In our last Sinai Dancing Dream, the journey was about turning inward — listening deeply and letting movement arise from within. This time, we bring that listening further — to notice the traces that connect us with each other, with the desert, and with the field we create together.
This laboratory is an exploration of traces — the ones alive in us, the ones we leave in each other, and the ones held in the timeless Sinai landscape. Traces as the bridges of connection: impressions carried in movement, gestures, sounds, and in silence.
🪷Through quiet, listening, and simple awareness, we’ll let the invisible, those subtle impressions, take shape — as movement, as voice, as small offerings of expression to share. Together, we’ll listen, create, and discover how each trace — whether fleeting or lasting — becomes part of the living story we make in this land.
Over five days, we’ll explore practices such as Voice Opening, Moving & Witnessing, and Instant Composition. These pathways guide us from deep individual attention into shared creation — where movement, voice, and imagination weave together with presence, play, and care.
✨ Our journey will open into a space of sharing — where, as individuals or in small groups, we bring voice or movement into the circle, witnessed gently by others. Each offering arises simply and authentically, under the wide desert sky. The desert will be our stage, with the vast landscape itself becoming our living scenography.
Between mountains, starry skies, and golden dunes, we’ll enter each moment as a creative playground — where the landscape inspires, the wind and soft sand awaken our senses, and the presence of others becomes a playful exchange.
For who:
For artists of any form — dance, theatre, visual arts, music, writing — and for anyone curious about creative expression. If you wish to listen to body and voice, to silence and sound, to discover the traces you carry and the ones you create together, you are welcome. In the Golden Desert of South Sinai, we gather to explore, to witness, and to co-create from what is most alive in the moment.
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Facilitators:
Nadine Emile
I am a performer, theatre-maker, choreographer, and facilitator, as well as a radio host and producer on 95.4 FM in Cairo.
Over the years, I have led workshops in contemporary dance, acting, voice and movement, psychodrama, and playback theatre — an interactive and embodied form of improvisation. As a performer, I have appeared in various theatre and contemporary dance productions, and I also sing with the Cairo Celebration Choir, exploring a repertoire that ranges from classical works to traditional Arabic and contemporary songs.
In my creative practice, I am drawn to the poetry of gesture and stillness, weaving movement, voice, and text into a living whole. Improvisation and instant composition are at the heart of my work: using the body as an instrument, practicing deep listening, and creating collectively in the moment. These practices have taught me much about myself, others, and the world.
For many years, I have joined Sinai Dancing Dream retreats, always moved by the energy of the land, the depth of presence it invites, and the sense of community it nurtures — a creative family I deeply cherish. Now, for the first time, I am stepping into the role of facilitator within this dream, excited to co-create on this vast desert canvas that offers endless possibilities, inspiration, and unforgettable experiences.
My formal training includes SEEDS — a program for Contemporary Dance Transmission (2012), the Cairo Contemporary Dance Workshop Program (2008–2011), a Diploma in Psychodrama and the Therapeutic Spiral Model (2014–2017), and more than a decade of ongoing training in Playback Theatre. I also hold a BA in Mass Communication with a minor in Film and Theatre from the American University in Cairo.
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Lana Sen
I’m a Contact and Dance Improvisation facilitator originally from Ukraine and later the Czech Republic, where I spent years immersed in theatre and dance. My work is shaped by ongoing explorations in Somatic Movement, Contact Improvisation, Authentic Movement, and Body-Mind Centering. Now based in Dahab, Egypt, I teach, host jams, and co-organize retreats in the Sinai desert.
For me, improvisation is a practice of presence, honesty, and deep listening to the body, to others, to the space around, and to the land.
I guide experiences rooted in simplicity and connection, where movement becomes a way of sensing, relating, and giving form to the unspoken.
Once, I was deeply moved by the raw beauty of Sinai, and that feeling has stayed with me ever since. This land has a way of stripping away the noise — leaving only the real, the honest, the alive.
Here, nature’s presence invites surrender — through silence, through laughter, through the simple joy of being with others. There’s no space for pretending, no room for masks — just truth, play, curiosity, and presence. The body responds differently here. Movement feels more essential, more playful — like a dance with something ancient that also knows how to laugh.
Being in this landscape invites both humility and joy. It’s like standing open in front of something far greater than yourself — the quiet force of nature, the mystery that breathes through it all, and the reminder that wonder lives in every step, every tumble, every breath.
In my work, nature is a co-facilitator. Whether we’re moving indoors or under the sky, I invite people to listen to the space inside their bodies, to gravity, to silence, to each other, and to the playful intelligence of the body in connection with nature.
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🌿 What’s Included:
🦋 Workshops & Creative Play
Daily 3–5 hour sessions weaving Instant Composition, Voice Openings, and Somatic Movement / Dance Improvisation.
Creative materials (paper, crayons, brushes, acrylics) are provided for artistic exploration.
🌄 Trip to the Valley
Welcomed by a local Bedouin woman with her freshly baked bread on fire, tea, and fruits.
🏜️ Overnight Desert Journey.
We’ll travel into the dunes and canyons with their surreal stone formations. A night in a Bedouin tent — sharing tea, stories around the bonfire under the stars. The price includes all meals, mattresses, and sleeping bags to keep us warm and comfortable.
This trip is itself a heart-opening journey — a living laboratory. Imagine we bring awareness with silence, we open space for movement, voice, play, and creative self-expression within a caring community.
🪸 Dahab Orientation (for first-timers)
We’ll show you the best spots to dive or snorkel, eat, hang out, or sit in silence. We’re also here to help with accommodation and airport transfers if needed.
🚫 What’s Not Included:
Flights, accommodation, and daily meals are not part of the retreat package (except for the Overnight Desert Trip, which covers all meals, and the shared snacks and refreshments provided during our practices).
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📅 Dates, Place & Price
🗓 24–28 October
📍Desert valleys and dunes of South Sinai, and the Zen Garden, Dahab
💰 Price:
The event is offered on a sliding scale of €350–€430 to meet different financial situations. Please choose the amount that feels right for you — and know that paying on the higher end helps support others who may not otherwise be able to join.
🤲 If the price still feels out of reach, we also offer two scholarship spots with a 25% discount.
To apply, please fill out the Registration Form —
https://forms.gle/FwUHLakeh6UYFp9i9 answering related question, so we can better understand your situation.
We also ask for a 30% deposit.
We cannot guarantee your spot until we receive your deposit.
To reserve your place, please fill out the Registration Form —
https://forms.gle/fY3zwMueYG7sF4HD8
The registration deadline is October 15th. After this date, new registrations will depend on availability and are handled on a first-come basis.
The remaining balance can be paid in cash upon arrival or earlier if you prefer.
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📌 Cancellation Policy
We understand that plans sometimes change, and we do our best to handle this with fairness and care:
* If you cancel any time up to 3 days before the event, we’ll refund your deposit minus a €30 administration fee.
* If you cancel 3 days or less before the event, we won’t be able to refund the deposit.
* If, for any reason, we need to cancel the event, you’ll receive a full refund, including your deposit.
* In case of unexpected emergencies, we’re always open to a compassionate conversation to find the best solution together.
Feel free to send a private message if you have any questions:
WhatsApp: +380 66 353 63 81 — Lana
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Lana.Sensin
To reserve your spot, please fill out the form:
https://forms.gle/fY3zwMueYG7sF4HD8
✨With warmth and wonder,
Lana, Nadine,
and Sinai Dancing Dream Team
Also check out other Arts events in Sharm el-Sheikh, Dance events in Sharm el-Sheikh, Entertainment events in Sharm el-Sheikh.
