Stacie is a Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung woman, artist, curator & cultural consultant based in Melbourne. With a passion for promoting a greater understanding & appreciation of Indigenous art & culture, Stacie has become a prominent figure in the Australian arts community.

Piper's work as an artist & curator highlights the importance of promoting contemporary Indigenous art & culture within Australia. She emphasizes that Aboriginal people are a living & thriving culture, having been present in Australia for over 60,000 years & that it is important to recognize & celebrate this rich cultural heritage.

Jo Woods (they/them) is a catalytic force of nature - a senior Open Floor Movement Teacher with a decade of teaching & DJ experience, an Open Floor mentor, and an Art in Motion supervisor based on Wurrundjeri Country.

Jo weaves over 25 years of rich meditation practice into every conscious dance class and workshop they lead. With a wild spirit, a playful sense of humor, and exquisitely crafted soundscapes, Jo creates transformative spaces where bodies can move freely, hearts can open, and creativity can flow.

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They are the beating heart of Dance in the Hills (Olinda), the visionary behind 'Dance in the Wild' (Gembrook), and a regular guest facilitator at Conscious Dance events in Melbourne. Along the way, Jo has produced and taught bold Gender Bender, Creative Disruption, and Mindful Movement workshops across Australia & Aotearoa (NZ).

www.jowoods.com
 

Lucy's intention is to guide the experience of breath and movement as a dance of attention, with a focus on developing strength, fluidity, and nuanced somatic awareness. Lucy is most interested in weaving a journey of playfulness, curiosity, and intimacy, so we can grow better awareness of our inner landscapes, and from that centre, a connectedness in being.

Founder and co-director of Estuary Yoga Space in North Melbourne/Naarm, from 2017-2025. Lucy currently facilitates movement and zenthai shiatsu infused experiences, as well as offering 1:1 therapeutic bodywork sessions.

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Photo Credit:  https://www.nycreative.com.au/

Chris has been practicing yoga since 2018 using its tools for self-regulation and for living a more disciplined and intentional life. Since 2020, Chris has been teaching across many studios and has a background in tantric hatha, vinyasa, yin yoga, and meditation. Chris is also a certified sound healing practitioner offering group sound baths. 

Chris aims to make everyone feel welcomed and empowered with the tools of self-awareness and self-regulation. Presently, you can find Chris teaching regularly at Ananda Yoga Belgrave, Om Som, and Pure Hot Yoga Bayswater. In his spare time, Chris loves to hike, sip chai, play music, read, and spend time with his family." 

David took a winding path – juggling jobs as an editor, health professional, project manager, songwriter, community musician, performer & facilitator. In 2011, the call to teach came & he was part of the last training group to work with Gabrielle Roth. Since that time he has transformed the weekly class Meredith started into the ‘Tsunami Wave’ – a deep catalytic journey at times hosting over 150 dancers. His humour, storytelling & passion for the embodiment of the 5Rhythms, engages both newcomers and long-term dancers

Web: https://movingessence.com/

Charlotte Roberts and JustinHolland are facilitators, artists and teachers working at the intersection of rhythm, voice, movement, somatic practice and co-creative group process.

Charlotte is a certified Tamalpa Life/Art Practitioner®, TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process® facilitator, ISMETA-registered Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist and VIT-registered teacher. She is the creator of The Musical Body, which she shares through workshops, retreats and camps. A vocal artist and mama, Charlotte curates musical exchanges from her home and The Singing Shack in the Macedon Ranges, and loves playing surdo for TaKeTiNa events and recording music.

Justin completed three years of TaKeTiNa teacher training with its founder, Reinhard Flatischler. He is also a qualified yoga teacher and has practised yoga and Contact Improvisation for more than 20 years. Originally trained in dance and theatre, Justin has worked with companies including Snuff Puppets, Legs On The Wall, Back to Back Theatre, Bird On A Wire, La Soirée and Polyglot Theatre.

Together, Charlotte and Justin bring a rich blend of rhythm, voice, movement and embodied practice to their work, creating spaces for exploration, play and collective experience.

More about: www.taketina.com.au

'Dharma Dance’ is a seamless & exquisite fusion of Zen mindfulness practice & Open Floor dance… You can expect Wild Dharma wisdom, guided sitting & walking Zen meditation, that then unfolds into the aliveness of Open Floor dance.​

Aladdin Jones is a somatic psychotherapist, eco-therapist, facilitator, clinical supervisor & educator. He holds a masters in social ecology & education and currently teaches on the Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy professional training in Melb & NZ. He has a deep love of playing world music as well as a life-long interest in dance & being in wild nature. He has been practicing in Buddhist meditative traditions for 30 yrs & is an appointed Sensei - Zen apprentice teacher in the Diamond Sangha.

*No prior movement or meditation experience required - BYO cushion

CI offers incredibly rich ground for delving into the sensing, responding body, and questioning how sensing, moving bodies might listen and relate to each other and their environment.

