BlissDance Foundation Training YEAR 1

BlissDance Foundation Training

Personal & Practitioner Mastery

1 YEAR COURSE
STARTING 14 MAY 2025

What is BlissDance?

BlissDance is a profound Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening: awakening in us our universal desire for Truth, Presence, Love, Connection, Beauty, Freedom, and Pleasure!

BlissDance, like Tantra, supports the powerful integration of all seeming polarities such as the sacred, profane and the sexual; the light and the shadow; and the masculine and the feminine.

One of the first principles of BlissDance, as a Tantric movement practice, is Presence – being present in the here and now, in our bodies, in our senses. Another is the connection between our desire, our sexuality and our hearts. As this happens, we get to experience and confront some of the unconscious patterns keeping us from being intimate with life, for example:

Body Armouring

We hold our bodies rigid in an attempt to protect ourselves from feeling too much – or feeling what we have been suppressing. Sometimes it’s laughter or ecstasy, sometimes sadness, fear or anger. All these states are welcome in BlissDance.

Habitual Associations

Over a lifetime of suppressions, we have built up meaning through associations. When someone touches us, what does it mean? When we enjoy or dislike the touch, what fears come up? Do they relate to past experiences or future projections? In BlissDance, these subconscious processes become conscious.

In BlissDance we get to practice embodying our Awakening, and our Desire

In embodied awareness lies liberation...

One of the keys of BlissDance is its invitation to break out of our habits and stuck ways. We enact some of the dramas of everyday life – like having to put down a healthy boundary – but dance this drama in a conscious way, as a celebration of the body, and as an act of liberation.

In experiencing it consciously, something gives way, more space is created, and we celebrate our expansion.

Something opens up; I taste only sacredness

The moment softens, our hearts soften, and our bodies melt. We get to feel everything intimately. We welcome what is, we no longer resist, and in that we can meet the beloved – in the dance and in the moment. In the first place, the beloved is our very own being. Then we can meet him/her in the other, the group, our lives, and in existence.

BlissDance asks, ‘What do we really, really want? What’s preventing us from embodying our desire and following our bliss?’

What to expect...

All it takes is a little willingness and a lot of curiosity. The music, the facilitation and the group carry us along into what we really, really want:
a deep heart opening into this present, precious moment.

To live our lives as blissful sovereign beings able to manifest our deepest desires, we must first get out of our busy minds and feel and move everything from the past too painful to process at the time of it happening – and so was put away to feel for later. Most patriarchal religions shame the body and sexuality. We need to reclaim our beautiful bliss bodies and sacred sexuality.

"Bliss is the balance that happens when we fully embrace both our shadow & our light and come to rest as Love"

~ Shakti Malan

What you will learn

How to use movement and music transformationally and holistically, for personal and collective healing and growth
How to progress dancers from the sympathetic into the parasympathetic nervous system – where all rest, relaxation, restoration and healing happens
How to develop a coherent and congruent dance journey. Every class / workshop / retreat is a unique journey into the interior and exterior landscapes of existence. For the journey to be meaningful, it needs a clean and clear intention and vision, set by the facilitator. This intention becomes the themed invitation of the journey
BlissDance is a practice of deep intimacy, connection and awakening – you will learn how to support dancers to de-armour on a physical, emotional and spiritual level by creating immaculate safe, sacred space
How to work with all the layers of the body, from the most physical to the most etheric
How to take dancers into altered states of consciousness, both transcendent and regressive
How to bring dancers back out of altered states of consciousness, and ground them in the still, quiet centre of their beings
How to support dancers to develop their capacity for self-awareness and intimate connection with self, others and life
How to balance and integrate the therapies and learnings from the different movement practices and dance journeys into your own life, and the lives of your dancers
The role of music, and how to select the best music for a particular practice and outcome

BlissDance is both embodied and transcendent, masculine and feminine, dark and light, and critically, engages the shadow aspects of our sexuality and unconscious, bringing all into the loving light of compassionate consciousness and blissful integration.

Application Process

There are 3 parts to this application process. You do not need to complete the parts in order, but please ensure that you do complete all 3 parts for your application in order to be enrolled successfully.

