Presence - 5Rhythms Sunday Waves with Elisa

DESCRIPTION

Presence ~ 5Rhythms Sunday Waves 

1st and 3rd Sunday of Every Month

Tuition: $20 - $35+  

5-Class Packages are available at a 10% discount, buy single advance-tickets, or drop-in and pay at the door

Time: 10am-12noon (you are welcome to arrive at 9:45 to settle-in and warm-up)

Location: Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Rd., 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON, M6H 2X4

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Class Description:

'Presence' is a two-hour 5Rhythms class with certified and accredited 5Rhythms teacher, Elisa Hollenberg on the first and third Sunday of each month.

pause with breath
resurface
land in the body
dance with what is
meet yourself
land in the moment
move once more
feel
reconnect with self

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Dates:

2025: Dec. 7, Dec. 21

2026: Jan. 4, Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Feb. 15, Mar. 1, Mar. 15, Apr. 5, Apr. 19, May 3, May 17, June 7, June 21, July 5, July 19, Aug. 2, Aug. 16, Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Oct. 4, Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 15, Dec. 6, Dec. 20

Important Ticket & Registration Info for Presence 5Rhythms Classes: 

To buy tickets for "Presence" 5Rhythms Classes, click this link, or the "get tickets" button:

https://events.humanitix.com/presence-5rhythms-sunday-waves-with-elisa

To sign up for single classes, click a date, select your rate choice, and a ticket will be added to your cart. Add as many classes/dates that you would like, then check out.

To sign up for a 5-class package for a 10% discount of the Sustainability, Supporting or Supported tiers, scroll down to the "Packages".  

When you register at the Supporting or Generosity rate, a portion of your registration fee is applied toward another dancer's reduced-rate spot. 

If a lower price will make the classes accessible for you, please register at the Supported or Access rate.

If you know you want to dance regularly, and these prices are a barrier for you, please email elisa.hollenberg@gmail.com for a possible work exchange or partial scholarship.

5 Class Package Rates available for purchase until Jan. 4, for a 10% discount

$112.50 Sustainability

$120.00 Supporting

$90.00 Supported

Single Class Rates:

$25 Sustainability

$30 Supporting

$20 Supported 

$12 Access (3 tickets available/class)

$35+ Generosity

Drop-in: Pre-registration is not required. Drop-in dancers are welcome to pay cash at the door, provided we have not yet reached capacity. Please bring exact change. Drop-in tuition is $20-$35 at the door. There will not be Access tier tickets available at the door.

Service Fees

Humantix dedicates 100% of profits to charity.

(If you would prefer to pay by e-transfer and save the booking fees, please see instructions below)

Credit Card:  To pay by credit card, please register on Humantix.

Etransfer:  You are welcome to pay by e-transfer  Please register on Humantix and use the promo code:  etransfer.  This will give you a 100% discount at checkout.  To complete your registration, send an e-transfer in the amount of the tuition tier you selected, to elisa.hollenberg@gmail.com.  Your registration will be complete upon receipt of your e-transfer.  No payment reminder emails will be sent, and your ticket will be voided if we haven't received your e-transfer within 24 hours of your booking.

Health & Wellness Agreements

We expect any dancers experiencing cold/flu symptoms to stay home to care for themselves and the rest of the group (please see cancellation policy).

If you choose to attend this indoor class, you acknowledge that although we are taking precautions, there is still a risk of contracting an illness as a result of attending, and you are assuming full responsibility for your choice to attend, and any illnesses or injuries that result.

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If you have not attended a 5Rhythms class before, here is a list of FAQs and community agreements, for this class.

Q. How do I get to this class by public transit?
A. Take the Bloor subway line (the green line) to Ossington Subway station.  The studio is a 5-minute walk from the subway from the Delaware exit and about a 7-minute walk from the Ossington exit.

Q. Is there parking near the studio?
A. There is usually free street parking on Dovercourt Road or on nearby side streets. 

Q. What is the format of this class?

A. In this class, there will be a warm-up period where dancers will arrive and move to music (stretching and moving to the music as you like) for about 20 minutes. This will be followed by an opening circle and an introduction to our focus for the class. There will then be a period of dancing that lasts for about an hour (called a Wave, with the 5Rhythms - flowing ~ staccato ~ chaos ~ lyrical ~ stillness - in sequence) with some verbal facilitation during this time. The class will gather at the end as a group, to close.

Q. Do I need to sign-up for the whole 5-class series?

A. You do not need to sign up for the whole 5-class series to benefit from this class.  You can buy single tickets, drop-in, or buy a whole 5-class package at a 10% discount. In 5Rhythms, the learning is experiential and builds up from class to class or series to series, with suggestions which bring out different aspects of embodiment. The classes will stand on their own, but taken together, will have a theme running through them, with lots of learning.  

Q. What is the duration of this class and when should I arrive?

A. The class is 2 hours long, including our closing circle. We start and end our movement journey together. If you really must leave before the end of class, please let the facilitator know before you go.  The class starts at 10am, but you are welcome to come 15 minutes early, at 9:45 to settle in and warm-up. We'll have warm-up music playing.

