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UNLEASH YOUR MAGIC 

2024 DANCE RETREAT  

Zihuatanejo, Mexico


Activate + unleash through dance movement medicine

Immersed in the elements and stimulated by nature’s sauna, this 7 day 6 night dance activation will help you shed the Winter and welcome a new season of YOU! March 19 - 25, 2024.

No matter if you’re a novice or seasoned dancer, dance is your birthright and an amazing way to (re)connect with your inner creativity and well-being. Join us in Zihuatanejo on the Mexican Pacific Coast for 10 dance and mobility classes that will combine stretching, gentle grooves, dance styles from West and Central Africa, and more!

Since our resort is B Corp Certified, so take heart in knowing your participation in this retreat will contribute to sustainable development within the local environment through an automatic 2% donation towards community rejuvenation. 

We partnered with WeTravel for our retreat bookings, so your reservation on this retreat will be made there.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

 

THE WING TREEHOUSE  

Max occupancy 4

ORIGINAL JET TREEHOUSE

Max occupancy 3

 

PRIVATE CASITA

1 - 4 person occupancy

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STUDIO

1 - 2 person occupancy

KING ECOCASITA

2 - 4 person occupancy

DELUXE SUITE

1 - 3 person occupancy

Queen Ecocasita

Max occupancy 2

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Abby is a delight to dance with! She has a sweet, encouraging energy, and makes the moves easy to learn. It’s so clear that she has a deep reverence for these styles of dance, and honors her teachers in a beautiful way. Can’t wait for the next retreat!

This retreat reminded me how much I truly enjoyed dancing!! This is my first time taking classes with Abagail and I will definitely be taking classes with her again. I enjoyed every part of it.

I highly recommend this retreat! As someone who hasn't danced in a long time, I found the classes fun and accessible. I was able to learn new moves at a pace that allowed me to have fun and be challenged. Abby is a skillful teacher who really honors the traditions that she has come from with humility and sensitivity. It felt great to be in space with her.

I enjoyed this retreat so much with Abby. Abby is such an inspiring and amazing dancer and human! Her love for dance is infectious. I loved learning the lineages of the dances, the roots of the steps and also learning what the contemporary styles are today connected to these roots. Abby gave each and every one of us so much attention, it felt inclusive, connected and just really fun! I have been on many retreats and this one felt special in that it wasn’t so much about learning the styles, it’s more about finding ourselves in the movement.

Dance, groove, feel alive, make friends, have fun, rebirth yourself, and have a great freaking time! this retreat was amazing.

Abagail is awesome! She is a natural teacher with a wealth of knowledge that she communicates and demonstrates with ease. Her love of the culture is obvious and she mixes the historical origins of the dance steps with how the more modern moves have evolved with current music for a well rounded experience.

This was an incredible experience. I learned so much about Dance & myself. I met amazing new friends. I would love to attend the next Heart Dancer Retreat.

I feel so grateful to have been able to participate in this retreat. It was such a fun time dancing with the same group of people for a few days and being in Mexico! I'm impressed by how everything (about the retreat) was so lovely! I look forward to hearing about future retreats!

This retreat was a truly amazing experience! So much fun in such a supportive atmosphere.

Sample Itinerary | by day and week

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WHAT IS INCLUDED:

  • All dance and mobility classes with your retreat facilitator. Average 2 classes / day, 1.5 hour sessions each. 
  • Airport transportation to/from Zihuatanejo Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH).
  • Farm to table meals and snacks.
  • Beverages (except alcohol, smoothies, coconuts, and specialty drinks).
  • Tip, taxes, and donation to the regenerative trust.
  •  Complimentary / optional morning yoga classes.
  • One month complimentary access to Heart Dancer Experience online dance and fitness programs, one month prior to our trip. 
  • Private group beach dinner on our last night.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

  • Airfare/flights
  • Alcoholic beverages, coconuts, smoothies, or specialty drinks.
  • Excursions.
  • Massages, spa treatments.

 - Farm to Table Cuisine + Indoor / Outdoor Architectural Experience -

Meet Your Host

Abagail Fritz is a Los Angeles-based creative director, choreographer, performer, and educator focusing on African-based traditional, popular, and street dances.  She's practiced a wide variety of dances genres for over 35 years, and started studying African dance in the late 1990’s. Abagail began traveling throughout West Africa from 2004, including Guinea, Senegal, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast where she studies with renowned artists and African ballet companies.

As a product of her experience, Abagail acts as the creative director of Mid City Arts Center, where she nurtures the space for international artists to invest in grass roots-based world dance. She also carries this intention as a Professor of Dance with Pomona College and AMDA College of the Performing Arts Los Angeles. Additionally, she has taught workshops and residencies around the world including the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand; Collab Industry in Amsterdam, Netherlands; the New York Film Academy in New York City; Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA; and the University of California Los Angeles, to name a few.


As an international performer, Abagail has been featured across 8 countries. In 2022 and 2017 she was a featured dancer for world-renowned African artist, Youssou N’Dour, at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. Currently, Abagail tours internationally as a choreographer and principal dancer with singer, Gala Rizatto, performing for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, Place de la Concorde for France TV TF1, and Arena di Verona, among other world class arenas on the Eastern globe.

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More about our resort destination, Playa Viva

On-site massage services and a wide variety of excursions. Farm to table cuisine made fresh from Playa Viva's own organic garden. Playa Viva is making great efforts towards regeneration, and is a B Corp Certified resort recognized for their community impact, farming and restoration, turtle sanctuary, 100% off grid operation, and regenerative trust.

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