1. Sign up to the WAITLIST

2. Complete the Application Form

3. Book your Discovery Call

Financial aid will be available to a limited number of students in the form of partial bursaries. Please note that bursary awards are based on several factors, including the size of our award fund and the approximate number of students enrolling at the full tuition rate.

All students requiring assistance are welcome to apply for financial aid. We welcome applications from serious seekers of all races, sexual orientations, and beyond.

"Bliss is the balance that happens when we fully embrace both our shadow & our light and come to rest as Love"
- Shakti Malan

How is this course constructed?

12-months of Study over 3 trimesters with 2 month-long breaks
2 x 2-hour live teaching classes per month for 9 months, recorded should you miss the live sessions (18 in total)
30-minute optional, informal, Hang-Out at the end of each live teaching class
9 substantial Modules in both written and audio formats to suit your learning style
3 Study Hall style sessions for accountability and community
1 x 1-hour in-person Coaching Session with either of the 2 facilitators
3 x 2-hour Study Groups (1 per trimester) for community support and reflection
3 x 90-minute Bonus Masterclasses with skilled experts in their field
1 x 90-minute online BlissDance Drop-In class per month
Monthly Assignments relating to the content of the course
Spotify Music Playlists

All of our teaching happens within Mighty Networks, a safe, private learning platform; and our live calls will happen on Zoom. In these places we can have lively conversations, learn from each other, and ask questions in total privacy.

Live Teaching Classes will be on Wednesdays. Study Halls will be on Sundays.

Class times: 7pm SAST – 10am PT – 1pm ET – 6pm UK

Please take note of Daylight Savings, class time will always remain 7pm SAST, and all other time zones will shift by an hour accordingly.

Modules

Semester 1

Module 1 ~ An overview of the conscious dance landscape, and where BlissDance fits in

Live Class: 14 + 28 May 2025

Brief history of indigenous ecstatic dance, out of which forms of contemporary conscious dance originated
Overview of BlissDance, and as a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening, what makes it distinct from other conscious dance forms

Module 2 ~ A deeper dive into BlissDance, it's unique differentiation, benefits, and purpose

Live Class: 11 + 25 June 2025

The nervous system’s 3 settings – Sympathetic, Social and Parasympathetic, and dances to support these different states
What is body armouring, and how different movement practices can support de-armouring and capacity-building for greater presence and intimacy
The BlissDance Theoretical Model: A Totality Tantra Map of Transformation

Module 3 ~ The 1st Erotic Sutra of Relating & The 1st Minor Thread of Intimate Presence

Live Class: 9 + 23 July 2025

Relations as reflections of Self – life is not happening to us, life is happening from us, there’s really only one of us here
Humans as relational beings, and why healthy relating leads to a healthier life experience
De-armouring physically, emotionally, spiritually
The dance of duality and totality
Developing the capacity for full-bodied, authentic, intimate presence with Self and Others

Semester 2

Module 4 ~ The 2nd Erotic Sutra of Sexuality & The 2nd Minor Thread of Polarities & Shadows

Live Class: 10 + 24 September 2025

Awakened sexuality and sensuality as embodied, erotic, creative life force energy
The body as the unconscious in form – resolution of the unconscious and integrating our sexual shadow
Embody your desire – relating to desire from a subject vs object orientation
Exploring
- Needs and expectations
- Conscious consent
- Healthy boundaries and communication
- Loving touch
- Sexual shadow integration

Module 5 ~ The 3rd Erotic Sutra of Creativity & The 3rd Minor Thread of Archetypes

Live Class: 8 + 22 October 2025

The value of creative expression, inspiration, curiosity and play as fundamental to self-esteem and growth
Movement and music as allies of the imagination, memory and creativity
Exploring the power of embodying archetypes and unconscious shadow of stereotypes

Module 6 ~The 4th Erotic Sutra Shamanism & The 4th Minor Thread of the Breath (BlissBreath)

Live Class: 5 + 19 November 2025

Delving into the mystical realms of:
- Shamanism
- Animism
- Metamorphosis
- Anthropomorphism
- Alchemy
Expanding consciousness: what are altered states of consciousness?
How to use breath, movement and music to induce altered states of consciousness

