Bollywood Rhythms & Pathways to Well-being
Two complementary workshops with Terence Lewis and Sonia Mackwani in cooperation with ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival
Bollywood Rhythms & Pathways to Well-being
A Celebration of Life
Discover the complementary harmony of inner and outer expression in this transformative retreat. Terence’s Bollywood choreography ignites vibrant movement and joyful energy, while Sonia guides you to explore the inner rhythms of your soul. Together, they create a space where outward celebration meets inward reflection, helping you flow with grace, connect deeply, and radiate well-being from the inside out.
Choose both workshops for maximum experience, or take either Bollywood Rhythms or Pathways to Well-being to enjoy more unstructured daily time. Each workshop consists of approximately 100 minutes of activity daily. The Collective Journey of Breath, Nature, and Italian Dolce Vita are shared moments for everyone and thus included with the registration to any of the two workshops.
Bollywood Rhythms
A joyful empowerment workshop with Terence Lewis
Step into the vibrant world of Bollywood dance, where every beat tells a story, every movement celebrates life, and every expression connects us to deeper well-being. Bollywood dance isn’t just about the thrill of the moves—it’s a metaphor for life itself: dynamic, evolving, and colorful. Drawing inspiration from traditional Kathak, folk dances from across India, and contemporary global influences, this workshop blends the theatrical charm of Bollywood with the empowering philosophy of salutogenesis—the idea that well-being arises from focusing on resources and possibilities rather than obstacles.
Through high-energy routines, footwork, and expressive gestures (Mudras), you’ll not only burn calories but also build resilience, joy, and a connection to new aspects of yourself. Dive into the art of Abhinaya (dramatic facial expressions) to embody emotions and stories that evoke laughter, drama, and catharsis. Explore the sensual elegance of Mujra, the dance of the courtesans, and channel the urban sass of today’s Bollywood chart-toppers.
This isn’t just a dance class—it’s an invitation to let go, embrace your dramatic self, and celebrate life’s imperfections and possibilities. With the pulsating beats, dazzling attire (bling is highly encouraged!), and an inclusive environment that welcomes everyone—divas, dreamers, dance enthusiasts and newbies alike—you’ll leave not just energized but transformed.
Come as you are, and let Bollywood rhythms guide you on a journey to vitality, joy, and well-being.
Duration: Approximately 100 minutes daily
Pathways to Well-being
A joyful empowerment workshop with Sonia Mackwani
Coined by Sonia Mackwani, the Self-Work* Approach to well-being is a metaphysical, inner-movement process that transforms “working on ourselves” into a way of life. This guided method provides a safe initiation into the inner landscape of the psyche, unconscious, and subconscious, exploring intergenerational imprints—memories, samskara, and our 'seed-stories.'
The approach involves three key journeys:
Walking towards our stories.
Discovering narrative elements—identifying origins, patterns, light, shadows, and archetypes.
Achieving ‘realized integration’ of body-mind-soul and ‘practical re-integration’ into the world through our gifts of intuition, creative portals, and our body’s natural intelligence and mechanism to heal itself and translate our lives into peaceful language.
Rooted in self-work principles, it incorporates the theory of mind, constellation processes, birth-work, sense-work, and the ancient healing power of nature. These tools guide participants toward creating safe inner spaces, nurturing a profound sense of belonging, and rebuilding a deeper sense of purpose.
Designed with care and respect for individual and collective dynamics, the workshop meets participants where they are, facilitating transformation. Delivered with gentleness and depth, participants leave with profound self-awareness and practical tools to adopt self-work as a lifelong practice, leading their lives with greater presence and freedom.
Duration: Approximately 100 minutes daily
SHARED MOMENTS:
A Collective Journey of Breath, Nature, and Italian Dolce Vita
The shared moments are a nurturing space where each participant’s self-discovery is gently guided and supported by the collective spirit of the group. In these shared moments, Terence leads energizing breathwork, meditation, and animal-based movement. Experience the beauty of nature on a hike to breathtaking waterfalls and immerse yourself in the slow pace of Italian dolce vita with an afternoon visit to a nearby medieval town. Embrace the synergy of community and personal growth and savor life’s simple pleasures.
