WINTER/SPRING 2026
________________________
Self CenterED Sensuality
A weekend INTEnsive THAT EXPLORES THE SPACE of your own senSuality
Led By Asteria Howard
WHEN & WHERE
February 21st & 22nd
11am-4pm
At BodyVox Dance Center
Self-centered Sensuality is a movement based intensive created by resident Alum Asteria Howard. Drawing from her 20 years of movement performance and instruction Asteria takes participants into a space where you can tap into your own sensuality through movement and reflection. She offers a safe creative container for artists to slow down and focus inward, leading to key introspection that helps inform their movement and creativity. By removing the expectations of producing an ‘end’ product you can listen to what your body wants in real time. This intensive removes the constraints of the ‘rational mind’ of all the planing and focusing on results and takes you right the the heart of the here and now, moving from an immediate intuitive place. By releasing your perceived limitations, you can investigative movement from a place of self centered sensuality.
Each day begins with a slow grounding warmup that builds into standing. Followed by exercises and movement phrases to play with our introspection. As the class progresses, we start to draw awareness into the space around us and eventually between us. There will be reflective pauses and occasional discussions to reflect and journal feelings that come up. The end of the day will take us back to the ground for a decompression and internal check out.
Elements of guided freestyling will be strongly used. All levels of movement are encouraged to attend.
*Open to individuals of all movement backgrounds and levels.
Asteria’s Bio
Asteria got her dance start at the age of 3 in a small rural one room dance studio in Northern Michigan. As she grew, she started commuting one hour each way to study at Dance Arts Academy in Traverse City Michigan, where she also started teaching at the age of 17. Asteria obtained her dance degree from Northwestern Michigan College in a modern dance concentration, then took her skills around the globe where she worked in performing arts schools and dinner theaters across Australia and New Zealand. She has been a movement educator for 18 years now and has made it her mission to make dance accessible for all bodies.
When Asteria came back to the states, she landed in Portland on a one way ticket that was supposed to last 3 months. 6 years later, she continues to coach dance and aerial in the Portland Metro Area. Asteria can also be seen performing around venues from coast to coast as a burlesque and pole artist. She is currently the General Manager of the Dance Center at BodyVox where she manages, educates, and cultivates a community for dancers of all levels and abilities to access the joy of dance. You can stay up to date on Asteria’s whereabouts on Instagram at @asteriaatombomb or on her website www.asteriaatombomb.com.
COST $250
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.
SOLO
CREATING NEW WORK FOR SOLO PERFORMANCE
A week intensive that traverses the early fragile stages of new solo work creation. Taking you from idea to reality. FOSTERING each Artist’s unique voice TO BRING IT fully to life.
Led by Katherine Murphy Lewis
when & where
CoHo Productions
March 5th-8th
What is the gravitational pull of your work? What story do you keep telling over and over? What makes your story compelling and urgent?
Grounded in the practices from devising, viewpoints, autobiographical theater, moment work and movement/body based storytelling, Katherine brings her unique process of new art creation to the craft of solo performance.
We will explore the craft of solo performance. In this week long intensive Katherine will take you from the ‘idea’ to a fully formed vision.
Solo performance creates the possibility of innovative storytelling, fully utilizing the potential of the performance space. You will create a variety of writing, movement sequences, audio content creation, theatrical moments and visual images, sifting through each piece to discover your voice and unearth your story.
Harnessing the magic of the theatrical space, inviting the unusual, expanding on what is unique to each participants vision, as we push against the boundaries of performance and story.
Katherine’s Bio
Katherine Murphy Lewis has over 10 years of experience directing, dramaturgy, and new work creation. As the founding Artistic Director of From the Ground UP, she has ushered in over 60 new works.
Crafting her own innovative approach to nonprofit leadership and new work creation she has developed a model that puts artists' authentic voices and expressions in the forefront by creating a space for individuals to develop stewardship over their artistry, careers and lives.
Katherine had enjoyed collaborating locally and internationally, including being and in residence with Company of Wolves in Glasgow Scotland, touring Achilles throughout Europe. Locally she co-wrote and co-produced, Tonight Nothing, which premiered at CoHo Production’s summer of 2019. Most recently she produced, dramturged and directed You Can’t Be Serious. Since the world premier in November 2023 You Can’t Be Serious has on to tour regionally and nationally, receiving rave reviews and winning best physical theater at Untied Solo, the largest solo festival in the work in NYC.
*Open to all individuals of any background, no experience necessary.
COST $500
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.
Creating Comedic Characters from the self
A weekENd intensive Blends Clowning Foundations, Personal Discovery, Costumes & Objects
Led by Emily Newton
when & where
Location TBA
March 28th & 29th
11am-4pm
In this playful, high-energy workshop, participants will discover how to create original comedic characters by drawing directly from their own personality, quirks, impulses, and imagination. Using core principles of clowning—authentic presence, emotional honesty, bold physicality, and joyful failure—we’ll uncover the unique humor each person carries naturally.
Through guided exercises, improvisations, and creative exploration, participants will:
Tap into their own stories, habits, fears, and delights as sources for comedy
Experiment with movement, voice, rhythm, and exaggerated emotion
Build characters through physical discovery rather than intellectual planning
Explore how costumes, found objects, and personal items can transform or amplify a character
Learn to play with the audience (real or imagined) through responsiveness and vulnerability
Participants are invited to bring costumes, accessories, or everyday objects that spark curiosity or silliness—these become powerful tools in revealing new comedic personas.
Whether you’re a performer, creator, or simply curious about clowning, this workshop offers a supportive space to embrace your ridiculousness, amplify your uniqueness, and craft comedic characters that feel both surprising and deeply authentic.Whether you’re a performer, creator, or simply curious about clowning, this workshop offers a supportive space to embrace your ridiculousness, amplify your uniqueness, and craft comedic characters that feel both surprising and deeply authentic.
Emily’s Bio
Emily June Newton is an international comedic performer originally from Australia, now based in Portland, Oregon. Known for her eccentric, fully embodied characters and dynamic audience interaction, Emily’s work pushes the boundaries between performer and spectator. Her signature creations include Frank (the world’s most entertaining entertainer), Pat McKensie (Australia’s self-appointed Cultural Ambassador), The Rat King, and The Bard (Mike Bennett Studios).
Emily has performed nationally and internationally with acclaimed companies such as Terrapin Puppet Theatre (AUS), Oregon Children’s Theatre (USA), CoHo Productions (USA), The Children’s Art Theatre of China (CHN), and Dell’Arte International (USA).
Described as “comedic gold” by Broadway World and a “standout clown” by The Mercury PDX, Emily holds an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theater from Dell’Arte International. She is the co-artistic director of the CoHo Clown Cohort, faculty at the Institute of Contemporary Performance (PETE), and a proud member of the Portland chapter of Fou Fou Ha, San Francisco’s premier burlesque clown troupe.
COST $250
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.