Semester 3

Module 7 ~ The 5th Erotic Sutra of Regressive & Transcendent Trance (BlissTrance) & The 5th Minor Thread of the Light

Live Class: 14 + 28 January 2026

Traversing the Sacred Hoop / Medicine Wheel
Dancing birth, growth, decay, death, rebirth
Facing fears, taking back projections
The light, the dark, the shadow and the golden shadow
Dancing the sacred hoop of life: preparing to face our primal fears, and dancing birth, death and rebirth

Module 8 ~ The Fundamentals of Facilitation as Embodied Transmission

Live Class: 11 + 25 February 2026

The basics of sound facilitation as place from which to intuitively transmit direct, embodied wisdom
Includes:
- Emptying out to be the hollow flute
- Self-care
- Creating safe space and strong containers
- Holding the energetic authority in a circle of equals
- Handling conflict

Module 9 ~ Musicology: Music and Movement as Medicine

Live Class: 11 + 25 March 2026

The vital role of music in BlissDance
Creating magical dance immersions, soundscapes and sound baths

Masterclasses

with Guest Teachers

Marcelo Toro

Relating in Intimacy with Self

BIODANZA ROLANDO TORO is the International Organization of Biodanza SRT. He lives in Granada, Spain, where he directs the Rolando Toro System of Biodanza, founded in 2010. He is from the Third Generation of Biodanza Facilitators.

It maintains its objectives and the statute of the former International Biocentric Foundation, created by Rolando Toro in 2003 whose mission is preserve the integrity of “Biodanza Sistema Rolando Toro” and its evolution, in accordance with its theoretical model. In addition to divulging the artistic and intellectual legacy of Rolando.

I live in Granada, Spain, where I direct the Rolando Toro System of Biodanza, founded in 2010. Third Generation of Biodanza Facilitators.

In 2000 I received a Biodanza Facilitator at the School of Buenos Aires with Raúl Terren and Verónica Toro.
In 2002 I received as a Didact with my grandfather Rolando Toro (Creator of the Biodanza System).
From 2002 to 2010 I live successively in Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Spain teaching Biodanza.
From 2010 to 2013 Director of the School of Biodanza SRT of Granada Spain.
From 2013 to 2017 Director of the School of Biodanza SRT of Cape Town South Africa.
In 2015 I go around the world with Biodanza on 12 consecutive weekends with the Hermes Project.
In 2015 I develop Biocentric Steps, a program for biodance schools and their students.
In 2017, with the collaboration of 12 Biodanza Schools, I made “Around the world in 80 days with Biodanza”.
In 2017 I am invited to participate in the training team of future Didactics in South America.
In 2018 with the collaboration of Viviana Canalis
We inaugurated the new cycle of the School of Biodanza SRT: Granada!

Valentina Leo

Dancing Tandava

Tandava is the yoga of mystical union with the vast emptiness of pure space. In this bonus masterclass Valentina will share this traditional practice with the intention of catalysing the experience of spiritual arousal in the awakening of your Beautiful Breathing Body…

A very slow and spontaneous dance that leads to the perception of the Cosmic Body and attunement to our infinitely Empty Nature. It is our Majestic Magnificence making love to the Unknown.

Knowing how to be intimate with the erotic flow of pleasure in your body will bring you confidence, purpose, and a sense of deep belonging. When the body relaxes in its divine emptiness, naked as the darkest night and aware of its intrinsic brilliancy, it becomes a portal for Endless Cosmic Orgasm – the essence of Reality and your true nature.

In this bonus masterclass Valentina will share this traditional practice with the intention of catalysing the experience of spiritual arousal in the awakening of your Beautiful Breathing Body…

VALENTINA LEO (a.k.a. MrsLove) is the Mother of the School of Fascinating Wonderment. She’s a devoted student, a mystic, a lover & a fool. Spiritual maverick, teacher of Erotic Wisdom and an Explorer of the Tantric Realms for over 20 years. Valentina is a Dakini ~ holder of the freedom lineage from the Tantric school of Fascinating Wonderment (Vismayo) ~ that spontaneously births female teachers of the pathless Path.