Duration: Approximately 100 minutes daily
Workshops can also be booked individually
Meet your workshop leaders
Terence Lewis is of Indian origin and descent. He got his Anglo-Indian name from his forefathers who were originally Hindus and converted to Christianity during the Portuguese colonisation of Goa-India. He studied different dance and body disciplines of his own culture such as Indian folk dance, Kathak, and Yoga. In addition, he has studied with various contemporary and modern dance teachers of international repute for several years before he built a strong body of work that is predominantly contemporary yet has a strong influence on his rich indigenous culture!
In 2003 he was a participant of the ImPulsTanz danceWEB scholarship in Vienna. On his return, he established his own company as the artistic director and founder of the TLCDC that staged and toured several productions such as Surkh, Out of the Box, After 8, and more recently Scrambled Eggs or Sunny Side Up. In 2005 he established the Terence Lewis Academy – a premier training school, offering partly funded scholarships for talented young dancers in the country to train professionally in contemporary dance incorporating both Indian and Western dance disciplines! After ten years as a choreographer for Bollywood Films, and also choreographing for the German film Hexe Lilli quite accidentally, he quit the Film Industry in 2009 and was asked to be on the Jury of several TV shows such as Dance India Dance and India’s Best Dancer. April 2015 marked the year where he established and simultaneously curated the very first Contemporary Dance Festival in Mumbai called Jugnee (Firefly) in association with ImPulsTanz! A popular contemporary dance icon in his own country today, Terence Lewis is a part of several national discussion platforms for the changing trends in modern and contemporary dance in India.
Terence Lewis was conferred the Honorary Doctorate in Performing Arts and Dance by the National American University in the Alliance with National Institutes of Education and Research, Asia in the year 2018. He has been 3 times Guinness World Record Winner: he conducted the largest Bollywood Dance Class in the world (2010), the largest Indo-Contemporary Dance Class (2011) and the largest Bollywood Dance Class in the world, breaking his own records (2012). Terence Lewis and his dance company are impaneled members of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and were selected to represent the country for a European Tour in 2022 in conjunction with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Campaign.
Lewis’s passion and dedication to teaching his technique and mentoring young artists to reach their highest potential creatively by working holistically with them makes him a teacher of fine repute and a force to reckon with. In 2024, Terence Lewis and Mahrukh Dumasia were commissioned to create a contemporary dance piece for Aviva Studios, Factory International Manchester which had its world premiere in May 2024 and was critically acclaimed by the international press.
Sonia is a writer, filmmaker, therapist, healer, theatre artist, and social entrepreneur with over two decades of experience. She is the founder of Touching Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering children, communities, and women in the slums of Mumbai, India, through education, mental health, and art-based initiatives. In 2023, she expanded Touching Lives to Switzerland, aiming to support entrepreneurs globally.
An accomplished author, Sonia has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Her published works include Everyone Can Heal (non-fiction), 365 Days of a Sufi (fiction), The Rocket Science Called Love (fiction), and Tales from Indian Mythology (children’s literature). A portion of her book royalties supports her non-profit work.
With a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Hypnotherapy, Sonia integrates eclectic psychotherapy, alternative healing methods, and ancestral and birth-work in her practice. Her holistic, client-centered approach is known for its depth, creativity, and transformational impact. Sonia also founded the School of Self-Work, an online community focused on healing and personal growth, and developed Master Reconnection, an initiation program for self-evolution and healing.
In filmmaking, Sonia’s work as a writer, director, and assistant director has been recognized at international film festivals. She is also an improv coach and performing artist, having participated in theatre festivals across Switzerland, Austria, and the USA.
Her achievements include receiving the 100 Women Achiever of India Award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2015, presented by the President of India.
Guided by her foundational value, “It is my need to serve, rather than saying I am serving the needy,” Sonia continues to create meaningful impact through her writing, films, and healing work. She currently divides her time between India and Switzerland.
