VESICA - Oakland Ecstatic Dance - Weds Night @ Sweets

Ecstatic Dance Oakland @ Sweets Ballroom Weds March 19th - DJ: VESICA Contact Improv meets Zouk: Brigitte Wittmer Yoga: Lauren Tierra Sound Healing: Charles Moselle Opening Circle & Meditation: Tyler Blank Tea: Kokko Wellness & Oli Marichi Food: Sacred Decadence (Leela Maya) ----- DJ: VESICA VESICA is an Oakland (CA) based Ecstatic Dance DJ who has been dancing at the legendary mothership of Ecstatic Dance at Sweets Ballroom, Oakland since its inception in 2008. In 2010, VESICA co-founded Ecstatic Dance Berlin, the first pioneer in the global spread of ecstatic dance. Since then VESICA has been invited to play ecstatic dances far and wide -among them Lightning in a Bottle, Moscow, Barcelona & Ibiza, to Nevada City, Los Angeles, and of course, Oakland, to name a few. VESICA is a dancers’ DJ with a predilection for soulful organic world beats and scrumptious global bass. Her sets are poly-genre, tempo-morphing, dance floor love that irresistibly moves feet, hips and heart into a deep and embodied journey of catharsis and transformation. VESICA invites you to loose and find yourself in the dance. VESICA’s last set: https://soundcloud.com/vesica-ecstatic/bass-bliss ----- Arrive when you wish: 6:45pm - Doors Open 7:00pm - Contact Improv Class (Main Floor) 7:00pm - Yoga Class (Upstairs) 7:50pm - Opening Circle 8:00pm - Ecstatic Dance 10:30pm - Sound Bath / Closing Meditation 10:45pm - Good Night Everyone! Sweets Ballroom 1933 Broadway, Oakland, CA 19th St. BART Secured Covered Parking: Dalziel Garage 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612 $6.30 Tickets: Available at the door with Cash / Card / Venmo $25 Drop-In $20 Circle Passes sold in 5 packs ($100) Volunteer Opportunity: Show up at 6pm sharp! for Opening or ask at the door for Closing Opportunities. ----- Contact Improv meets Zouk: Brigitte Wittmer Brigitte is a movement alchemist and dance artist who bridges global dance traditions, with training from Broadway Dance Center and Faculdade Angel Vianna. Her expertise spans contemporary dance, Brazilian social dances, somatic education, and transpersonal psychology. More than an artist, she is a facilitator of personal discovery through her pioneering Liquid Leading method. This approach reimagines partner dance as an intuitive dialogue that expands beyond traditional dance constraints, inviting dancers to explore movement as an intimate, responsive conversation. Her work creates transformative spaces where movement becomes a powerful language of authentic self-expression, emotional intelligence, and deep personal connection. Brazilian Zouk Embodiment Flow Dive into the possibilities of Liquid Leading layered on the flow of Brazilian Zouk. Join Brigitte for an experience of guided exercises in leading, following, and what lies in between. A dance language with the freedom of ecstatic dance and synchrony of partner dance. Find the evolving magic dynamic with each partner, building specific techniques for a continuous two-or-more-way communication. Transform your world into an endless dance playground! Yoga: Lauren Tierra Lauren’s yoga teaching draws upon various somatic movement practices such as release technique, axis syllabus, qigong, and her over two decades as a yoga practitioner and teacher. Other spheres of influence include many years of experience with meditation, bodywork, energy work, music & vocal embodiment, Taoist practices/ five element theory, and Ayurveda. Lauren is lit up by guiding herself and others into non-judgmental presence, authentic expression, embodied connection, and holistic well-being. She is especially enamored with contact improvisation for it’s ability to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and play, while also being a transformational healing practice that can expand our awareness, and connection to self and others, in multifaceted and meaningful ways. Sound Healing: Charles Moselle Charles Moselle is a multi-instrumentalist (piano, saxophones,Indian flute, shakuhachi, etc., drums,) and composer, having scored numerous films, plays, and