Andrew Barnes

Raising Your Vibration

Andrew Barnes is an internationally acclaimed Tantric sex, relationship, and orgasm coach, sexologist, speaker, master bodyworker, and author of Heart of the Flower and Relationship Tantra. Andrew is the developer of Tantric Body De-armouring, and over the last several years he has been running courses worldwide in this ever-popular modality.

Andrew is the developer of Tantric Body De-armouring, and over the last several years he has been running courses worldwide in this ever-popular modality.

He supports people to become more aware of the unconscious beliefs and behaviours of relationships, sexuality, and social disempowerment, how this can affect our ability to love without fear, and lower the vibrational frequency of the body. He shows how we can use our sexual energy as a spiritual platform for creating bliss states for healing, raising consciousness, and creating abundance/prosperity

Be held in an Ecstatic Intuitive Dance container to purify stagnant energy that’s been blocking the free flow of your creative life force energy. Embody breath, sound and movement practices that will cultivate ecstatic energy flow in your body/mind and support you to open energy pathways and expand higher consciousness.

Move beyond the confines of your egoic self and tap into your higher evolutionary creative potential. Be supported to experience your relationships, love, creativity, vocation and sexuality in new and inspirational ways.

Evolution is created through raising vibration and increasing vitality. The essential ingredients are breath practices, joyousness, dance, play, togetherness, authenticity, nutrition, ceremony, sensuality, sexuality, living in the now, music, and exploring wisdom pragmatically.

Feedback from past students

"Embodying the elements ..the images of this weekend past are blowing through me still, the Ecstasy of the elements dancing through me, such awesomeness. Thank you Kali Satyagraha Widd for creating that space and allowing it to happen so easily and gracefully. There aren't actually words to describe being seized and danced by the earth...there are sounds...like a primal growl and sensations of being pulsated within the earth's heartbeat . Beautiful location too. I swear, I sense I took flight in that valley, and I don't think I've landed since. Bring on the next one... I am so ready."

"A uniquely delightful combo of shamanic dance meditation & creative sharing moves me deeply every time. DJ Kali opens the portal to an exquisite individual journey as she weaves the sounds into a spell of transformative conscious dance. After which sharing a community meal and witnessing or playfully sharing a song, a dance or a poem from an inspired place that leaves me feeling connected, nourished & fulfilled."

"There’s a magical, almost mystical marriage that emerges during our sexual awakening journey work, or any inner journey work for that matter – when blended with Kali’s specialised modality of dance and movement, known as BlissDance. Having witnessed my own powerful shifts in BlissDance, I have over the years referred many clients to Kali’s BlissDance practice, knowing well her measured and tender facilitation brings profound insights, providing a rare portal for deepening into our own journey towards greater self-knowledge, love and mastery."

Facilitation Team

Kali Satyagraha Widd

Custodian & Lead Teacher

Before Kali was irrevocably called to the lightning-fast path Tantra, she was a top brand strategist in Johannesburg, Dubai, London, and Cape Town. Upon shattering her left knee (her body’s feminine support structure) while horse riding, she realised she needed a radical change.

From promoting unconsciousness through marketing global alcohol brands, she transitioned – not without some considerable challenges – to promoting embodied consciousness through non-dual movement, body de-armouring, and meditation. She turned to teachers at the cutting edge of non-duality to heal the extreme polarities that had played throughout her life; amongst whom were Isaac Shapiro, Sw. Rahasya, Andrew Barnes, and Shakti Malan, the founder of BlissDance and Shakti Shiva Academy.

To rehabilitate her knee, Kali trained in Biodanza (completing the 18 months Personal Development course) with Marcelo Toro – the grandson of the dance movement’s founder – and then deepened her conscious dance training with Shakti Malan, who had developed BlissDance, a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening.
Over the past 10 years, she has held weekly BlissDance classes in Cape Town for 3 years, together with closed groups, workshops and retreats throughout Southern Africa, the UK, and the Netherlands.

