Winter Weekend Retreat
A weekend escape outside of Lisbon, Portugal, for the EV community to drop in and dive deep
January 30 - February 1, 2026
Embodiment holds the door open for the expressive, the creative, the ineffable...
Percebi de forma muito concreta como corpo e voz estão intimamente conectados, como o som se molda e viaja. Descobri vozes que desconhecia e sons que não sabia que me habitavam.
I realized very clearly how body and voice are intimately connected, how sound shapes itself and travels. I discovered voices I didn’t know and sounds I wasn’t aware lived within me.
- Workshop participant
This weekend is designed as a space for the Embodied Voice community to spend precious time together deepening the practice of voice, movement, and improvisation. It offers a connected pathway from learning about embodied singing to singing creatively with others.
We will arrive Friday night for our opening ceremony and dinner together. Morning will create space for a deep-dive into embodiment and voice, travelling through the more subtle inner somatic landscape of voice, as well as touching on anatomy and functional voice technique.
Afternoons will be dedicated to exploring the more outer, expressive and collaborative aspects of singing. We will learn various forms and games for creating music in the moment. Our evenings will be times of celebration and letting loose, with circle singing and a cabaret!
The Embodied Voice, created by Kate Smith, is a practice for living more joyfully in mind, body and voice, by combining voice, movement, and improvisation. Kate's teaching is grounded in a care, respect, and profound curiosity for the science behind the voice-mind-body connection. At the same time, as an artist herself, Kate also honours the power of presence to release ourselves from judgment and free the creative voice. As a result, The Embodied Voice sessions always strive to strike a balance between skill-building and artistry.
Morning Sessions
Sessions in the morning will focus on training the voice-body connection through somatics education and movement exercises. We will be guided through a flow experience, followed by a technical workshop breaking down and clarifying certain principles, including:
What is Embodiment? What is Somatics?
Bringing mindfulness into our relationship with our bodies as we sing
Introducing some basic neuroscience to understand how we learn and create new skills
Discovering vocal technique from a somatic point of view
Clarification of important anatomy and how the body functions to support a healthy and expressive voice
Afternoon Sessions
Afternoon sessions will dive into the creative, expressive and collective side of this practice. We will learn new games and practice forms for creating songs in collaboration, cultivate our personal expressive voice, and hone our musical skills. Subjects we will touch upon will include:
Nurturing own expressive voice from an embodied place
Creating melodies and song forms
Using words or made up language
Exploring our habits or roles in a collaborative context
Expanding our musical vocabulary with modes and less-familiar time-signatures
Improving our rhythmic vocabulary and precision
Practicing deep listening and experiencing the flow
Hear from last year’s participants
Daily Schedule
Friday January 30
14-16 soft arrivals
16h30-18h30 welcome session (2hrs)
19-20 dinner
20h30-21h30 circle singing & harmony songs
Saturday January 31
8-9 yoga & meditation
9-10 breakfast
10-12h30 morning session (2.5hrs)
13-16 lunch & rest time
16-18h30 afternoon session (2.5hrs)
19-20 dinner
20h30-22 co-created cabaret
Sunday February 1
8-9 yoga & meditation
9-10 breakfast
10-12h30 morning session (2.5hrs)
13-15 lunch & rest time
15-17h30 afternoon session (2.5hrs)
17h30 departures
Nestled within the lush embrace of the Parque Natural da Serra da Arrábida near Palmela, Biovilla is more than just a retreat centre — it is a living demonstration of sustainable living. With 55 hectares of land devoted to agro-tourism, organic farming and environmental education, it offers guests comfortable, eco-built accommodation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature, learn regenerative practices, and unwind in an atmosphere of conscious tranquillity.
Biovilla offers a variety of spaces from a geodesic dome , perfect for immersive practices, to the multi-purpose hall , ideal for training and workshops. There are also cozy rooms with mountain views , an ecological pool that refreshes body and soul, and ample outdoor areas and decks that invite you to connect with nature.
The Biovilla experience is also an invitation to mindful eating. Their vegetarian, organic, and seasonal kitchen is always active, overseen by a dedicated chef who prepares balanced, regenerative, and flavorful meals. They use fresh ingredients, harvested from our garden or from local producers, respecting the cycles of nature and promoting the overall well-being of each participant.
