Spaceholder Training

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.

 

In this six-part online training, we explore the craft of holding space from both an embodied and practical perspective. We begin by asking what holding space actually means: what happens when we stay present without trying to fix, direct or change what is unfolding? 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.

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What will we explore?

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?

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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.

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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?

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And this is not only theory.

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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 the concepts land in your own body and to develop the sensitivity and confidence that come through practice.

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The training is live and online, creating a small learning field where we can explore, practice, reflect and learn from one another.

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In Short:

• What is holding space?

• 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

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Investment

Pay what fits your situation — all tiers give you the same access.

• Supported Ticket 195 € - For anyone who needs the lower rate to be able to join.

• Standard Ticket 225 € - Our regular ticket price, covering the full cost of participation.

• Supporting Ticket 245 € - For those who are able to pay a bit more, so someone else can pay a bit less.

 

Your Teachers

Tom Goldhand, Caroline S'Jegers & Léon Beckx

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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.

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Caroline S'Jegers is a poet, musician and artist, and founder of Ecstatic Dance Belgium. Her path has always been about listening — to the body, to silence, to what lies beneath the visible — a sensitivity shaped early in life and carried into her work as a weaver of dance, poetry and remembrance. Music became her shelter, a space where the deepest parts of herself could be touched safely. Over a decade ago, a personal crisis brought her face to face with the question of whether she was truly alive, and saying yes to life — fiercely and without conditions — became the choice that has shaped her work ever since.

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Léon Beckx is a facilitator of transformative group processes, working over 25 years with groups ranging from boardrooms and refugee centers to dancefloors worldwide — a breadth that has shaped both his perspective and his toolkit. As a psychologist and dancer, he draws on Gestalt therapy, Focusing, Somatics and community-building methods, alongside movement practices including the 5Rhythms (teaching since 2007), 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.​​​​​​