The key differentiator of BlissDance is its lineage, steeped as it is in Totality Tantra and the invitation to constantly stalk our shadows and bring them lovingly into the light of healing, together with the substantial gifts they deliver to individuals and the collective. BlissDance also has the capacity to de-armour the body-mind while ensuring the development of clear discernment and setting of healthy boundaries from moment to moment.

BlissDance invites us to meditate consciously on what we really, really want, and develops our capacity for authentic intimacy with Self and with life as the Beloved.

Kali became renowned for the depth to which she could invite dancers to drop within a safe, sacred container – and for her superb music curation, which in turn organically led to her being invited to deejay at private events and festivals.

Together with Shakti Shiva Academy, Kali is delighted to announce the launch of a substantial 3-year BlissDance Teacher Training Certification: the exciting manifestation of Shakti’s dream to bring this exquisite movement practice to the world!

Stephen Tredrea

Support Teacher

A perfectly orchestrated quarter-life ensemble, leading from the turn of the century, introduced Steph to Shakti’s tantric teachings, working with her to become a practitioner and BlissDance facilitator.

As an invitation into the fullness of embodiment and present moment awareness, conscious movement forms an essential aspect of his personal journey and offering.

“When I first danced BlissDance with Shakti I was able to face the discomfort of the stigma I had created. It was a safe container in which to do that and doing so dissolved the stigma.

I stepped through fears and limiting self beliefs to express myself in ways I had never previously imagined. Through the guidance of BlissDance I became more present and my self confidence blossomed.”

Retreats

BlissDance asks, how much bliss can you stand? Bliss is not simply happiness: bliss includes happiness, but bliss is so much more than that! Bliss is really an orientation to the reality of existence, which opens its loving and compassionate heart to all that life brings. The bliss state says, ‘Bring it on!’ It has no preferences or avoidances.

F.A.Q

Who is this 1-year BlissDance Foundation Training course for?

This course is designed to be both a stand alone personal development course and it’s also part of a 3-year learning path to qualify as a certified BlissDance facilitator.

BlissDance is for those yearning for authentic presence, intimacy, connection, pleasure, love, freedom and truth. It’s for brave spiritual warriors unafraid to fly their freak flags and have their vulnerability witnessed by others.

All it takes is a little willingness and a lot of curiosity. The music, the facilitation and the group carry us along into what we really, really want: a deep heart opening into this present, precious moment.

Any body in a body can move.

Do I need to be a dancer and do I need to be musical in order to do this course?

Anybody in a body can move. We dance to express not impress so, you do not need to be a dancer or have any previous dance experience. Furthermore, this course will teach you the fundamentals of music selection and curation.

Does the course require specific knowledge or experience?

No. In fact, sometimes the less you know, the better it is – this opens you to beginner’s mind and enables you to meet the materials in a fresh way. What is important however, is that you are hungry and committed to this work.

Are there any prerequisites to participating in this course?

No. It’s not required that you’ve completed any previous courses with Shakti Shiva Academy. This course can be taken for personal development only and it’s also the 1st year of a 3-year learning path to become a certified BlissDance Facilitator. Read more about the BlissDance learning path here.

How much time should you invest to maximise your investment?

The BlissDance training is made up of live, online teaching classes; study groups, masterclasses, study halls and monthly assignments. The course is designed to be deeply stimulating, provocative, introspective, meditative and pleasurable.

We believe learning happens best in a well-held, confidential, compassionate, authentic, collaborative, and engaging environment.

To optimise your investment in this training, it’s recommended you devote 16 quality hours of your time and attention to the course.

What if I need more support?

We’ve built in 3 “Study hall”- style sessions at the end of each semester for accountability, community and additional support.

“Office Hours” is a weekly online gathering space hosted by Shakti Shiva faculty member Lisa Grace. You’re invited to use this space to check-in, ask questions, start conversations, initiate inquiry, request support on your path or simply share what’s moving for you in your messy living loving human life.

If you find you require additional support aside from the LIVE calls and group coaching sessions provided with this program, then you are welcome to approach either of the facilitators and book private sessions. These sessions are booked and paid separately and negotiated between you and the facilitator in their private capacity.

Do I have to finish the course in a certain time period?