Learning how to physically harness the energy generated by gravity's effect on the physical mass of our bodies, how to dance with and ride it rather than controlling it, is a life long investigation and a profoundly empowering line of enquiry. Having trained for three years in Madrid 2022-2025 with the marvellous Cristiane Bullousa and Diana Bonilla and completing a professional education program with Tejido Conectivo contemporary dance in 2024/5, Ned has facilitated CI workshops in Madrid, Edinburgh and at Confest 2026 and currently teaches in the Surf Coast and occasionally Melbourne.

Born in Nungua, Accra, Ghana, Odai has spent his life sharing the rich traditions of West African drumming and dance. Beginning his journey at just seven years old, he trained under respected Ghanaian elders before touring internationally with the acclaimed Kusun Ensemble.

With over 30 years of performance experience and more than 20 years as an educator across Ghana, the USA and Australia, Odai is renowned for his vibrant energy, masterful musicianship and inspiring teaching style.

Ali Hammoud has extensive training in yoga, meditation, and sound based practices. He completed a six month Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in India comprising over 1,750 hours of study and practice, and spent 12 years living and teaching within that tradition. His work integrates chanting, meditation, handpan, vocal resonance, and sound immersion practices to create grounded and accessible experiences that support relaxation, connection, and wellbeing.

Ecology & Mindfulness walk with ‘Dr Mel’ (PhD in Botany, Landscape Ecology & Ecosystem Function). Join Mel on this gentle walk exploring the wonders of the land around us, learn to see the beauty in the details!

Anna has been practising and guiding mindfulness and meditation for over 15 years. Originally incorporating these practices into her work as a psychologist, she soon saw the profound benefits they offered her clients and began sharing them through workshops, courses and regular classes.

With a deep personal practice and extensive training, Anna creates spaces that invite grounding, presence, peace and a deeper connection to self. She has trained with the Gawler Foundation, Dr Craig Hassed of Monash University, and through a year-long training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.

Anna is also a psychologist, yoga teacher and mother of two.

Nic Fox and Lewi Haskins bring two creative and complementary perspectives to the fight for Victoria’s forests. Nic is a forest campaigner and President of Warburton Environment, working across community organising, advocacy and public education to protect forests and wildlife. Lewi is the filmmaker behind Forest Country, using film and storytelling to bring the beauty, complexity and urgency of forest protection to wider audiences. Together, they explore how activism can take many forms — including art, film, storytelling and collective action.

How quietly can you move through the landscape? Can you notice what others miss?

Test your ninja movement, observation and awareness skills through a series of playful nature-based games. Learn to move lightly and silently, tune into your surroundings, notice subtle changes, and use your senses to become more aware of what’s happening around you. Expect plenty of sneaking, hiding, listening, watching and moving — with a healthy dose of fun and mischief!

Ages 8+
Younger kids are welcome too, but will need a parent or carer to join in and help them get involved.

Libby is mother to two daughters and lives in the Yarra Ranges works as an OT coach supporting people to be, become and belong. She is a qualified Havening practitioner and teaches yoga.

Libby's night games include:

- warm up games  

- theatre games

- Lantern stalk

- story time (co-created stories and bed time stories)

Elanor delivers a uniquely creative and playful teaching style that seamlessly integrates music and dance, enriching the learning experience for her young students. Elanor has been teaching children’s yoga for over 10 years and is a Children’s Yoga Specialist with over 95 hrs children’s yoga certification, Kids Meridian-based Yoga Therapy certification, 200hrs Adults Yoga certification, and first-aid certificate. 

You can find her current kids yoga offerings at www.melbournekidsyoga.com.au

Where wildlife conservation comes to life through fun, interactive and unforgettable education.

For over 20 years, our family-run business has been bringing Australia’s incredible native wildlife directly to schools, kindergartens, communities, workplaces, festivals, field days and events across Victoria and beyond.

Our engaging presentations give people of all ages the opportunity to meet, touch, hold and learn about a diverse range of Australian animals in a safe and carefully supervised environment. Every experience is tailored to the audience, combining entertainment with meaningful lessons about wildlife conservation, biodiversity and living safely alongside native animals.

Trung brings the art of making to Dance in the Wild, inviting participants to slow down, get hands-on and create something with their own two hands.

On Saturday morning, explore the craft of leatherwork, learning traditional techniques and working with leather to create something unique. On Sunday morning, shift from leather to wood, working with board-sized pieces and discovering the tactile pleasure of shaping and creating with timber.

Squish, roll, pinch, create! Kids Clay Play brings hands-on creativity straight to your children's DITW festival experience, giving little hands the chance to dig in and make something all of their own.

From wobbly first pinch-pots to imaginative clay critters, every child leaves with a smile, sticky fingers, and a one-of-a-kind sun dried creation to be proud of.

No experience needed - just curiosity and a willingness to get a little messy. Come squish with us!

Swap screens for sticks, tools and a whole lot of imagination.

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Bush Craft invites kids to get hands-on with the natural world - learning practical skills, making things, exploring materials and discovering what they can create with what’s right there in the bush.

A chance to get outside, get curious and make some wild things.