Dance Trapeze Retreat
A week of skills, sequences, spinning, & creativity!
Casa Chango in Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Instructor: Caitlin Wallace
November 9 – 16, 2024
Spend a week in paradise with new friends, the beach, delicious food, & Dance Trapeze!
Come spend a week with me on Mexico’s beautiful pacific coast. We’ll be exploring and learning trapeze sequences, developing skills, spins, and cultivating creativity. This retreat is for all dance trapeze artists from an intermediate to advanced level seeking to be re inspired and supported in their trapeze practice.
This retreat will have 2 daily classes –
During morning classes we’ll work on threading, weaving, and rolling around the bar and ropes. Here we’ll study some trapeze theory on related shapes and positions, creating and maintaining hip shelves, and the importance of smooth weight shifting around all our points of contact. Starting from some basics, we’ll build a vocabulary of fluid movements that will expand each artist’s understanding of sequencing “flow.”
The afternoon classes will focus on expression and spinning. After learning a variety of movements connecting the trapeze with the ground we will use those as a foundation for dance & improvisation. We’ll also dive into the technique of two of Caitlin’s favorite spins—lasso and armpit—and practice ways to smoothly transition into and out of spinning.
When you aren’t training, you’ll be eating amazing, healthy food, lounging at the pool, swimming in the ocean, reading in hammocks, and enjoying being in nature. Optional extras include nature excursions and trips to the beautiful beaches of Puerto Escondido. Get ready to move, play, breathe, feel, stretch, and express. At Casa Chango you are invited to shine and be yourself!
Skill Level & Prerequisites
A minimum of 1 year trapeze experience and that you know the foundations of trapeze and are comfortable in the air and able to invert in the ropes. Having a pull up will be helpful for your spins but isn’t essential.
Daily Schedule Sample: Everything is optional!
- 8-9:30 am: Coffee, Tea and Breakfast
- 10am-1pm: Trapeze technique and sequencing
- 1pm: Lunch
- 1-3:30pm: Pool-time, siesta, relaxing
- 3:30pm: Afternoon ice coffee & sweet treats
- 4:30-6pm: Creativity and exploration
- 7pm Dinner
- 8-10pm Evening Activities
We’ll take you to our favorite beach for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and releasing baby turtles into the sea.
Suggested equipment to bring to the retreat:
- Layers for hips, thighs, ankles, shins, elbows
- Ginger or Sea Bands for dizziness
- Arnica gel for bruising
Space is limited, so sign up now!
Your Teacher: Caitlin Wallace
Caitlin is a dance trapeze artist, aerial coach, former college athlete, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy student. She completed the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) ProTrack Program from 2016-2019, where she majored in dance trapeze and minored in injury-prevention-based flexibility. As a performer she strives to move with authenticity and fluidity while traveling amongst multiple levels of her apparatus. She particularly likes creating labyrinth-like-flows of transitions to sequence around the bar and ropes. Caitlin’s aerial coaching focuses on utilizing healthy body mechanics for effortless movement, while discussing the theory of how our bodies interact with the trapeze to create fluidity and control. She often encourages exploration and creative play to draw out the unique styles and visions of her students. As a flexibility coach, she focuses on stability and strength to improve control through full ranges of motion. She has worked with a variety of students ranging from absolute beginners to pre-professional artists.
Caitlin is currently halfway through Eastern Washington University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, and is taking the 2024 school year off to re-focus on coaching aerial and circus arts, before returning to graduate school in January of 2025. Her long-term goal is to provide performance optimization and rehabilitation services specifically for aerial, circus, and performance artists. Currently, she teaches both recreational and ProTrack students at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). She also coaches at SHOW Circus Studio in Easthampton, MA, and offers virtual flexibility classes and virtual private lessons through her website.
You can find Caitlin on Instagram @caitlinannwalace.
Retreat Pricing (in USD):
| Room | Early Bird Price by Aug 15 | Full Price by Oct 8 |
| Shared Dorm (gender mixed) | $2250 | $2550 |
| Shared Private Room (2 friends sharing a room) 1 king size bed or 2 individual beds | $2350 | $2650 |
| Private Room with Shared Bathroom | $2650 | $2950 |
| Private Room with Private Bathroom | $2950 | $3250 |
| Private Room with Private Bathroom and Air Conditioning | $3250 | $3550 |
Full tuition is due by October 1, 2024.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples must sign up together.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples/SO’s are welcome at an additional price.
What’s included:
- Ground transportation to/from the Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) to our accommodations*
- Arrive on November 9. Depart on November 16.
- Accommodations for the duration of the retreat
- Daily meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert & snacks
- 2 Daily classes (4-6 hours total/day)
- Aerial photoshoot
- Evening activities
- Trips to local beaches, baby turtle release, and night market
- 24 hour use of Swimming Pool, Jacuzzi, and Community Spaces
- High Speed Starlink Wifi Internet
- Evening Jacuzzi soaks
Testimonials from Caitlin’s students:
What People Are Saying About Sweet Retreats:
For years I fantasied about leaving my daily reality to go train circus all day while living in community, being in the sunshine and not have to worry about food. I had that all with Sweet Retreats. I just completed a month of high class training, incredible food, sisterhood, dance, nature adventures & so much more that cannot be put into words.
The coaches are the real deal and trust me when I say you will be taken with the utmost care not just physically and in regards to your circus goals, but emotionally and even spiritually if you desire. It’s a circus experience for you that can truly be transformative, healing or intensely physical. The experience is crafted by you, held by an array of extremely qualified and caring professionals who are passionate about self expression, play & community.
If you are thinking about attending one or are on the fence trust me when I say you should absolutely invest in yourself. I cannot recommend Sweet Retreats enough. You’ll grow as a circus artist and person in ways that you can’t imagine.
Luna Mammon 2024
I truly don’t have enough words to describe how positive this experience was for me. I came to Sweet Retreats hoping to gain strength and endurance on the silks as well as improve my flow and sequencing in the air. I ended up leaving with so much more than that! Not only did I make substantial progress toward my goals, but I left feeling intrinsically connected to the art of aerial, dance, expression, and creation. Kerri creates such a special environment that nurtures growth and liberation, and that truly allows you to come into your own as an artist. I discovered that through being immersed in this incredible community, the aerial classes, the silliness, the improvisation and creative exercises, I unmasked a confidence to explore my art and express myself in a way that felt healing and inspiring. This was a invaluable gift from this experience that I will hold on to forever.
I could not recommend this special place enough for anyone who wants to feel the magic of circus and community.
Kristine Westergard
Sweet Retreats was so much more than I expected! I knew it was going to be an amazing experience, full of friends, circus arts and nature, but where they also really went above and beyond was the retreat center and the food and hospitality! Such a comfortable space for relaxing and enjoying the views. We had options for Eco-adventure excursions throughout the week! This place is a must see because they hit all aspects of a retreat and learning experience at a top tier!
Tailor Pollak
Questions? Email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com.
Links for more information:
- Accommodations – room descriptions
- Meals and Food*
- How to get here. Info and advice on booking your travel to Puerto Escondido.**
- Weather in Puerto Escondido
- Testimonials
- Excursions
Discounts
- Sign up early to get the Early Bird Discount
- Sign up on our mailing list to find out about more discounts.
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