dance works. He is also known for his unusual vocal stylings and theatrical characterizations (Mongolian beatboxing, zombie operettas,etc.). He has a reputation for being able to sing, perhaps, the lowest note humanly possible. He has also invented a number of very unusual instruments (ex.The electric mirror) He attended Lee Strasberg acting Institute and California Institiute of the Arts. Over the years Charles’s career has taken a number of interesting turns- As a music therapist he has worked with Schizophrenics, incarcerated youth, incarcerated adults, and war veterans. Recently years he has worked with teens and children in Syrian Refugee camps. He has performed with Robin Williams, Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra Jr., Bobby McFerrin , Stanley Clarke, Sly and the Family Stone, and Eddie Henderson, just to name a few. Opening Circle & Meditation: Tyler Blank Founder of Ecstatic Dance Oakland, San Francisco, Fairfax, & EcstaticDance.org Community, Tyler is also an Ecstatic Dance DJ, & Partner Yoga & Contact Improv Guide. www.DoublePlay.fun & www.SoundCloud.com/mrblank Upstairs Tea Lounge: Tea Lounge: Olivia Marichi (Tea Master Oli) With over two decades of dedicated practice, Oli has cultivated a profound mastery of Chinese tea and the art of tea ceremony. Her journey began with an enduring fascination for the intricate flavors and traditions of tea, studying at the First Club of Chinese Tea Culture in Moscow in 2000. Immersed in the cultural and historical essence of tea, Oli has explored every facet—from sourcing the finest leaves in the lush tea gardens of Fujian to mastering the meditative precision of Gong Fu Cha. The tea collection is provided by the Kokko Wellness, the place where Classical Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Herbal Medicine, Tea, Nutrition, and Bodywork come together in one harmonious space. Visit them at kokkowellness.com Food: Sacred Decadence (Leela Maya) Leela started her journey as a raw vegan dessert chef in 2007 during the early days of Cafe Gratitude where it first began in San Francisco and Marin County. It was working there that she discovered the power of intention, community, & how truly nourishing food felt like sensual kitchen witch craft for her soul. It was love at first bite. Since then she has been a chef and product developer for local healthy food companies like Urban Remedy and Good Earth. She is wholeheartedly happy to serve the Bay Area Dance Community in nourishing connection from within. When she is not playing with her food, Leela teaches Play based Authentic Relating & Connection Classes, Full & New Moon Circles for Womyn+, & Cacao Ceremony Soundbaths. She believes that love, joy, connection, and play are key ingredients to a healthy happy life. Blessed Be and Bon Appétit! Tea Service: Kokko Wellness & Oli Marichi We drink and serve a lot of good tea! It's a complimentary service that we give to our community. We collect the best green, white, wulong, non-caffeinated herbal and especially aged pu-erh (fermented) tea that we can find. For more information on what we carry, please check our Tea & Qi page, social media and "Store" pages. Tea has a whole range of benefits for the mind/body and is still considered the elixir of youth and vitality in the east. We study the Qi of tea, along with everything else that goes into it. Come and join us ! www.kokkowellness.com/ ----- All are Welcome, Without Restrictions or Limitations. We only ask that you refrain from: 1. Talking on the Dancefloor 2. Using your Phone 3. Wearing Shoes or Scents 4. Using Substances (Be Yourself!) Thank You for Respecting the Space so that everyone may Move, Celebrate, Heal, & Pray in their own unique way... Together. Tix available at the Door: Drop-In: $25 (Cash / Card / Venmo) Circle Dance Passes: $20 each (sold in packs of 5 for $100) Available at the Door. @ Sweets Ballroom 1933 Broadway, Oakland, CA 19th St. BART Secured Covered Parking: Dalziel Garage 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612 $6.30 ----- Website: https://ecstaticdance.org/dance/oakland-ecstatic-dance/