OUTDOOR CACAO/ROSE CEREMONY AND DANCING FREEDOM

Join us for a magical evening under the October Full Moon on a beautiful private property near Berrima in the Southern Highlands.

We gather to celebrate Spring’s return outdoors in the warmer weather with a heart-opening Cacao or Rose Tea Ceremony, followed by two powerful Dancing Freedom Waves — all held by experienced facilitators:

Libby Lee – Plant Medicine Ceremony Woman (Cacao/Rose)
Diana Belot – Dancing Freedom Facilitator
Sara-Jane Cleland – Dancing Freedom Facilitator

WHEN

Saturday 4th October | Long Weekend
5:00pm – 8:00pm (Arrival from 4:30pm)

COMMUNITY DINNER

After the ceremony, we’ll gather around the fire for a shared community dinner and heartfelt connection. Please BYO a plate of food to share if staying for community dinner.

STAY & RELAX

Optional Glamping or BYO Camping available onsite and optional sauna & hot tub sessions.

Check in 3pm for Camping or Glamping
Pre-event (Friday night) and post-event (Sunday night) camping available
Glamping tents minimum 2 nights with luxury bedding and free use of sauna & spa priced per tent
Access to camp kitchen, Swimming in a clear water natural billabong and bushwalks around property
Arrival time 3pm for Optional sauna & hot tub session 3.30-4.30pm Saturday

TICKETS

$55 + booking fee for Event

Choose either a Cacao OR Rose Tea ticket when booking.

$20 + booking fee Sauna & Spa sessions

$20 + booking fee per person camping

$400 + booking fee per glamping tent (2 nights)

Choose either Friday & Saturday night OR Saturday & Sunday night.

Online bookings for event tickets close Friday 3rd October at 9pm.

EVERY BODY WELCOME

All genders welcome
No dance experience needed
Move freely – there’s no wrong way
Alcohol & drug-free event

WHAT TO BRING

Cushion/meditation stool/folding chair
Torch, water bottle, warm layers
Blanket or yoga mat for the ground
A plate of food to share for dinner
Any (non-alcoholic) drinks you’d like
Swimwear (if using the Billabong, sauna or hot tub)

REFUNDS & WEATHER

No refunds on event tickets (name transfers allowed)
Camping & sauna/hot tub bookings are refundable if weather forces cancellation
No refunds on all weather Glamping tents
Wet weather event venue: Mittagong

ABOUT CACAO CEREMONY

Ceremonial Cacao is a heart opening medicine. When prepared and consumed in specific quantities, with intention and setting, can assist in opening the heart chakra, deepening one's meditation experience, inner work practices, and connection toward others.

CONTRA-INDICATIONS FOR CACAO

Cacao in ceremonial doses is not recommended if you have a pace maker, have high blood pressure, or other heart conditions, as the cacao will increase your heart rate. It can be dangerous to your health if you are taking heart medication or high doses of antidepressant medication. People with bi-polar disorder are advised of the risk of over stimulation and manic symptoms.

If this applies to you, please know you are still most welcome to join us for the experience with a very light/homeopathic dose or none at all. You will still receive many benefits from participating in the ceremony and basking in the collective energy that we will generate.

We strongly advise you to refrain from eating any big meal in the 2-3 hours preceding the ceremony to increase the efficacy of the cacao and to enhance your experience. This will also reduce the potential for any negative interactions with anything in your stomach. If you must eat, please eat lightly and simply (no greasy or dense foods.)

WHAT IS DANCING FREEDOM?

Dancing Freedom is a free-form movement practice — a moving meditation that invites you to align your life with love, presence, and embodied awareness.

Rooted in the wisdom of the elements and the alchemy of ceremony, this practice blends the medicine of dance with the power of co-creation, guiding you through an Elemental Wave of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. Each element becomes a portal — deepening your connection to body, breath, nature, and the sacred pulse of life itself.

You’ll be gently guided to explore your own authentic movement, a creative and intuitive expression of your unique being. There is only one rule in Dancing Freedom:
You can’t do it wrong.