Q. What is the music like?

A. There will be a variety of songs from a wide range of genres that inspire movements in the 5Rhythms. The facilitator creates a unique playlist each time, choosing music that will suit our dance, so the music will be different from class-to-class. The music starts-off slow in flowing, then speeds up and inspires more vigorous movement in staccato, reaches a peak in chaos, then becomes lighter, soulful or playful in lyrical and becomes connecting and vast, in stillness. The music inspires movements of the 5Rhythms Wave in sequence, from flowing-->staccato-->chaos-->lyrical-->stillness.

Q. What should I wear and is there anything I need to bring to class?

A. It is suggested to wear comfortable clothing (like yoga pants, leggings, tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, long tunics or skirts/dresses) that you don't mind sweating in and that allows you a full range of motion. You may wish to dress in layers since you may become warmer as we dance, and cooler at the end of class. We dance bare-footed, or in grippy socks or light-soled dance shoes (indoor shoes only). Bring a bottle of water and a small mat to sit on (optional), if you like, for the beginning or end of class.

Q. Do I need to be a dancer, or have a certain level of experience or fitness?

A. All fitness levels and experience with movement or dance are welcome at class. In 5Rhythms, we move in unstructured ways, and there are no set movements that everyone needs to do in the same way. There are specific energies associated with each of the rhythms that we will learn, and we adapt the movements to our respective bodies. We move according to our abilities on each day. It is possible to dance at our own pace, whether that is slowly, doing a small dance or more vigorously, depending on your energy, abilities and how you are feeling.  We also have chairs that you can use to sit and dance, if you would like to get off of your feet and continue to participate in the class.

Q. What is the age-range for this class?

A. We welcome a wide range of ages to this class, starting at 16 years old, up to 100.

Q. Is the venue wheelchair/walker accessible?

A. Unfortunately, this venue is not wheelchair accessible.  There are two flights of stairs, up to the 2nd floor studio. The studio has many places to sit on a couch or chair, however, for dancers who need to dance seated during the class.

Q. Will I be dancing on my own, or with others in this class?

A. In 5Rhythms dancing, we mostly dance on our own. However, there are usually some instructed activities and verbal invitations in which the facilitator may invite dancers to dance in groups or pairs. This does not involve any physical contact. Also, any invitation for dancing with others is optional, and you can decide to dance on your own at any time.

Here are some other community agreements for this class:

We come together to practice 5Rhythms and we move in our own ways

We allow the music and our own instincts to guide our movements.  We focus on our own experience, and dance in ways that are a reflection of our own unique energy and expression.

We start and end our movement practice together

If you need to leave early, please let the facilitator know, before you go.

We welcome all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, shapes & sizes, abilities & disabilities, languages, and movement experience.

We support a safe, welcoming space for all.

We practice in a sober and substance-free environment

Excluding substances or medications used for health reasons.

We are adults responsible for our own wellbeing. (16+).
Rest, modify, dance sitting in a chair or the floor, or stop when you need to.  Please dance to your abilities and be mindful of your body, injuries, and limitations.

We remember that this is an eyes-open practice

Dancing with eyes-open helps us be aware of others and keeps us all safe in the space.

We communicate using movement not words.

Please take any verbal conversations outside of the studio, unless it is to speak to a facilitator.

We are a scent-sensitive space.

Please keep synthetic perfumes and essential oils off the dance floor.

We put our phones on silent for the class.

 If we need to use our phones, we go outside of the studio.  We do not take photos/videos, or use Shazam. 

Clothing and Footwear

We dance barefoot, in grippy socks, or soft dance shoes and clothing that allows full movement. Please avoid clothing with beads or other items that could fall off, or footwear that could mark or damage the floor, or that is overly revealing.

Sounding

5Rhythms can invite sounding with the consonants:  p, t, ch, k, that can emerge in the Staccato rhythm to help us feel the defined movements. We try to ensure that only people in a 1-foot radius around us, can hear these sounds, respecting the auditory space of others.

We obtain consent

Please be sensitive to the boundaries and non-verbal cues of others for partnering without physical contact in 5Rhythms dances.  If someone turns their back or moves away, dances in one position with eyes closed or with a lowered gaze without acknowledging you, or indicates in other non-verbal ways that they do not wish to dance together, please accept this without question. 

Some ways to know if a person wants to partner to dance together in a 5Rhythms class include when a person acknowledges your presence in an affirming way such as smiling, providing eye contact, perhaps mirroring movements of yours, engaging in a movement dialogue, or moving around the room in ways that include you in the dance.

While physical contact is not usually part of 5Rhythms dancing, It is important to always ask for consent before inviting any physical contact.  Please honour the personal space of everyone in the room and if someone declines, accept this without question.

We take responsibility for communicating our own boundaries.

Please respect your own boundaries.  If you do not wish to dance with someone, you can move away and dance to another part of the room, turn your back, shake your head sideways or use a ‘stop’ hand to indicate ‘no’.  If these non-verbal cues are not working, you can say a simple “no thank you”. 

If you struggle continually with someone on the dance floor, please talk to the facilitator or send an email to elisa.hollenberg@gmail.com and we’ll do our best to help.

Adapted from South London Dance Community’s Guidelines written by organizer Sarah Jane Johnson, and the Community Agreements of Silvija Tomcik, of 5Rhythms Sacramento and The Move Collective.

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I look forward to dancing with you! If you have any questions, please let me know by reaching out to me, at: elisa.hollenberg@gmail.com