Ecstatic Dance Autumn Retreat
Retreat & Restival
18th - 22nd November 2026
with Seth Newman, Dee Upite (Dee) and friends
This autumn, step into a journey of dance, connection, and transformation. Join us for our annual Ecstatic Dance Autumn Retreat, a heart-opening gathering devoted to Ecstatic Dance, embodiment practices, and down-to-earth spirituality.
Our retreats are about awakening the dancer within; reconnecting body, mind, and spirit through conscious dance and embodiment.
Learn powerful exercises for grounding, releasing fear, stress, tension, and trauma from the body, and for developing deeper presence and body awareness.
The Autumn retreat will be more of a personal growth retreat than a festival. It is simply an invitation to bring more fun, joy, depth, and expansion into our lives through a variety of transformational workshops.
Festival Summary
Begins on:
Wednesday November 18 at 16:00
Ends on:
Sunday November 22 at 16:00
Duration:
5 days / 4 nights
Hosted by:
Seth and Dee
Redirects to Workshop Angel
“That was a very beautiful experience. An amazing journey inward & out. To express in a free space filled with joyful vibes & gorgeous smiling faces. In sound, in rhythm, in motion, in colour, in sweat, the Dance, the Soul.” — Cath
Make the most of the beautiful Autumn time of year and enjoy all that comes with it -the fresh, crispy Autumn air, colourful leaves, lovely atmosphere and a lot more that we’ve included in this transformational Autumn retreat!
We invite you to explore the tools & practices during this deep dive of 4 days and discover the positive benefits for yourself. Using music, movement, ritual, and connection to achieve a unified field of being. Attune to Nature and the living environment, release stress and come home to your Ecstatic-Self! Your body, mind and soul with thank you!
Breathing with Chronic Pain
Join Leyla Firatly in exploring how chronic pain is an intelligent protective mechanism of the nervous system — an attempt to keep us safe in an unsafe world. In this workshop, we will explore a mind–body perspective on how pain arises, and reflect on the social and systemic conditions that deliberately leave so many of us living with chronic symptoms
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Chronic pain is an intelligent protective mechanism of the nervous system — an attempt to keep us safe in an unsafe world. In this workshop, we will explore a mind–body perspective on how pain arises, and reflect on the social and systemic conditions that deliberately leave so many of us living with chronic symptoms. We will discover how the breath can be a powerful healing path for physical symptoms, and practice tools to support ourselves and those we care for when pain arises. This path of healing gives us our agency back, a reminder that something so deeply physical can be met, and moved, with nothing more than our own breath.
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Leyla grew up in Istanbul, a city whose depth, contradictions, and interwoven cultures shaped her. As a child, she was diagnosed with advanced scoliosis, learning early to experience her body as fragile and unreliable.
This early relationship with her body profoundly shaped her work. After a year of intense immobility from lower-back pain, she discovered mind–body medicine, which helped her reconnect with her body, regulate her nervous system, and experience a depth of healing she didn't think was possible.
Through this process, Leyla began noticing how many people live in states of contraction. This contraction — manifesting as pain, anxiety, or nervous system dysregulation — is often reinforced by systems that disconnect us from our bodies, nature, and each other.
Now, she creates spaces where people can reconnect with their breath and nervous systems and remember their innate capacity for healing and agency. Over the past year, she has been deepening her work by exploring breathwork and healing through a decolonial lens and reclaiming the breath as a pathway back to embodied wisdom and collective liberation.
What’s on
7 Generations Breathwork
Join Richard Spearing on a powerful guided meditation then expands our perspective, inviting participants to journey back seven generations to sit with their ancestors, and then forward seven generations to listen for what is needed now.
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We live in a time of deep uncertainty and disconnection; this two-hour journey invites participants to explore the question of legacy — who we are becoming and what we are leaving behind. Through guided reflection and small-group dialogue, we reconnect with our ancestral roots and the stories that have shaped our lives. A powerful guided meditation then expands our perspective, inviting participants to journey back seven generations to sit with their ancestors, and then forward seven generations to listen for what is needed now. The session culminates in a 40-minute conscious connected breathwork journey, supported by carefully curated music to create space for insight, release and clarity. Together, we will pose a simple but urgent question: Seven generations from now, how can we proud of who we were?
