The Art of
Practicing Dance
Become your own teacher & learn to practice dancing as a pathway to deeper self awareness.
A 3 Month Mentorship Program
Many people who love to dance struggle to practice it without guidance from a teacher.
Some get overwhelmed by the endless possibilities and jump from approach to another without gaining depth in any.
Others get stuck in one particular way of moving, leading to a loss of inspiration.
Are you longing for your own practice?
Regular movement explorations that nourish, inspire and support you?
Then this Program might be for you.
Through close 1:1 Mentoring
I will help you to:
Balance structure & freedom in self practice
Let Curiosity be your Guide
Find Joy in the simplest Movements
Provide feedback for yourself
Deal with the Ups & Downs of Self Practice
What keeps people from finding a practice that works for them?
❋ Lack of structure/freedom
By refining our capacity to listen to and interact with our sensations, we develop a heightened sensitivity to the needs and abilities of our bodies in the moment.
This attunement becomes the foundation for navigating challenging, dynamic movement scenarios skillfully and safely. It is also essential for our emotional intelligence and self-reflective capacity.
❋ Disconnection from Sensations
Most of us have learned to constantly imagine how our dance looks from the outside perspective.
Dancing well then means- moving in a way that is pleasing to the eye, or that communicates “my message” observer.
Even if we are not consciously performing, we tend to imagine and judge ourselves from an outsiders perspective.
Getting back in tune with the direct experience of moving can be a radical switch- and it requires real work.
But it forms the absolute foundation for any kind of intrinsically motivated movement work. How can you know what feels good and what not? What wants to be explored and what not? How can you trust your curiosity and intuition if it is hijacked by all the arbitrary aesthetics you interalized?
❋ Limiting Ideas & Judgements
Many common Ideas about dance and physical training are in real need for updating.
Obsessions with “the correct way” make people afraid to explore on their own.
Self improvement podcasters monitor their bodily processes obsessively through expensive tools and gadgets in order to “optimze” all aspects of their life- neglecting how neurotic, inflexible and worried people become in response to the slightest disturbances.
We look at the clock (or other tools) to know if we are hungry or tired instead of listening to the signals of our body.
What’s included in the Mentorship?
4 Private Mentoring Calls (1h each)
8 Guided Video Classes
4 Theory Videos
8 Instructional PDFs
Feedback on your Videos
Email Support
Where?
You find Ponderosa in Lunow-Stolzenhagen, close to Berlin. With public transport, take a train from Berlin to Angermünde. From there we organize on-demand buses to Ponderosa.
Pricing
Retreat Fee
Sliding scale from 360–620 €
(depending on registration date)
Accomodation
135–230 € for the full week
(depending on room type)
Food
Optional organic catering: 265 € for the full week
(Vegan and vegetarian options available)
You can also cook for yourself and use the kitchen on site.
Who is it for?
This retreat is open to anyone with a regular dance practice and at least basic knowledge of both solo dancing and Contact Improvisation. You do not need to be a professional dancer, but if you are a complete beginner, this is not a good entry point. In any case, we will be a group with varying experience levels. I will offer several variations to each exercise in order to meet everybody where they are.
About Šuka
Šuka Horn was born and raised in Germany, where he began his early training in martial arts and music. His passions found a meeting point when he discovered breakdancing at the age of 12. This love for dance eventually led him to earn a degree in Dance from Codarts University in Rotterdam. After performing in projects across Thailand, Spain, and the Netherlands, Šuka relocated to Athens in 2020 to join Dimitris Papaioannou’s production, Transverse Orientation. This collaboration led to another creation: INK, a duet performed with Papaioannou himself.
During this time, Šuka also developed a deeper interest in meditation, which led him to begin an ongoing mentoring process as a private student of Mushtaq Ali al Ansari, supporting his journey toward awake living. He also deepened his studies of the human body and movement training with Frey Faust. After touring the world for five years with Papaioannou’s productions and conducting his own workshops, Šuka decided to move to Leipzig to focus solely on developing his research and teaching. His workshops and retreats have been held in universities, dance companies, festivals, and studios in more than 20 countries.
Location and how to get there
"Ponderosa is an art-centered place in the German countryside, in the village of Stolzenhagen, around an hour on the train from Berlin, close to the border with Poland. For 20 years it has been a site where people gather and exchange in and with the stunning natural beauty of Brandenburg. Through a history of deep involvement with dance, contact improvisation, yoga, and international and regional artistic exchange, Ponderosa is a place where the theory and practices of dance, performance, somatics and contemporary art making merge.“ https://www.ponderosa-dance.de/
With public transport:
1. Get to Berlin
2. Take a train from Berlin to Angermünde
3. We organize an on-demand bus from Angermünde to Lunow-Stolzenhagen.
You find more detailed information about how to get there via this link.
Meal and Food Options
Dinner on the arrival day is included for all participants.
There is the option to book full organic catering for the entire week at an additional cost of 265€. The meals can be vegetarian, vegan, or include some meat from a local butcher.
If you prefer to cook for yourself, you are welcome to use the communal kitchen. Please note that the nearest grocery store is 10 kilometers away, but there's the option to rent a bike.
Accomodation
You will stay in a shared dorm at Speicher Guesthouse, a peaceful house located within walking distance of the studio.
The ground floor provides a spacious common area with an open kitchen, tables and a lounge, where we are going to have our meals together. The house opens into a garden that can be used for relaxing, socializing, or enjoying some quiet time outdoors. Click here to learn more about the accomodation: https://www.ponderosa-dance.de/location/accommodation/
Bed linens are provided. Please bring your own towels.
A limited number of beds in double rooms are available in a seminar house close to the Speicher Guesthouse and Studio.
You can also choose to sleep in wooden Garden Cabins or in your own tent.
Pricing & Registrations
The retreat fee is offered on a sliding scale to make participation accessible for people with limited financial resources. This is based on the idea that participants in a stronger financial position may choose to contribute more than the minimum amount.
You are free to choose any amount within the following ranges:
Retreat Fee
Includes dinner on the arrival day, but does not include accommodation or full catering.
Early Bird — 360–520 €
(until July 5)
Medium Bird — 420–580 €
(until August 10)
Late Bird — 470–620 €
(after August 10)
Accommodation Options
You can choose between the following accommodation options.
Dorm: 135 € for the whole week
Double Room: 195 € per person for the whole week
Camping in your own Tent: 108€ per person for the whole week
There is a limited number of beds available in double rooms.
Optional Catering
Full organic catering for the entire week is available for an additional 265 €.
Vegan and vegetarian options are available. You can indicate your dietary preference in the registration form below.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel your registration before June 20, 2026, you will receive a refund minus a 50€ cancellation fee. After this date, cancellations are non-refundable except in cases of genuine emergencies. However, you are welcome to transfer your spot to someone else at any time.
