Stage danse et nature

Dance & Nature Retreat: the Anam Cara® Approach in the tradition of Anna Halprin

An exceptional weekend immersed in the elements on the magnificent Île d’Yeu in the Vendée. A weekend to discover the world of Anna Halprin and the Anam Cara® Approach in a true little corner of paradise!

This workshop is open to anyone wishing to delve deeply into their dance and creativity, in beautiful harmony with nature!

The Île d’Yeu boasts a mosaic of beaches with varied landscapes — dunes, fine sand, rocky coves and cliffs — all bathed by the turquoise waters of the Atlantic. With its rich heritage, unspoilt nature and the power of the elements, it offers us an ideal setting to awaken our imagination, nurture our creativity and deepen our relationship with movement.
Over the course of the weekend, we’ll journey together through the richness of our sensory experiences, as creative, moving human beings. We’ll explore the intersection of dance, nature and artistic expression, in harmony with the organic poetry of this island landscape.

We invite you to come and explore, to discover your own sensitive dance with the elements, on our beautiful Île d’Yeu!

We will dance both outdoors and inside the citadel fort, depending on the weather and the group’s needs.

Who is Marie Motais?
A dancer, choreographer, teacher and researcher in the art of movement, Marie Motais has spent over 40 years developing an approach to dance connected to nature and living things. A state-qualified contemporary dancer, her career has been shaped by pivotal encounters with artists such as Dominique Dupuy, Elsa Wolliaston, Hervé Diasnas, Joseph Nadj, Patricia Kuypers and Gabrielle Roth....
Her research focused very early on on dance ‘in and with’ nature – a more organic and experimental form, prioritising improvisation and site-specific performances and creations. With this in mind, she founded her company, alluna, in 2002; its originality also lies in being a community-based company with dancers from a wide range of professional backgrounds, embodying this vision of dance as a profoundly human act—both artistic and social.

Her meeting with Anna Halprin in 2007 marked a major turning point. Invited to develop her research around ‘dance and nature’, she worked regularly alongside her until 2011. Today, building directly on this artistic legacy passed down by Anna Halprin, she continues and develops this artistic exploration at the intersection of dance, sensitive ecology and participatory creations, and has been passing it on through her own training programme, the Anam Cara® approach, since 2022.
Marie was also instrumental in establishing the Tamalpa LifeArt Process® training programme in France, which she taught until 2020.

To discover her world, please visit her website: www.allunadanse.com You can also watch the documentaries on Anna Halprin: “Le souffle de la danse”, “Returning Home” or “Anna and Rodin: A Journey into Sensuality”

Over the weekend, Marie will lead sessions of musical exploration both indoors and outdoors, alternating between inner immersion and connection with nature.


Practical information about the workshop:

Date: 26 & 27 September 2026
Times: Saturday: 10.30 am–6 pm / Sunday: 10 am–4.30 pm
Reduced rate (early bird before 15 August and solidarity rate): €160 / standard rate: €190 + €10 membership fee for the La Clairière association


Contact or registration: Lola on 0622016353 or [email protected]
Venue: Meet at the Citadel Fort, 85350 Île d’Yeu, on Saturday from 10.00 (the course starts at 10.30)
Accommodation not included – please remember to book this in advance, along with your ferry crossings (Cie Vendéenne or Yeu Continent)

Workshop open on Saturday from 10.30 am to 1 pm: €30 (for those not attending the full course) / €25 (concessionary rate)

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