Eat, Drink, Breathe: How Breathwork can Transform Our Relationship with Food
A deep-dive with Daisy O’Clee into how our breathing impacts every aspect of our enjoyment of food and drink. We will also explore the link between practices that involve tuning into bodily sensations, such as Rebirthing Breathwork, and more regulated, intuitive eating.
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This is a deep dive into the transformational power of intentional breathing to shape our enjoyment of food and drink.
Through a combination of science and embodied breath and sensory exercises, this 90 minute workshop will explore:
The importance of triggering the parasympathetic nervous system before eating.
How stress and mouth breathing impair our ability to taste.
Retronasal breathing as the primary mechanism for experiencing complex flavours.
The role of breathing in digestion and metabolism.
How certain breath practices strengthen our eighth sense - interoception - which connects us to the signals of the body, encouraging intuitive eating and reducing cravings.
Together we will slow down and consider our relationship with the two fundamental and interconnected pillars of human existence.
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Daisy discovered the power of the breath six years ago during a period of extreme stress, including the escalation of her daughter’s severe epilepsy and her dad’s death. A shamanic breathwork journey was the way in - a door to another world that connected early experiences of fear and anxiety with insights about her current situation.
Daisy has since explored many types of breathing and trained in Rebirthing Breathwork and the Butetko method, uncovering a greater sense of peace and joy in the process. A trained journalist by trade, Daisy loves researching different aspects of breathwork and to share what she has leant with the world.
UK Breathwork School Presentation
Join UK Registered Breathwork Schools to understand the course, curriculum and ethos. Essential for aspirational Breathwork Facilitators.
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Each school will have 10 minites to present their training, curriculum and ethos.
We will then have time for Q&A after.
Some schools include:
AIR School of Breath
Inspire Breathwork
Make Some Breathing Space
Intuitive Breath
Inspirational Breath
What’s on
💜 Make the most of the beautiful Autumn time of year and enjoy all that comes with it -the fresh, crispy Autumn air, colourful leaves, lovely atmosphere and a lot more that we’ve included in this transformational Autumn retreat!
We invite you to explore the tools & practices during this deep dive of 4 days and discover the positive benefits for yourself. Using music, movement, ritual, and connection to achieve a unified field of being. Attune to Nature and the living environment, release stress and come home to your Ecstatic-Self! Your body, mind and soul with thank you!
“ What a profound experience! The music was so beautiful … it carried me effortlessly inward facilitating a deep connection to Spirit, moving my body in a way that I felt I had little control over. It was magical! Thank you ” — Ashley
What this Festival offers…
💜 Awaken the dancer within! Dance to feel alive, find your creativity, and free your body and mind through conscious dance and dance barefoot on the earth under open skies as your reconnect with your body, creativity, and inner rhythm.
💜 Experience a transformational adventure that supports personal growth and authentic expression.
💜 Learn powerful exercises for grounding, releasing fear/stress/ tension/ trauma from the body and developing deeper presence and body awareness.
💜 Share meaningful moments with a conscious, inclusive community as you attune to Nature and the living environment, release stress and come home to your Ecstatic-Self!
💜 Experiential not-to-be-missed festival!
Who is this for …
💜 Whether you’re deepening an existing practice or discovering conscious dance for the first time, or perhaps looking for a way to better deal with the everyday stresses of life, get away from the City life and connect to Nature or whether you just simply want to try new body-mind based exercises, dance & laugh, meet and connect with new people, you’ll find welcoming facilitators, open-hearted people, and a down-to-earth spiritual atmosphere.
💜 Come solo, with a partner, or with friends, many arrive alone & leave feeling part of a tribe.
💜 Open to all adults (18+), no prior dance experience required
💜 Ideal for lovers of ecstatic dance, wellness festivals, embodiment, yoga, music, saunas and nature.Join us and discover the positive benefits for yourself.
“Thank you guys. This was an exceptional experience of deep healing, awakening, and opening. I feel so light, peaceful, and full of Love. Through the workshops we took, I touched some of my wounds, gently but deeply releasing and healing what was ready to be alchemised. Thank you to all the other lovely participants. Please organise the next one soon! ” — Tanja
Meet your Facilitators
Seth Newman
Seth is a DJ, facilitator, and pioneer of the UK Ecstatic Dance scene. With a background in community music, world percussion, and decades of embodied practice, he founded Ecstatic Dance London in 2009, weaving live Afro-Brazilian rhythms with conscious dance and active meditation. His work is deeply informed by humanistic and body psychotherapy, tantra, and the human potential movement, creating spaces that are powerful, grounded, and heart-led.
