.

Join us for the Dance of Relating and come home to yourself, in community.

What fractures in connection finds its deepest healing through connection. So, as a tribe, we will open an amplified field to explore our full range, bringing our voice and our dance to what needs to be felt and seen in connection. We will explore our longing and our desires, and get in touch with our fears and our edges around receiving what we truly want in intimacy.

Within a loving group field, we will courageously chart the edges of our comfort zone, with Authentic Relating (AR) and Contact Beyond Contact (CBC) practices as our guide to unwind from old stories and taste the delicious possibilities of life liberated by truth.

We will practice the art of embodied relating with both group circle work and partner practices. We will utilize a combination of somatic and verbal practices consciously designed to equip you with more intimacy, agency and honesty in your dances, and in all of your relationships.

”I’ve been going to therapy for years and feel like I learned things about myself and had breakthroughs that I've never had in therapy. Matthew and Violet's workshop helped me to deepen my connection and intimacy with myself, others, and my partner. I will definitely be attending more of their offerings and would recommend them to anyone who wants to open their heart and feel more alive.” -Lee Shaver

The Details

11am-6pm THE WORKSHOP ($99-149)

*Immersion/workshop price includes the evening community dance

7pm-11pm ECSTATIC CONTACT COMMUNITY DANCE with MUSICAL MINDSET (Apostole) and DJ TINK ($22-44) + Soundhealing

The Evening Session:

Join us at Hairpin Arts Center for an evening of embodied movement, authentic relating, contact beyond contact dance, and ecstatic dance to welcome in the Spring and tap into the energy of connection and belonging. We cannot wait to enter into the magic and mystery of dance with two amazing djs who will bring depth and fire to the dance floor! 🐍 🔥 🐍

For those with us for the entire day immersion, this will be a time to practice what we have learned and embody the lessons with old and new friends. For those just joining for the evening, this will be a time to learn some new tools and practices and then dive deep into the mystery of music, connection, community, and dance. It’s going to be 🔥!

Musical Mindset (aka Apostole Grosso) will kick off the evening with a live looping set while Violet and Matthew open the space with a unique CBC/AR practice. Then with his musical genius, he will lean into the energy of the crowd and guide us deep into the liminal spaces of dreams, energy, and music as medicine with multiple instruments and looping. His music transcends space and time and will help us release Winter and call in the Spring through our own inner journey and our connection to those in the dance space. DJ Tink will then follow with her mad genius skills of guiding while dj’ing and transforming the space into a high energy masterpiece of weaving beats and sounds together to create an experience unlike other ecstatic dance spaces. It’s going to be intense, it’s going to be powerful, it’s going to be transformative! Both DJ Tink and Musical Mindset have experienced CBC and Authentic Relating with us so they are the perfect combination to pull this night together with something incredibly special!

We will end the evening with a sound healing journey and closing circle.

There will also be a cuddle lounge set up for those who might need or want to step off the dance floor and find another, more relaxing way to connect with others. And fresh ceremonial cacao from Guatemala will be available for additional purchase.

Our goal with our events is to foster a genuine community rooted in growth, self-awareness, and meaningful connection. We aim to create spaces where individuals can explore their bodies, deepen their connections with one another, and experience liberation through expression, relating, and dance.

6:15pm Doors Open

7p Opening circle/opening practice

11p Sound bath/Closing circle

12a Doors close

*Come to one or come for the whole day!

**Tickets sold separately–purchase both via Eventbrite (link coming soon)

Eventbrite evening tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1295076792549?aff=oddtdtcreator

***If finances are a barrier to entry, please reach out.

****The workshop will be a more intimate deep dive and the evening dance will be an opportunity to explore embodying the culture we’ve created together within a larger community context, amplifying the energy with a musical movement journey followed by an ecstatic contact dance.

About your facilitators & DJs:

Violet Starkey is a transformational facilitator devoted to creating somatically-empowered, soulful group spaces where people feel deeply seen and heard. Violet has applied herself wholeheartedly to her healing and soul embodiment journey through a decade of world travel and immersion in transformational growth experiences. With training in trauma-informed somatic facilitation with The Field, Living Essence spiritual psychology, Authentic Relating, Heart IQ Circle Work & group coaching, and spiritual movement practice, Shake Rising, Violet guides people home to a felt sense of safety, connection, and belonging.

Matthew Stackowicz is an embodiment alchemist blending breath, movement, shamanic devotion, and somatic awareness. He leads men’s circles, dance practices, and retreats worldwide, crafting sacred containers where people connect to their deepest truth and authenticity. A Level 3 Contact Beyond Contact facilitator, Shamanic Reiki practitioner, and breathwork facilitator in training, Matthew’s work empowers others to explore the full expression of their heart, mind, body, and soul.

Apostole (Paul) Grosso aka Musical Mindset is a multi-talented musician and sound healer blending live looping with an eclectic range of instruments — from native flute and jar harp to darbuka, harmonica, didgeridoo, and vocals. Rooted in his Greek heritage and based in Chicago, Paul weaves his raw authenticity into immersive soundscapes, guiding others on transformative journeys. As a ceremony facilitator and advocate for personal growth, his music becomes a powerful reflection of his own path — inspiring others to embrace theirs.

Tink is a seasoned dance medicine DJ passionate about creating safe, permission-filled spaces where movement becomes a vehicle for self-exploration — guided by her core belief: you can't do it wrong. Blending house, electronic, and world music, Tink curates soundscapes that invite inquiry, somatic processing, and play. With joyful enthusiasm and a giddy dedication to co-creating with the dancers, she brings vibrant energy to every floor. When she’s not spinning tracks, you’ll find her enjoying long walks, heartfelt connections, and jigsaw puzzles.