
OPEN FLOOR EMBODIMENT
LABS & WORKSHOPS
Not your ordinary dance class!
To tell you the truth, these aren’t classes at all, they’re labs.
Movement labs (and workshops) where you can:
Slow down and listen to how your body actually wants to move
Experiment with different types of movement
Breathe into and explore any emotions you encounter along the way
Connect and collaborate with other people in the room
Open Floor is a moving meditation practice and creative dance inquiry. These labs are a place to rest, integrate, inhale and exhale. To turn up the heat, dream big, and connect the dots between your head, heart, and body (aka: get your dance on)! To remember—you are way more connected than these times of isolation might lead you to believe.
It’s okay if you: are new to dancing, have danced 1,000 times before, feel awkward, intimidated, bold, excited, neutral, sorrowful, or pretty damn good. It’s okay if you are navigating injury, chronic illness or pain, or late-stage-capitalism-nervous-system-overload. These offerings are for people of all abilities.
Unless directly stated, they are open to people with all levels of experience.
Dance photos and video THANKS to Taber Darland
“It’s like walking in the sand dunes and finding a village of fellow travelers. ‘Wow! What a long journey! So glad we all made it here.’” —Ave, lab participant (2024)
“There’s just nothing else like it,” —Jessie, lab participant (2024)
”To walk into a room of strangers and feel at home is a rare experience, yet it is cultivated from the start in these groups. A space to move the way you’re called with room/literal space to do so is a gift and an experience I’d recommend to all the people I know (and also those I don’t)!” —Brook, lab participant (2024)
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“An amazing way to deepen your understanding of self and connect with others.” —Lab Participant (2024)
“It’s rare for me to feel free to be open. Thanks for providing a safe space for that.” —Lab Participant (2024)
“It is fun, intriguing, supportive and opens you up to new possibilities and connections.” —Stan, lab participant (2024)
“There’s great music and a supported container for whatever comes up. It’s a really nice way to get into this part of Bellingham’s dance scene.” —Kara, lab participant (2024)
“It’s an open, welcoming, safe space for learning/exploring self through movement. Exploring emotions as they arise or ones that are locked in the body. Honoring anything that comes.” —Angela, lab participant (2024)
“Be brave, try it, and let yourself be surprised!” —Lab participant (2024)
“It is a gift from the gods to be human, fully human in this space. I learned how to love myself and be brave here. I am refining my gifts each lab.” —Ave, lab participant (2024)
“The reward for being willing to look inside yourself and bare it to the world is great.” —Lab participant (2024)
"If you want to move your bones and inhabit your body and soul like never before, show up open and shameless. Delightful things might happen.” —Sara, lab participant (2024)
“Movement and exercise help to open a direct path to honest self reflection with an outlet to release it.” —Lab participant (2024)
“You get what you give. Still now I wish I had done this or that, had another dance with another person..don’t be afraid to be yourself and you may be surprised at who you find.” —Curtis, lab participant (2024)
“The (movement lab) container was thoughtfully structured, allowing me to settle into the experience. I connected with deep parts of myself and felt companionship in the connection. The labs helped me process personal blocks I carry that make embodied movement challenging. The theme encouraged me to lean into grief from trauma that I am working on healing.” —Lab participant (2023)
“It has been a delight to participate in Kelsey's labs. A smile comes to my face as I think back on all of the moments where I lost myself to the process of movement in a gentle surrender. It's clearly evident how much heart and soul Kelsey puts into cultivating a nourishing container for the depth of work explored in the labs. Kelsey's ability to provide subtle direction, to weave together powerful music, architect bonding activities, and tell engaging tales is impressive!” —JC Coughlin, lab participant (2023)
“Kelsey has a presence as a facilitator that finds the edge of comfort, pushes you a little over it (respectfully and with care and permission to hold back), with the safest, softest reminder to be true to and aligned with self. Even in the stretching beyond, she navigates the complexity of the human experience with a kind, educated heart.” —Liza Mindemann, lab participant (2023)








UPCOMING EMBODIMENT OFFERINGS
An Open Floor Movement Lab exploring the ritual art of saying hello & goodbye
with Kelsey Maloney
Thursdays October 2, 9, & 16
6:15-9pm
at Presence Studio
MONDAY NIGHT DANCE
w/ the Bellingham Embodiment Collective
6:30-8pm at The Majestic Ballroom (1027 N Forest St.)
$15-$25 at the door
Sept. 15: Special Guest Teacher Taber Darland
Sept. 22: Azul w/ Denise Skinner
Sept. 29: Open Floor w/ Kelsey Maloney
A 5-week Story Catching & Crafting Workshop with Kelsey Maloney
Thursdays 6-8:30pm
Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13,
Nov 20, & Dec. 4, 2025
SAVE THE DATE
FOR WINTER WELLSPRING 2026!
Join Monika Denise & Kelsey Maloney for a 4-day Open Floor workshop
including movement, art, ritual, song, and story.
On the magical grounds of Aldermarsh, Whidbey Island, we will lean in, resource and receive the nourishment times of darkness can bring.
January 22-25, 2026
REGISTRATION OPENING IN EARLY FALL.