‘Presence’ is a 5Rhythms class with certified and accredited 5Rhythms teacher, Elisa Hollenberg

For tickets, click here:

https://events.humanitix.com/presence-5rhythms-sunday-waves-with-elisa

With 5Rhythms, we have the possibility to move in creative ways to become present and expand our movement vocabularies.

All are welcome here: all bodies, races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, abilities & disabilities, and movement experience.

In this class, together, we will:

• land in our bodies once more
• take a break from technology 
• connect with our breath
• connect with the ground
• feel what is underneath the surface
• re-awaken creativity
• return to ourselves

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This class will be ongoing, every 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. This class started in January 2025 and will continue in January 2026 for the whole year.

It is located at Dovercourt House, 2nd Floor, 805 Dovercourt Road, Toronto, ON, M6H 2X4

Dancers are also most welcome to drop-in and pay cash at the door, or pre-register.

For tickets, click here:

https://events.humanitix.com/presence-5rhythms-sunday-waves-with-elisa

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Important Ticket & Registration Info

5 Class Package Rates (Please check ticketing link below for availability)

$112.50 Sustainability

$120.00 Supporting

$90.00 Supported

Single Class Rates:

$25 Sustainability

$30 Supporting

$20 Supported 

$12 Access (3 tickets available/class)

$35+ Generosity

Drop-in: Pre-registration is not required. Drop-in dancers are welcome to pay cash at the door. Please bring exact change. Drop-in tuition is $20-$35 at the door.

To Register and buy tickets In advance, click here:

https://events.humanitix.com/presence-5rhythms-sunday-waves-with-elisa

Health & Wellness Agreements

We expect any dancers experiencing cold/flu symptoms to stay home to care for themselves and the rest of the group (please see cancellation policy).

Contact tracing (name, email and phone number of every participant)

If you choose to attend this indoor class, you acknowledge that although we are taking precautions, there is still a risk of contracting an illness as a result of attending, and you are assuming full responsibility for your choice to attend, and any illnesses or injuries that result.

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If you have not attended a 5Rhythms class before, here is a list of FAQs and community agreements, for this class.

Q. What is the location and how do I get there?
A. This class is at Dovercourt House, at Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Road, Toronto, ON, M6H 2X4. Take the Bloor subway line (the green line) to Ossington Subway station.  The studio is a 5-minute walk from the subway from the Delaware exit and about a 7-minute walk from the Ossington exit.

Q. Is there parking near the studio?
A. There is usually free street parking on Dovercourt Road or on nearby side streets. 

Q. What is the format of this class?

A. In this class, there will be a warm-up period where dancers will arrive and move to music (stretching and moving to the music as you like) for about 20 minutes. This will be followed by an opening circle with some group instruction. There will then be a period of dancing that lasts for about an hour (called a Wave, with the 5Rhythms – flowing ~ staccato ~ chaos ~ lyrical ~ stillness – in sequence) with some verbal facilitation during this time. The class will gather at the end as a group, to close.

Q. What is the duration of this class?

A. The class is 2 hours long, including our closing circle. We start and end our movement journey together. If you really must leave before the end of class, please let the facilitator know before you go.

Q. What is the music like?

A. There will be a variety of songs from a wide range of genres that inspire movements in the 5Rhythms. The facilitator creates a unique playlist each time, choosing music that will suit our dance, so the music will be different from class-to-class. The music starts-off slow in flowing, then speeds up and inspires more vigorous movement in staccato, reaches a peak in chaos, then becomes lighter, soulful or playful in lyrical and becomes connecting and vast, in stillness. The music inspires movements of the 5Rhythms Wave in sequence, from flowing–>staccato–>chaos–>lyrical–>stillness.

Q. What should I wear and is there anything I need to bring to class?

A. It is suggested to wear comfortable clothing (like yoga pants, leggings, tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, long tunics or skirts/dresses) that you don’t mind sweating in and that allows you a full range of motion. You may wish to dress in layers since you may become warmer as we dance, and cooler at the end of class. We dance bare-footed, or in grippy socks or light-soled dance shoes (indoor shoes only). Bring a bottle of water and a small mat to sit on (optional), if you like, for the beginning or end of class.

Q. Do I need to be a dancer, or have a certain level of experience or fitness?

A. All fitness levels and experience with movement or dance are welcome at class. In 5Rhythms, we move in unstructured ways, and there are no set movements that everyone needs to do in the same way. There are specific energies associated with each of the rhythms that we will learn, and we adapt the movements to our respective bodies. We move according to our abilities on each day. It is possible to dance at our own pace, whether that is slowly, doing a small dance or more vigorously, depending on your energy, abilities and how you are feeling on any given day.  We also have chairs that you can use to sit and dance, if you would like to get off of your feet and continue to participate in the class.

Q. What is the age-range for this class?

A. We welcome a wide range of ages to this class, starting at 15 years old, up to 100.

Q. Is the venue wheelchair/walker accessible?

A. Unfortunately, this venue is not wheelchair accessible.  There are two flights of stairs, up to the 2nd floor studio. The studio has many places to sit on a couch or chair, however, for dancers who need to dance seated during the class.

Q. Will I be dancing on my own, or with others in this class?

A. In 5Rhythms dancing, we mostly dance on our own. However, there are usually some instructed activities and verbal invitations in which the facilitator may invite dancers to dance in groups or pairs. This does not involve any physical contact. Also, any invitation for dancing with others is optional, and you can decide to dance on your own at any time.

Here are some other community guidelines for this class:

-We practice in a sober and substance-free environment (excluding substances and medications used for health reasons)

-We turn our phones off during the class or put them on silent – we do not take photos/videos, or use Shazam. 

-We communicate using movement not words, on the dance floor. Please take any verbal conversations, outside.

-We are a scent-sensitive space. Please keep synthetic perfumes and essential oils off the dance floor.

-We welcome all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, shapes & sizes, abilities & disabilities, languages, and movement experience.

About Elisa:

Elisa is passionate about bringing 5Rhythms® to people who crave and want more movement and self-expression in their everyday lives.  She has been dancing since the age of 5, dipping her toes into as many movement practices as she could find (ballet, contemporary, South African gumboot dancing, hula hoop, yoga, ecstatic dance) and the 5Rhythms, since 2002. Elisa founded and co-directed Create-Move-Connect, a community-based dance project to transform improvisation into choreography and performance.  Outside of facilitating 5Rhythms classes, Elisa works in mental health research, interviewing people about their lived experiences, coordinating projects and contributing to knowledge transfer to help improve mental health care and services.

“I live and work in a big city context where I try to connect hearts to hearts and bring embodied presence into daily life.”

Elisa is a certified and accredited member of the 5Rhythms Teachers Association.

All class and workshop hours with Elisa count towards 5Rhythms Teacher Training prerequisites.

Current Class Offering – “Presence” ~ 5Rhythms Sunday Waves 

Register Here: 

https://events.humanitix.com/presence-5rhythms-sunday-waves-with-elisa

I look forward to dancing with you! If you have any questions, please let me know by reaching out to me, at: elisa.hollenberg@gmail.com