A Retreat for Body, Voice and a Creative Awakening in Nature – Vavla, Cyprus
For performers, artists and anyone seeking deeper creative expression, embodied presence, emotional awareness and meaningful connection, this retreat offers a rare opportunity to gather at the meeting point of body, voice, imagination and personal interconnection, held within the stunning natural and cultural landscape of Vavla village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus.
The workshop
Led by Julianna Bloodgood, and supported by Maria Isidora Vincencelli and Lefteris Moumtzis, the retreat is physical and vocal at its core and deeply ensemble-based. Set between wild nature, traditional village life and shared artistic ritual, participants are invited into a somatic and vocal process that awakens creative vitality. Through guided exercises and embodied exploration, participants cultivate presence, expand vocal and physical freedom and access emotional truth, stepping into a more authentic and creatively potent state. Sessions take place both outdoors and indoors, allowing the landscape itself to become an active collaborator in the work.
The work emphasizes deep listening to impulses arising within the individual body and to the shared field of the group, cultivating sensitivity, adaptability and ensemble awareness. Participants explore how sound is physically derived and experienced, developing a visceral understanding of the voice and opening new creative pathways for expression and storytelling.
A central component of the retreat is Release Work, a deep somatic process that opens the pathways of the voice through the entire body. Working with breath, vibration, movement and sound, expression is freed from habitual tension and allowed to flow with clarity, resonance, and ease. This work supports vocal and emotional release, deepens the body-voice connection and expands each participant’s expressive range through song, text and vocal improvisation.
Each day of the workshop is led by Julianna, with musical support through live instruments and vocal accompaniment, creating a rich and responsive sonic environment.
Parallel Activities
Alongside the core artistic work, participants are invited into a series of parallel experiences that deepen reflection, integration and connection to place. These include silent walks through the Vavla landscape, where attention softens and perception sharpens, as well as guided nature walks led by local experts who open hidden layers of the land’s history and ecology. A dedicated session with a psychologist offers space for grounding, integration and personal insight, supporting the emotional depth of the process. Complementing this, a forest medicine session draws on the restorative intelligence of the natural world, using sensory immersion and ancient practices to nourish the nervous system and invite a quieter, more receptive state of being. Together, these activities weave contemplation, care and elemental presence into the rhythm of the retreat, allowing the work to resonate beyond the workshop.
Evening Activities
Evenings open into concerts, artistic happenings, improvisations and shared rituals, offering opportunities to engage with local artists and experience contemporary and traditional forms. These gatherings become spaces of exchange, celebration and integration where the work of the day resonates through community and performance.
Food
Meals are an essential shared ritual within the retreat, grounding the group and supporting the depth of the work. Three times each day, all participants and facilitators gather to eat together, sharing freshly prepared meals cooked by local village cooks using seasonal produce from the surrounding area. The menu draws strongly from Cypriot culinary traditions while expanding into more imaginative and creative interpretations, offering both nourishment and inspiration. Meals are served at set times, creating a collective pause in the day and a sense of togetherness around the table.
Accommodation
Nestled in the heart of the traditional, stone-built village of Vavla, participants can choose between agrotouristic lodges or camping. Each option provides a simple and intimate connection to the surroundings, completing the symbiotic nature of the Retreat.
Whether resting in a restored village home or sleeping close to the land, the accommodation invites a slower pace and a deeper sense of belonging. This allows the atmosphere of the village, its rhythms, textures, and quiet beauty, to become an integral part of the retreat experience.
Transport
For participants traveling from abroad, transportation will be arranged to ensure a smooth and welcoming arrival. Guests will be picked up by the production team at Larnaka International Airport and transferred directly to the village, allowing them to settle into the retreat with ease and without logistical concerns.
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About Julianna Bloodgood
Julianna Bloodgood is a multidisciplinary performer, vocalist, movement artist and teacher whose work explores the deep connection between body, voice, and emotional expression. Trained internationally and based in Europe for over a decade, she has developed a unique practice that blends somatic awareness, vocal exploration, and creative embodiment. Her methodology invites participants to unlock authentic expression through movement, breath, and voice. Julianna’s artistic journey includes many years as a principal performer with Song of the Goat Theatre in Poland, as well as collaborations across Europe, the U.S., and beyond. Through her teaching, she guides artists toward presence, vulnerability, and expressive freedom, supporting them in discovering the full range of their creative voice.
Explore her work here – https://juliannabloodgood.com
About Lefteris Moumtzis
Lefteris Moumtzis is a Cypriot musician, composer, producer, and artistic director whose work spans almost three decades across Cyprus, Greece and beyond. Moving fluidly between projects and identities, he has developed a distinctive artistic voice grounded in openness, experimentation, and collaboration. He studied at Berklee College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire and later worked in London as a musician, teacher, and organiser of music events.
Upon returning to Cyprus, he became a key figure in the island’s independent music scene: co-founder of Louvana Records, and artistic director of major cultural events. Lefteris has released numerous albums, composed for theatre film and dance, and collaborated widely with artists from diverse disciplines. As co-founder of The Open Nest Company, he guides the organisation’s artistic vision, curates programs, and leads workshops, residencies, and musical experiences.
Explore his work here – https://www.moumtzis.com
About Maria Isidora Vincentelli
Maria Isidora Vincentelli is an Italian/British, Athens-based artist making site-responsive performances on ritual, voice and ecological collapse. Her work blends dance, embodied voice, text and sound across natural and built environments.UK-trained (BA Trinity Laban, MA London Contemporary Dance School), her thesis Performing Spontaneity informs her ongoing research into ritual and improvisation. She moved to Greece in 2019 and has expanded into an integrated voice–movement–text practice through training with Julianna Bloodgood. She collaborates widely, with recent projects including Office for a Human Theatre, Into The Wandering Night, and Mimicry with Sarah Kate Wilson (premiere 2026, London). Her installation Timekeeping won the North East Emerging Artist Prize 2022–23, and she leads international workshops in embodied voice and site-responsive practice.