Join me (Nick Woolsey) and special guests for one or two weeks of poi, flow arts, and adventure.
Leviathan Studio is a visionary dance space on Lasqueti Island, a five-hour journey from Vancouver, BC: a sprung dance floor built inside a stunning dome, on an off-grid island. It is a fun journey, and we will make it easy.
What you get
- Deepen your freedom with poi: expressive dance, rhythm and musicality, and lots of moves.
- Deepen friendships, connect with nature, enjoy the wood-fired sauna, jump in the ocean.
- Incredible food cooked on a wood stove with fresh ingredients: kale from the garden, locally raised chicken, fresh-caught salmon, and wild venison hunted by Mark, the owner.
- Three organic meals a day plus snacks, coffee and teas. You will be pampered.
What camp is like
Days are for lessons and practice: we will explore freedom of movement with poi, complex patterns, and dance concepts, with helpers teaching alongside me so everyone has something to work on. Evenings are for music and flow. There is unstructured time to practice, swim, hike, or nap in the sun.
Who it is for
Most people arrive already flowing with the fundamentals (reels, weaves, windmills, butterfly variations), and the second week goes deeper, so it suits confident and advanced players. Mixed levels are genuinely welcome: whenever the main topic gets too advanced, we make sure you have something good to work on. The age spread is usually mid-twenties to late forties, and people in their sixties have come and had a great time. Partners are welcome (they register separately). Camp is not kid-friendly, though older teenagers (15+) with an adult are fine.
Prerequisites: you need to be comfortable with all the poi basics, meaning you can play freely with shoulder and hip reels, weaves and windmills, and variations of butterflies.
The two weeks
Week 1. Dive deep into flowing freely with the poi fundamentals, and begin exploring more complex movements and dance concepts.
Week 2. Intermediate and advanced poi dancing. If you come to week 1 you can automatically come to week 2. If you want week 2 only, send me a video so we can check that you are ready.
Sleeping and facilities
Leviathan is in the forest, and it is rustic. Most people bring tents and sleeping bags, and there are great spots for hammocks. Three big tents are available to rent, with mattresses and bedding, and there is a rustic room above the sauna with some old mattresses.
- No flush toilets, only well-maintained outhouses.
- Drinking water filtered from the well, and sinks with well water for washing and tooth brushing.
- Solar-powered electricity: enough for charging phones, but not for hairdryers or other high-power devices.
- Internet is available at a bar and restaurant, a 20-minute walk away.
- Lasqueti is remote. The nearest hospital is far away.
First meal is dinner on arrival day; the last is brunch on departure day.
Getting there
Lasqueti Island is about five hours from Vancouver: a ferry to Nanaimo, an hour’s drive north, then a foot-passenger ferry to Lasqueti. Total travel cost is around $70 CAD. Do not worry, everybody meets up and travels together.
Detailed travel notes · Leviathan’s own website · a documentary about Leviathan
Fees
Early bird, including three organic meals a day plus snacks, coffee and teas:
- One week Early Bird — $1050 CAD + 5% tax (about $875 USD)
- Two weeks Early Bird — $2050 CAD + 5% tax (about $1650 USD)
The fee is $1150CAD/2150CAD after March 31. Work-trade scholarships are available. Send me a message.
Come play
It is a poi adventure of a lifetime. Drop me a message and I will send you the details.
Looking for something warmer? I am also running a poi retreat in Pai, Thailand in January 2027. All my retreats are listed on the events page.