Bio: Marissa Alma Nick is a Miami based dancer/choreographer/director. She is the founder of ‘Alma Dance Theater’; and was the founding director of Tigertail Productions: ‘ScreenDance Miami’, for the festivals first three years. Her immersive choreography exists on stage, in site-specific settings, screen-dances, and conceptual installations. The press has described her choreography as “a vessel meant to free us from our demons”. Most recently, Marissa signed her company to Pentacle Booking Agency in NYC, and is a 2017 recipient of the Knight Arts Award for her piece: “Flowers For Spring”. She was invited to be a featured performer at the grand opening of the 2017 Faena Forum in Miami Beach ; as well as premiere an excerpt of her latest solo work: “Only Child Syndrome”, at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
A native to Miami, Marissa is a high school graduate from New World School of the Arts, received her BFA in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida and participated in the Creative Capital Professional Development Program. Post graduation, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a freelance dancer (signed to MSA Agency). Hungry to begin her career as a choreographer and establish her own company, she moved back to her hometown to immerse herself into a fresh and burgeoning cultural scene. Since back in Miami, Marissa has established a unique and sot after voice in her community. In addition to creating and producing her own work, she has also worked collaboratively with visual artists: Typo, Magnus Sodamin, Paula Crown, Alejandro Guzman, Christina Petterson, Christin Paige Minnotte, Jeffrey Salter, Amanda Keeley and Lisu Vegas.
Marissa’s choreography has been commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Knight Foundation, Faena Forum, Tigertail Productions, Miami Design District, Art Basel Miami, Filmgate Interactive, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Nova Southeastern University, and the Pioneer Winter Collective. She has been awarded a fellowship through Pioneer Winter Collective’s Grass Stains project; support through Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs, the Miami Light Project, Inkub8, and Miami Dade County Auditorium; and also received an Artist Access award through Tigertail to attend Cinedans in Amsterdam.
Fall Equinox Forest Frolic September 22 – 24
Celebrate the Fall Equinox and welcome more balance to your life as we move into the Fall season with yoga, self-reflection, nature and connection at the one-of-a-kind Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, Georgia. Nourish your body, mind and soul with a weekend of nature, workshops, yoga, homemade and handcrafted meals. Connect with yourself and others through enriching activities and workshops.
The equinox is a time of balance, with equal hours of day and night, light and dark. It’s a perfect time to let go of the past and of the wild and crazy summer season and set positive intentions for the new Fall season, through guided meditations and inner reflection, opening yourself up to new possibilities and creations.
Weekend Highlights: Opening and closing circles, Fall Equinox meditation and reflection, Led morning hike on nature trails, Access to lake and canoes, Scenic hiking trails and surrounding nature, Free time to explore, relax and soak up the beauty of the forest
Sept. 29 – Oct 1: Awakening Harmony: Roots of Authenticity
Deep Connection Games Songs of Empowermen
Heart Healing Ceremony Finding Your Voice – Vocal Play
Emotional Integration Blind Authentic Movement
Roots of Authenticity is a fun and inspiring weekend of song, ceremony, and personal growth designed to empower and deepen your relationship with your self, your voice, your community, and your soul purpose. We will share in many heart- and mind-expanding activities where we get to examine ourselves, embrace our joys, face our fears, and connect to our feelings within a beautiful, safe community container. Join us if you are ready to engage in powerful, life-changing work that allows your best self to emerge.
Facilitation by Josh Fox, Searra Jade and Jon Handelman.
The weekend begins Friday afternoon and continues until Sunday early evening. Tickets include two vegetarian brunches, two vegetarian dinners, and two nights stay at this magical gem of Southern Georgia.
Tickets are limited and have sold out the past two years!
Early-bird registration available only through August: go here
Ethnobotanical Intensive with Mycol Stevens & Marc Williams Oct 6th & 7th 2017
Mycol Stevens has a masters in aquatic ecology and has worked as a restoration ecologist/botanist for the Florida Fish and Game across the state of FL since 2004. He has traveled much of Central and South America and Africa, and has learned from some of the best teachers including Frank Cook. Mycol has been teaching ethnobotany and edible mushrooms on the side since 2005. He also lives off-the-grid on an “ecocentric” permaculture homestead where he eats from the wild almost daily and propagates and cultivates his own organic foods. Mycol’s philosophy is to ween off the “system” and to eat your food as medicine. Mycol has been inspired by the Hostel since the mid 90’s and much of its philosophy is reflected in his way of life. Knowing the living world around you, connects you to the living world. Mycol hosts (Willing Workers On Oraganic Farms, (WWOOFers) at his finca. Contact him if you are interested in visiting.
Marc Williams is an ethnobotanist. He has studied plants intensively while learning to use them for food, medicine, biological conservation, and beauty. His training includes a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies concentrating in Sustainable Agriculture from Warren Wilson College and a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies concentrating in Sustainable Development with a minor in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University. Marc’s major research in graduate school focused on the most useful plants of Appalachia. However it is clear that a holistic appreciation of nature irrespective of utility will be necessary to create the new paradigm that are current global situation calls for. He has since spent significant time learning the plants of the Western U.S. and tropical regions as well. Marc has spent over a decade working at a multitude of restaurants, various farms, and travels throughout 23 countries in North/Central America and Europe and 49 of the United States of America. In those travels he has visited over 70 of the best botanical gardens in the world. He has taught hundreds of people about the marvelous lives of plants and their respective uses. Marc first came to the Hostel in the Forest in March of 1998 and was immediately transformed through a first time sweat lodge experience with Tom Dennard the hostel founder. Like Mycol many of the principles that make the Hostel in the Forest such a special place have informed his expression of life in this world ever since. Further info can be found at www.botanyeveryday.com where an online botany class in the tradition of Frank Cook is conducted by donation.
Teachings will start Friday evening and end Sunday afternoon.
Workshops will include:
Botany 101 presentation, Wild Foods/Medicines walk, Super Food preparation presentation
Botanical Beach Walk
Fermentation Overview: with Honey Mead Making and sharing
Botanical slide shows: of various parts of the world including Latin America, Africa and Europe.
This is a very popular class and fills quickly. Total cost for the retreat, including Friday and Saturday accommodations, Brunch and dinner, and all classes is $200 per participant.
Preview of Class Offerings: Autumn 2017
September tbd: Women’s Forest Retreat w/ Sage Larder
September 23rd-25th: Mindfulness Retreat w/ Savannah Deluca
October 13-15: Conscious Cooking w/ Chef Kelly Ritter
Autumn 2017: Food is Medicine (Culinary Herbalism) w/ Jovan Sage of Gilliard Farms
