“The Body Now” summer retreat is a five-day event hosted by Alana Shaw and the Turning the Wheel Team. A team of master facilitators will guide you through improvisational games, somatic exercises and meditations, sacred art, drumming, singing and playing in a safe and loving community. There will be live music all week by Jesse Manno!
By the end of our time together, you will unleash your creativity, tune into your deep body wisdom, and bask in the wellspring of self-love as old stories and blocks fall away.
Individuals seeking to unearth creative energies, enliven the body and infuse ease and joy into life will play and explore side by side with educators and community leaders learning to bring sustainable practices to their work. The melting pot of knowledge and personal experience is strengthened by the presence of other participants who bring their unique perspective to the retreat.
Alana Shaw, founder and executive Director of Turning the Wheel, is an inspiring and empowering speaker, teacher, and guide. Alana has facilitated joyful and healing movement events in cities in the US and Canada for over 35 years. Her dynamic and energetic presentation style is both humorous and transforming, and consistently positive and uplifting for her audiences. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado with a thesis on healing and reintegration through creative expression. Alana’s books, “Dancing Our Way Home” and “The Body Now” catalyze her mission to inspire a new paradigm for inclusiveness, collaboration, and community engagement.
Abbey Dubois holds a BA in dance studies from Salem College. She works as the National Program Coordinator. During her time at Salem College, Abbey explored site-specific work and how to bring the community together through dance. She is passionate about serving our community and spreading joy to all people.
Lizzi Juda founded Turning the Wheel Missoula in 2001 after discovering the national organization and its’ potent work. She is a Master Facilitator for Turning the Wheel Missoula, and has been teaching improvisational movement classes and expressive arts groups for 25 years.
Andy MacDonald is a teacher and performer based in Portland, Maine. He has been affiliated with Turning the Wheel since 1998. He received his BA in French Studies from Mount Allison University, and his MA and PhD in French Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is particularly fond of improvisational creation and performance through movement, sound and language.
Suzanne Palmer is a Master Facilitator with Turning the Wheel affiliated with the organization since its inception. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a BA in Dance. Suzanne has served on the board of directors for many dance organizations and was a founding member of the Dance Cooperative in Wilmington, NC.
Perry Smith became the cofounder of the Wilmington chapter of Turning the Wheel in 1999, and facilitates and performs live music for events, workshops and trainings. He has been a Master Facilitator for Turning the Wheel since 2008.
July 24, 2025 - July 28, 2025
July 15, 2025 - July 20, 2025
July 9, 2025 - July 13, 2025
June 27, 2025 - June 28, 2025
June 25, 2025 - June 30, 2025
June 20, 2025 - June 22, 2025
June 16, 2025 - June 20, 2025
June 13, 2025 - June 15, 2025
September 22, 2025 - September 28, 2025
September 15, 2025 - September 21, 2025