Website : www.soniamackwani.com | www.touchonelife.org | www.bliss-consultancy.com | www.masterreconnection.com
- Accommodation for 7 days (6 nights)
- 3 vegetarian meals daily
- 5 movement sesssions with Terence (~ 100 minutes each)
- 5 movement sessions with Sonia (~ 100 minutes each)
- Shared moments: A Collective Journey of Breath, Nature, and Italian Dolce Vita (~ 100 minutes daily)
- Talks with the teachers
- Access to pool and all other amenities of Tenuta di Poggiolame
- Shuttle to and from train station Fabro-Ficulle
Total costs for 7 days (6 nights) per person: from € 1,190 to € 1,880 (single or double room, private or shared bathroom).
Upon receipt of a deposit of 400 euro, the retreat is bindingly reserved. Please take note of our cancellation policy.
Number of participants: max. 16
A retreat in cooperation with ImPulsTanz
our rooms
Axis
18m² fits 2 people
Axis is a cute little double room (two single beds) facing east on the upper floor. It features open beams with terracotta tiles. It is connected to the front room (Scaleni), through which one will walk through to get to the hallway and to the bathroom, which is shared with Scaleni.
our rooms
Mana double
16m² fits 2 people
Mana double room looks out towards the pool. It is part of the Mana apartment which is a bit away from the other rooms. It shares a bathroom with Mana single.
our rooms
Alba
18m² fits 2 people
Alba is a double room on the upper floor of the original building with open beam ceilings and faces east and south. Its doublebed (160 cm wide) features a canopy. It shares a bathroom with Psoas and Vitus
our rooms
Psoas
16m² fits 2 people
The Psoas is a double room located on the upper floor of the original building with a historic open beamed ceiling. The windows face south and west. Psoas has a double bed (160 cm) and shares a bathroom with Alba and Vitus
our rooms
Gracilis
18m² fits 2 people
Gracilis is a double room and looks out the west side towards Montegabbione. It contains a double bed (160 cm wide). It shares a wheelchair accessible bathroom with Soleus, with whom it makes up an apartment
our rooms
Amiata
30m² fits 2 people
Amiata is a double room apartment with a gallery. Upstairs: double-bed (160 cm) & bathroom. Downstairs there are two single beds and a kitchenette. Private west terrace with a lovely view of our olive orchards and Monte Amiata.
our rooms
Atlas
35m² fits 2 people
Atlas is a double room and located on the upper floor of the main building with windows and balcony doors facing north and south. It has a private terrace of 30 m2 with a view from Monte Peglia to Monte Cetona. It also has a huge double bed (180x200) made of solid cherry wood.
our rooms
Alba (as single room)
18m² fits one person
Alba is a double room on the upper floor of the original building with open beam ceilings and faces east and south. Its doublebed (160 cm wide) features a canopy. It shares a bathroom with Psoas and Vitus.
our rooms
Psoas (as single room)
16m² fits one person
The Psoas is a double room located on the upper floor of the original building with a historic open beamed ceiling. The windows face south and west. Psoas has a double bed (160 cm) and shares a bathroom with Alba and Vitus.
our rooms
Gracilis (as single room)
18m² fits one person
Gracilis is a double room and looks out the west side towards Montegabbione. It contains a double bed (160 cm wide). It shares a wheelchair accessible bathroom with Soleus, with whom it makes up an apartment.
our rooms
Soleus
22m² fits one person
Soleus is a single room and sits at the south west corner of the terrace, with its own furniture on the main terrace. It contains a medium size bed (140 cm wide) and a kitchenette. It shares a bathroom with Gracilis, with whom it makes up an apartment.
our rooms
Piriformis
12m² fits one person
Piriformis is a single room with its own bathroom. Piriformis has a north-facing private terrace, which is pleasantly cool in summer. Piriformis is close to the kitchen and is therefore best suited to guests who like to get up early or who don't mind kitchen noise.