As we move, we release tension, unravel stored energy, express emotion, sound, and sensation. We remember how to play. We remember how to feel. We remember how to be.

Whether you're moving gently or wildly, in stillness or in sweat, Dancing Freedom offers space to reconnect — to yourself, to others, and to the joy of being fully alive.

✨ Come home to your body. Come home to the dance.

“When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing?
When did you stop being enchanted by stories?
When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?”
— Gabrielle Roth, Founder of 5Rhythms Dance💃

ABOUT SARA-JANE CLELAND

Sara-Jane Cleland is a Dancing Freedom Facilitator, Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist, and Massage Therapist specialising in Craniosacral and Somatic Healing. She has called Gundungurra Country in the Southern Highlands, NSW, home since 2008.

Her journey as a holistic practitioner began over 30 years ago as a yoga teacher and has since evolved organically into a rich tapestry of bodywork, natural medicine, and conscious dance.

In 2016, a retreat with Gina Chick introduced her to 5Rhythms, igniting a deep passion for conscious dance. Throughout 2018, she brought renowned teachers to the Highlands, and in late 2018, travelled to the Byron Bay hinterland to train intensively in Dancing Freedom. Since 2019, she has facilitated monthly Full Moon Dancing Freedom Events, and in 2020 created the Women’s Embodied Dance Journey — a 5-week course run each school term.

Sara-Jane offers Dancing Freedom annually at the Wise Women’s Gathering and is often invited as a guest teacher at conscious dance classes in Sydney. She regularly collaborates with Libby Lee, Rebecca Riddington, and Diana Belot to co-create Heart Medicine — Cacao Ceremony, Dancing Freedom, and Somatic Breathwork offered in Manly, Sydney.

She also supports prominent Sydney-based dance facilitators Caitlin Wood and Michelle Mahrer on retreats, holding space, guiding yoga, and creating sacred altars.

The passion that inspires her work is connection. Connection to the healing power of nature through food as medicine and herbal medicine. Connection to the body's innate wisdom through Bodywork and Conscious Dance. Connection to community gathering in circle for ceremony, full moon events and retreats. And most importantly, connection to Self - to your whole, loving being, so worthy of self-love and creative expression.

ABOUT DIANA BELOT

Diana Belot is an Embodied Dance Facilitator & Intuitive Massage Therapist. She was introduced to 5 rhythms, Butoh and Voice Expression in 1998. This began her passion for healing through movement and dance. She trained in Nia 2009, teaching regular classes for 12 years, currently having a break. In 2014 Diana studied a 3 year teacher training course in Biodanza, an amazing movement therapy integrating biocentric living and connection. In 2022 she completed the Dancing Freedom Facilitator Training.

Diana has developed her own Embodied movement practice Dance Alchemy, combining different conscious dance and healing techniques from her many trainings of the years. Dance Alchemy is a fusion of free dance and embodied practices allowing you to dive deeper, releasing what no longer serves, finding new and positive ways to move through life. Diana is passionate about healing through movement, embodiment, play, acknowledgment, release and deep connection to self and others.

She offers Monthly Dancing Freedom events in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and regularly dances with 5 Rhythms and Dancing Freedom. Diana supports many 5 Rhythms teachers from Sydney and overseas crewing and creating installations. Diana has also facilitated conscious dance at the Outback Spiritual festival and Bulga Beats.

ABOUT LIBBY LEE

Libby is a heart centered ceremony woman offering meaningful and transformative healing experiences in Sacred Cacao medicine ceremonies and Sound Journeys, based in the Southern Highlands. She was first introduced to Cacao as a sacred plant medicine during a Mayan fire ceremony whilst in Mexico. This profound and deeply moving experience led Libby to bring the spirit medicine into her own personal practice when she returned home, and from there she felt called to share this sacred gift with her community.

Also having a deep belief in the healing powers of music, sound and frequency, Libby holds a certificate in Sound Healing. She has a great passion for this work, holding Sound Journeys in and outside the Southern Highlands area. Her vision is to bring community together, within a safe and sacred space for people to connect, heal and grow. 'As above, so below', Libby believes that through this process of inner healing, we can help the world.

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