Accommodation will be in shared duo and triple rooms.
our Host - Biovilla
Your Investment
What this includes:
Two nights lodging at Biovilla, all room arrangements are double or triples
Towels, linens and blankets will be provided
All meals including: dinner on arrival, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday
Approximately 16 hours of facilitated sessions
Access to the pool and surrounding nature areas
Transportation to Biovilla is not included
Tier 1
£220 / €250
Supported
There are a limited number of supported spaces for local Portuguese
*According to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), the average Portuguese salary is about €1,090 per month. I am committed to keeping my offerings accessible to locals, so if you feel this describes you, you may book at this price. As more people book the regular ticket, more of these spaces will become available.
Ends
December 15th
Tier 2
£334 / €380
Early Bird
The early bird catches the worm! Dive in and book this offering before December 15th to save €50!
Tier 3
£370 / €420
Regular
Every regular ticket booked will contribute towards opening another supported spot.
*If you have the financial means and desire to support the participation of others who can’t access these kind of retreat opportunities, then I encourage you to book this ticket! Your choice will help to rebalance systemic inequality and ensure we come together as a diverse community of humans.
I want this weekend to be accessible to everyone who feels called to be here. If cost feels like a barrier, please contact me directly — I’m happy to discuss flexible options.
This weekend is for you if you …
are curious to explore vocal improvisation and discover how to create your own music in the moment
already sing and improvise but you’d like to bring the body more into the picture
are a mover ready to integrate sound into your practice
are looking for a restorative and illuminating weekend away from normal life
you’ve heard about The Embodied Voice and want to experience it in person!
Meet your facilitator
The Embodied Voice is the creation of singer Kate Smith. A vocal acrobat, composer, and facilitator known for her seamless blend of musical precision, free improvisation and physical exploration, Kate’s many-faceted creative endeavours address themes of presence, the body-mind relationship, and human rewilding, through the expressive shaping of voice, movement and improvisation.
The Embodied Voice emerged from Kate's voracious desire to draw connections between practices, searching for fundamental ways of being that transcend genre and dogma. Drawing on a deep commitment to embodied research, Kate likes to question received wisdoms through experimentation and playful curiosity.
As a result, the practice draws on many influences including yoga, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method®, Body-Mind Centering®, mindfulness, contact improv, dance, and theatre. Kate has studied with a variety of leading artists in the voice and movement fields, including Meredith Monk, Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen (BMC), Seke Chimutengwende, Margaret Pikes (Roy Hart Theatre), Grzegorz Braal (Song of the Goat), and more. She studied Feldenkrais-based vocal pedagogy with Robert Sussuma, and is a 200hr Yoga-Alliance certified teacher of Authentic Flow Yoga. She is grateful for the inspiration of her colleagues and mentors, including Jenni Roditi (TIC), Guillermo Rozenthuler, David Eskenazy and more. Kate has also trained in trauma-informed and resilient nervous system facilitation as certified by the Complementary Medical Association (CMA).
Her workshops can run the gamut from sessions of soulful sounding, to technical lessons on voice-body anatomy, to creative games for embodied musicality, to wild and playful movement explorations. What holds all the diversity of approach together is Kate's consistent commitment to holding safe and welcoming spaces that encourage us to reconnect to our essential being.
Register
Questions?
-
You do not need to have prior experience as a singer, improviser or mover in order to participate. However, you will probably get more out of the weekend if you have some prior experience with collaborative vocal improvisation, can hold a pitch and keep a rhythm.
-
No, that's not necessary. You can join the retreat even if this is your first time experiencing The Embodied Voice.
-
For people who have done any EV workshops, the retreat will be an opportunity to deepen the work you've already begun. The material covered will be more comprehensive than the workshops, in that we'll have time to go into more of the theory behind the practice.
-
Working with the voice and body can be quite strong and will need to be approached with care. Please let me know in advance if there is anything to be aware of so that I can support you safely through the weekend. This information will be kept confidential between myself and my assistant.
-
On Friday January 30th please arrive between 14h-15h to check in. Our opening session will begin at 16h.
On Sunday February 1st you will need to pack up your bags and leave your rooms by 11h. Departures will be following our closing ceremony that finishes at 17h.
-
In the lead up to the retreat, I will create a whatsapp group for people to organize carpooling and shared taxis.
If your question isn’t answered here, please get in touch below!