No. Because you’re able to download all the materials, you can work through them at your own pace. You will have lifetime access to the private course cohort on Mighty Network, so you can continue to interact and learn with the other course participants even after the course has completed. This course is not yet another to-do. There is a carefully curated structure in place to support you to get the most out of the materials. We do however encourage you to keep current with reading or listening to the modules and attending the LIVE calls each month. You can always return to the assignments and complete them in your own time.

I can't attend the LIVE coaching sessions - what now?

Not a problem – all LIVE teaching and Q&A sessions as well as masterclasses with guest teachers are recorded and will be available within 48 hours so you can download and watch/listen to them at your convenience.

What about confidentiality?

Your journey remains completely confidential. If you wish to share on the private course cohort on our Mighty Network Community platform, there is a confidentiality agreement in place.

What materials will I need for the training?

You’ll need reliable internet access, a computer, speakers or headphones.

Do I need good internet or internet skills to do this course?

Only for downloading and interaction in the Q&A aspect of the live coaching calls. We will give you all the support we can – and you’ll see that, once you’re in the flow, it’s really easy.

What is your refund policy?

Unless you cancel your registration timeously, the Shakti Shiva Academy does not offer a refund for any other reason. During the first month of the course, that is up to and including 31 May 2025, you can de-register from the course by writing an email to info@shaktishiva.academy.

If you selected the monthly payment plan when registering, we will cancel your future payments, however, please take note that no refunds will be provided.

If you selected to pay in full upfront when registering, we will refund 80% of your payment. After 31 May 2025, you can no longer de-register from the course.

Terms & Conditions

You can read our full terms & conditions here.

Still have questions?

If you’re interested in participating in this 1-year course and still have questions that need answers, please schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with course facilitator Kali Satyagraha here or with Principal & Senior faculty, Rhianne van der Linde here.

Did you know?

It took approximately 50 years for yoga to reach a global tipping point after migrating from the East?

Conscious Dance hasn’t reached its tipping point yet!

Kali – a top global brand & marketing strategist for 30 years – predicts when Conscious Dance tips in approximately 5 years from now, the movement will be exponentially larger than yoga. Yoga requires a certain level of strength and flexibility-building, which in turn requires regular class attendance and a particular innate athleticism – whereas anybody in a body can move!

Training in a Conscious Dance modality today is an opportunity to set yourself up as an in-demand teacher for the future – one who can hold classes and retreats anywhere in the world – from Bali to Costa Rica and from Ibiza to Cape Town. You can enjoy a richly rewarding path on every level, as your own mistress or master, and confidently know you’re contributing to the creation of a more grounded and blissful new world.

The origin story of BlissDance

Over a decade and a half ago, Shakti Malan – the founder of the Shakti Shiva Academy – created a dance methodology called BlissDance to support Lovers of Eros to embody their true awakened essence, as well as to create authentic, deeply intimate connections with their inner selves, one another, and the planet.

Shakti recognised how people today are very much conditioned to be in their heads: our bodies simply life-support systems for our busy minds! The masculine aspect of linear logic and valuing of action dominates at the expense of the sensed, multi-focused, felt, intuitive wisdom of the feminine

As a leading teacher of Totality Tantra, Shakti desired a simple and powerful way to redress this imbalance to wake people up, and transmit the Tantric teachings beyond intellectual concepts and theories, and directly into an embodied, intimate and authentic lived reality.

She also realized that the body is the unconscious made manifest. If we could de-armour our existential defences and use the body as a tool for consciousness, then we might begin to regain sovereignty, dissolving the unconscious layers of illusion, conditioning and trauma obscuring our true essence, and inhibiting our sexual life force energy and intimate relationships. Then, and only then, can we take radical responsibility for our lives, and playfully and pleasurably co-create with reality!

Music and movement are universal human languages, stretching back to the beginning of time, beyond the machinations of the mind, and thus perfectly suited to manifest Shakti’s dream.

Based on her training in Tantra, Biodanza, Meditation, Qigong, and Yoga, Shakti created BlissDance, a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening, where we get to truly Embody our Desire.

Certification

You are welcome to do this 1-Year course for Personal & Practitioner Mastery only.

This course is part of our 3 year certification track for BlissDance.