Spaceholder Training - Online

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HOLDING SPACE FOR JOURNEYS IN MOVEMENT

Free introductory session + 5-part live online training

Starts: 10 November 2026
19:00–20:30 CET

What does it really mean to hold space?

Holding space is at the heart of conscious dance facilitation. It is the art of being present with another person or a group without taking over their process: listening deeply, sensing what is happening, and knowing when to act - and when not to.

We start this journey with a free introductory session on 10 November.

This first evening is open to everyone who is curious about holding space, whether you already facilitate movement and dance or are simply beginning to explore this work.

Together, we will look at what holding space actually means and experience some of its foundations through movement, reflection and embodied practice.

After this introductory session, you can choose to continue into the full five-part training.

THE FREE INTRODUCTORY SESSION

10 November 2026
19:00–20:30 CET
Live online
Free

During this first session, we will explore:

• What holding space actually means
• Presence, listening and witnessing
• The difference between supporting someone and taking over their process
• How our own body and nervous system influence the space we hold
• A simple embodied practice to experience holding and being held

The session stands on its own. There is no obligation to continue with the training afterwards.

THE FIVE-PART TRAINING

17 November – 15 December 2026
Five live online sessions
Tuesdays, 19:00–20:30 CET

In the deeper training, we explore the craft of holding space from both an embodied and practical perspective.

Real presence asks something specific of us: to stay connected to ourselves while making room for someone else's experience, without collapsing the two into one.

Through Authentic Movement, we develop our capacity to listen through the body. We explore presence, attention and witnessing, and begin to notice the subtle difference between observing another person's process and becoming involved in it.

We introduce four different ways of holding space and explore the different roles a spaceholder can take.

* When do we simply witness?
* When do we support?
* When might we intervene?
* And how can we remain clear about our own position while staying connected to the person or group we are holding?

We also look at the moments when things don't go as planned.

Troubleshooting gives us practical tools for working with uncertainty, strong emotions, conflict, boundaries and unexpected situations.

A central part of the training is learning how to intervene without violence. We explore ways of communicating and acting that protect the integrity of the process while respecting the autonomy of the other.

Consent becomes an important foundation: how do we ask, how do we listen to the answer, and how do we recognise when intervention is - or isn't - appropriate?

And this is not only theory.

Throughout the training, you will work in partnerships, practising one-on-one how to hold space for the process of another person.

You will experience both sides: being held and holding.

This creates an opportunity to discover how these concepts land in your own body and to develop the sensitivity and confidence that come through practice.

WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE

• Presence, listening and witnessing
• Authentic Movement
• Four ways of holding space
• Different roles of the spaceholder
• Troubleshooting challenging situations
• Nonviolent ways of intervening
• Consent and boundaries
• Practising one-on-one in partnerships
• Holding space for the process of another without taking it over

INVESTMENT

Free introductory session: free

Full five-part training:

* Supported - €195 : For anyone who needs the lower rate to be able to join.
* Standard - €225 : Our regular ticket price, covering the full cost of participation.
* Supportive - €250 : For those who are able to pay a bit more, so someone else can pay a bit less.

You can join the free session first and decide afterwards whether you would like to continue into the full training.

YOUR TEACHERS

Tom Goldhand, Caroline S'Jegers & Léon Beckx

Tom Goldhand is a dancer, dance teacher and group facilitator. He has been teaching and creating dance and movement scores for over 15 years, co-created the performance company Mono Collective in Amsterdam, and holds a Master's degree in Dance Therapy from Codarts University Rotterdam. He was a pioneer in developing the ceremonies for Ecstatic Dance Amsterdam in 2012 - a model since replicated worldwide - and now facilitates movement and personal development retreats across Europe alongside his weekly classes.

Caroline S’Jegers is a poet, musician, facilitator and cultural anthropologist, and co-founder of Ecstatic Dance Belgium. She was the first female Ecstatic Dance DJ in Europe and has been part of the movement for nearly 20 years. After joining one of the first Ecstatic Dance trainings in the US, she helped bring the first Ecstatic Dance Leadership Training to Europe. Motherhood, years of travelling, and a life lived close to community and the land have deeply shaped the way she works. She is also the founder of PULSE, an evolving body of work about putting life back at the centre.

Léon Beckx is a facilitator of transformative group processes, working for over 25 years with groups ranging from boardrooms and refugee centres to dancefloors worldwide. As a psychologist and dancer, he draws on Gestalt therapy, Focusing, Somatics and community-building methods, alongside movement practices including the 5Rhythms, Contact & Dance Improvisation, martial arts and Playback Theatre. Over the years, he has woven these strands into his workshops, classes and community art projects. Léon also co-founded Ecstatic Dance Lelystad.