Diana Upite (Dee)
Diana (Dee) is the nurturing pulse of Ecstatic Dance London and the festival. A master organiser, singer, and ceremonial creatrix. With roots in classical and contemporary music, cacao, sound journeys, sauna rituals, and bodywork, she brings devotion, beauty, and deep care to every detail.
Together, Seth and Diana create transformational experiences that invite connection, embodiment, and collective awakening.
Dance Back Into Your Wild, Free, Radiant Self!
Come as you are and leave feeling expanded, grounded, and deeply connected. From ecstatic dance journeys to sound healing, nature rituals, saunas, and shared meals, every moment is designed to nourish your whole being. If your soul has been craving freedom, expression, and real connection this gathering is calling you.
Festival & Accommodation Costs
Super Early Bird
till 21 June
£380
Early Bird
till 19th July
£420
Standard tickets
£460
Your ticket includes:
Full access to all workshops, music, and events
5 days / 4 nights camping included. You can choose private or indoor accommodation at an additional cost when booking.
All meals and teas
Sauna access and festival facilities
Weekend tickets (from Fri 4pm)
£240
*camping/ campervans only.
Redirects to Workshop Angel
Payment Plan
We understand that everyone's financial situation is unique, so we've designed our payment plan with flexibility in mind.
Secure your place by spreading the total cost into manageable instalments. We offer the option to pay a deposit and spread the balance over the remaining months before the payment deadline which is a few weeks before the start of the event. There is a £5 charge for using this payment plan option, and payment dates will be clearly outlined when you book.
Cancellation & Refunds
Our Cancellation policy can be found here.
Food at Leela
All food is vegetarian, drawing inspiration from cuisines from around the world. Garden produce is used when available including green salads and culinary herbs.
There is a separate tea making area with a wide range of beverages which include herbal teas, coffee, decaf, green and black teas, hot chocolate, plus cow’s milk and alternative milks.
We cater for the following diets …
Dairy-free / Egg-free
Gluten Free
Sugar conscious
Vegan and vegetarian
Food is prepared in a shared kitchen where allergens are present. See our food information page for details.
Volunteer for this Event
FAQs:
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The Ecstatic Dance Festival is a conscious movement & wellbeing gathering (150-300 people) focused on ecstatic dance, embodiment practices, music, nature connection & holistic wellness. Includes ecstatic dance journeys, yoga, meditation, breathwork, sound baths, singing, saunas, cacao & much more!
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Absolutely. Many people attend solo. The festival is known for its friendly, conscious, and welcoming community, making it easy to connect and feel at home.
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No experience is required. The festival is open to beginners and everyone is welcome to attend.
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This is a conscious, alcohol-free and drug-free event. We aim to create a safe, grounded space for deep connection, presence, and embodied awareness. Please respect this and don’t consume any substances at the festival. We reserve the right to ask anyone breaking these rules to leave the festival.
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No. Unfortunately dogs and other pets are not permitted on site.
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Between 130-200 people so not an overwhelming festival experience with thousands of people, intimate and a great way to get to know the fellow festival attendees.
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7:20AM – 8:30 AM Good Morning Active Meditation/ Movement Practice or Yoga
8:30 AM –9:30 AM Yummy Breakfast
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Morning Gathering, Ecstatic Dance & Sharings, Workshops
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Magnificent Lunch
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Dishes Help
2:30 PM – 6:30 PM Sauna/ Massages/ Workshops
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Delicious Dinner
6:50 PM – 7:50 PM Dishes Help
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Evening Ecstatic Dance / Workshops
10:00 PM – 00:00 PM Campfire/ Sauna/ Dance Parties / Workshops
*PLEASE NOTE: this is just an example schedule, all workshops and timings might change slightly as we want to offer some flexibility with the schedule.
Applications are now open to co-create this year’s festival and shape the experience with us! (apply by 1 April)
◈DJs, Musicians, Facilitators, Performers, Yoga, Sound Healers – apply here.◈Bodyworkers, Massage Therapists – apply here.
📍FESTIVAL PROGRAMME & LINE UP:ECSTATICDANCEFESTIVAL.CO.UK(to be updated with 2026 line up in May)