HABITAT
If we stop for a moment to look, feel and listen, it doesn’t take long to notice that everything is in motion.
From the largest animal to the smallest cell, from the rhythmic beat of a heart to the winds and the tides.
Habitat is a two-week immersive experience that was born from a fascination for the diversity of beings, bodies and forms that inhabit and move on this planet full of wonders.
It is an invitation to explore and learn movement from a megadiverse environment, the North Pacific coast of Colombia.
Mecana, Bahía Solano, Colombia
(15 minutes by boat from Mutis City)
Embraced by the tropical humid rainforest, mangroves, rivers, waterfalls, beaches and the deep sea of the Chocó region, there lives a small and diverse community of people who are the soul and magic of the area.
To the rhythm of nature, the people of Mecana move in dialogue with the tides, the rains, the moons, the singing of the birds and the slither of the snakes. Here, they still know and share the stories and songs of their ancestors, the lullabies, the alabaos, the ruca, the power of plants, the flavor and the essence of good living.
This project is an immersion in nature using a variety of lenses and practices, weaving together scientific study of the ecosystem with creativemovement practices and local knowledge.
HABITAT is a journey of discovery and enjoyment from a broad and interdisciplinary perspective that cultivates a deep awareness and connection with ourselves and the environment.
WEEK1:PERCEIVE
Thefirstweekwillallowusto inhabitandrecognizeastate ofporosityandpermeability. Tuningoursensesand attentiontotheaquaticand terrestrialparadiseofBahía Solano.
Physicalactivity:lightto moderate
Wereccomendbeingableto: Floatandswimshortdistancesin riversandseas.
Walkshortandmedium distancesbetweenvarious naturalsettingssuchasmud, sandandrocks.
Exploreintrospectiveandgentle movementpractices.
WEEK2:EXPLORE
Thesecondweekwillallowusto exploreinmoredepththe anatomyandmovementofour bodiesandotheranimals, seekingtoconnectinan immersiveandintuitivewaywith theenvironment.
Physical Activity: moderate to intense
We reccomend being able to: Float and swim short distances with the curiosity to immerse yourself in rivers and seas. Walk medium to long distances between mud, sand and rocks. Explore introspective and intense movement practices.
WEEK 1: PERCEIVE
Excursions:
2x whale watching
Shorter trail in jungle (route 1)
Snorkeling
Waterfall Nabugá
Sociocultural inmersions:
Conscious and responsible tourism
Local gastronomy
Envilada (ancestral night meeting, storytelling and sharing)
Ruca party
Visit local craftsman’s shop
WEEK 2: EXPLORE
Excursions: 2x whale watching
Longtrailinjungle(route2)
Snorkelingandapnea
NationalParkUtría
Waterfalls at Chocolatal and/or Salto del Aeropuerto
Inmersión socioculturales:
Conscious and responsible tourism
Local gastronomy
Ruca party
Exotic dance class
Kayak or canoe
Visit crop farm
Theoretical-practical workshops:
Reflective and exploratory sessions where scientific knowledge and physical practices intersect in favor of a sensitive opening of our bodies in immersion with nature. The activities complement each other and are directly related to the experiences lived during each week.
WEEK 1: PERCEIVE
WEEK 2: EXPLORE
Meditation, breath work and introspection
Listening, observation and attention
Conscious movement
Creative experimentation: drawing, writing, dancing, playing, etc
Exploration of the senses and proprioception.
Forms of animal perception, including human perception.
The sound and song of whales.
The evolution of movement and animal anatomy.
Porosity and permeability while changing our surroundings.
Recognizing animal anatomy and movement, including humans. From this, we will explore the movement and intuitive dance of our body. Study the movement of water and land. Explore ways of moving in relation to their dynamics in these environments.
@riomarmecana
A family owned ecohotel, built and managed by locals, that is dedicated to caring for the environment. It seeks to highlight the ancestral traditions of the region. It consists of cabins and common spaces including a main hall to carry out our workshops and activities.
Laura Garcia Rojas (Colombia)
She is a veterinary doctor originally from Bahía Solano.
Laura is dedicated to caring for wild and domestic fauna and working with communities to achieve a more harmonious co-existence and sharing between humans and other living beings. Both at her clinic and from the tourism project she directs in Mecana(RioMar)
RíoMar Mecana
As the headquarters of this project and a member of the community, RioMar and Laura welcome us and guide us to discover and enjoy the local gastronomy, the rhythms of the Pacific and the culture of a region that Laura loves deeply.
Madre Agua Colombia
@madreaguaeco
We are a scientific tourism project that was born in 2017 from the work of young biologists who were passionate about the sea and wanted to study the biodiversity of the northern coast of the Colombian Pacific.
Since that year, we have studied humpback whales and other species of cetaceans, promoting science, education and sustainable development with the certainty that this world is a wonderful place worth working for.
Mar Palanca (Spain)
Biologist specialized in education (University of Valencia), evolutionary biology and animal communication (Universität Bonn), co-founder, guide and researcher of Madre Agua Colombia and lover of living forms and the sea. Her research has focused on the study of vocal diversity and the communication system of humpback whales from the Southeast Pacific population.
CoME Expansive Movement Collective
@mov expansivo
Is a multi-national group (Colombia, Mexico, Spain) of professionals in the fields of dance, choreography and movement studies. They are united by their curiosity to explore movement and the body in relation to nature. The diversity of their individual research/investigations creates a rich panorama of physical and artistic practices that enhance the relationship with the environment, creative expression and well-being.
Julia Barrios (Mexico)
Interdisciplinary artist, researcher, cultural manager and facilitator in the field of choreography, performance and somatic movement. She got her Bachelor in Dance with a specialization in creation plus an art theory and research program at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Her artistic work explores the sensitive and aesthetic relationship with the “non-human,” questioning some sociocultural conditioning that limit our experience in the world.
Tina Fores (Spain / USA)
Tina studied contemporary dance at the Professional Dance Conservatory in Valencia (Spain). She continued her dance studies at ArtEZ, (Netherlands) and at SEAD, the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (Austria). She was part of the BODHI Project company. Today she lives in the mountainous landscapes of Vermont (Abenaki and Mohican land) in the United States working in the performing arts as a freelancer.
Rafael Chitiva (Colombia)
Independent performing artist and researcher of the body in movement. He graduated as a teacher in performing arts from the ASAB-UD of Bogotá, Colombia, with specialized studies in dance, pedagogy and lighting design in Cuba and Spain. His work explores individual and collective listening through the construction of networks of artistic, social and cultural resonances.
Tina
Laura Julia
Rafa
Mar
