Open Floor Teacher Track

In Europe, your teachers will be Deborah Lewin, Lucie Nérot, and Sarah Davies. 

In the Americas, your teachers will be Kathy Altman and Jenny Macke.

In Australasia, your teachers will be Geordie Jahner and Andrea Juhan

tuition cost for Australasia Open Floor Teacher Training to be announced

Tuition fees include:

• Admission to all 4 immersions and practicums
• Group Mentoring sessions
  
• Individual Mentoring sessions
• Live and recorded webinars
• Coursework resources and documents
  
• Access to our training portal and online communities
• Administrative support

What’s NOT included:

• Living expenses or accommodations
• Meals
• Transportation for in-person events
• Books from required or optional reading lists
• Elective workshops
• Any additional training or mentoring needed to complete the prerequisites for the training

OFI has two scholarship funds that support those who are in financial need and wish to study.

MUDRA FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP FUND

A mudra is a position in which we place our bodies to cultivate a specific awareness. The spirit of the mudra of sobriety is “neither more nor less than necessary.”  This is what we ask you to contemplate, in consideration of your own true needs, and all others who need help too.

1. Find a quiet place where you can sit undisturbed for 5 or 10 minutes.
2. Sit with your legs crossed and spine straight, as best as you are able.  
3. Rest your hands on your knees, palms down. Breathe for several minutes and let yourself settle, until you have a sense of quiet.  Then consider:
   • What program do you want to attend, and what is the cost?
   • How much of that amount can you manage yourself?
   • How much do you need from the collective scholarship pool to attend?

When an answer comes to you, please request an amount that is neither more — nor less — than is necessary for you at this time.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIP FUND

OFI provides scholarships to increase the diversity of OFI students and teachers. To qualify for the scholarship, prospective students demonstrate a commitment to diversity as it relates to their interest in mindful movement for personal healing, professional growth, and community building. Priority is given to applicants who belong to racial, religious, cultural, sexual identity, geographic, and ability groups that have traditionally been underrepresented populations in the field of mindful movement and conscious dance. 

Purpose of the Fund 

With this Scholarship, Open Floor International is taking a first step in reaching a goal of students and teachers being reflective of the world where Open Floor is practiced. The majority of OFI’s current teachers live in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Most are European or of European descent, speak English fluently, are 35 – 65, identify as women, and are able-bodied.  We are actively looking to expand our reach outside these populations with our scholarship fund. If you identify as Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC), LBGQT+, gender fluid, differently abled, and/or you live in less wealthy regions, we would like to hear from you. 

There is a $50 non-refundable application fee. After paying the application fee, you’ll be directed to our application form.

NOTE: The form does not save your responses as you go along, so please be prepared to fill it out in one session. We suggest that you download the questions in advance, type your responses in a separate document, and then copy/paste them into the form.

After submitting the form, your references will be contacted and the faculty will review your qualifications. You’ll receive a response in no more than 30 days.

If you are accepted, you’ll then be directed to make a payment to hold your space on the Teacher Training.

There are four phases in the Open Floor Teacher Training.

Phase One

• • Common Ground Immersion (5 days; 30 hours)
  • Common Ground Practicum (3 days; 20 hours)
  • Mentoring: One group session and three individual sessions
  • Webinars

Phase Two

• • Common Sense Immersion (5 days; 30 hours)
  • Common Sense Practicum (3 days; 20 hours)
  • Mentoring: One group session and three individual sessions
  • Webinars

Phase Three 

• • Common Knowledge Immersion (5 days; 30 hours)
  • Common Knowledge Practicum (3 days; 20 hours)
  • Mentoring: One group session and three individual sessions
  • Webinars

Phase Four

• • Common Good Immersion (5 days; 30 hours)
  • Common Good Practicum (3 days; 20 hours)
  • Mentoring: One group session and three individual sessions

  • Webinars

Teacher Trainees must complete all four phases in order to graduate from the Program. They must also complete the required reading, teaching assignments, and self reflections.

There are four Phases that make up the Open Floor Teacher Training. Each phase includes:

• One 5-day Immersion
• One 3-day Practicum
• Mentoring: One group session and three individual sessions
• Webinars: both live and pre-recorded

An immersion is a 5-day, (30 hour) intensive training. There are four immersions offered:

1. Common Ground 
2. Common Sense 
3. Common Knowledge 
4. Common Good 

Those enrolled in the Teacher Training must take the immersions in this order. Students who are not enrolled in the Teacher Training program may apply to any or all immersion(s), and do not need to take them in order.

If you are taking an immersion as part of the teacher training program, the prerequisites to start the training are:

• A minimum of 120 hours of instructed study in conscious dance practices*
• At least 60 of those hours must be Open Floor Movement Practice
• Your Open Floor hours must include One Ground Floor Lab

If you are applying for the immersion and you are NOT enrolled in the Teacher Training program, the prerequisites are:

• 50 hours of instructed study in conscious dance practices* 
• At least 15 of those hours must be Open Floor Movement Practice 

*Conscious Dance Practices:  Open Floor, Soul Motion, 5Rhythms™, Movement Medicine, Freedom Dance, Azul, Tamalpa Life/Art Process, Continuum, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies. Let us know if there’s another conscious dance practice you have studied that you would like us to consider. 

• Participants who are not enrolled in the Teacher Training: $850. There is a $30 non-refundable application fee, which will be applied towards the full price upon acceptance.
• Open Floor teachers: $425 (no application required)
• Open Floor Working Members: $383 (no application required)
• Those enrolled in our Teacher Training program: All immersions are included in the price of the training

An practicum is a 3-day, (20 hour) intensive session specifically designed for those enrolled in the Teacher Training program to learn and build embodied teaching skills. 

The practicum days are ONLY for those enrolled in Open Floor Teacher Training.

• Teacher Trainees: included in the price of the Teacher Training
• Open Floor Teachers: $325 (Limited acceptance)
• Open Floor Working Members: $293 (Limited acceptance)

All Mentoring sessions, group and individual for Teacher Trainees are included in the price of the training.

We are not offering Mentoring to students who are outside our training program at this time.

• Teacher Trainees:  All webinars are included in the cost of the training.
• The webinars are not available to the public at this time.

By the time you graduate from the teacher training program, you must have completed: 

• 250 hours Conscious Dance practice* including a minimum of 180 hrs Open Floor Movement Practice
• One Libido Fundamentals workshop (15 hours) or equivalent study in embodied sexuality
• 20 hours Mindfulness study & practice 
• 15 hours Experiential Anatomy & Neurophysiology

These do not need to be completed in order to apply for the training, but are required in order to graduate from the program.  

*Conscious Dance Practices:  Open Floor, Soul Motion, 5Rhythms, Movement Medicine, Freedom Dance, Azul, Tamalpa Life/Art Process, Continuum, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies. Let us know if there’s another conscious dance practice you have studied that you would like us to consider.