Eco-Somatic Investigatory Residency

At Sachaqa Centro de Arte, dance and music are nature-inspired.  Not through strict technique, but through connection.

Our two-week to one-month eco-somatic investigatory residency is inspired by the understanding that consciousness is not limited to humans alone — the philosophical view that all matter carries some form of awareness.

We approach the forest as collaborator.  Here in the Peruvian Amazon, this perspective resonates deeply with Indigenous cosmologies, where plants, rivers, animals, and stones are understood as living presences with consciousness.

​included in the basic residency

Immersion in the Land

We begin by getting to know our surroundings. Where Don Angel will introduce you to the medicinal plants growing on the land of Sachaqa. This first phase of the residency is about orientation slowing down, observing, and sensing the intelligence of place.

Eco-somatic practice becomes a form of listening, not only to the body, but to the perceived interiority of the environment itself.

Rather than using nature for inspiration, we enter reciprocal exchange.

Don Angel is an ecological builder and knowledgeable keeper of local plant medicine, he shares insight into:

• Medicinal plants and their uses (basic knowledge)

• Native building materials

• Traditional ecological construction methods

• The relationships between land, shelter, and sustainability

Through his guidance, we gain a grounded understanding of how culture and ecology are interwoven.

 

Hike to the Cordillera Escalera

We hike to the viewpoints of the Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area, ascending to the top of the mountain where expansive views open across the protected rainforest landscape.

From here, we may:

• Journey alone in contemplative silence

• Take field recordings of wind, insects, and birds

• Observe birds and shifting light

• Sketch, write, or move in response to the terrain

This time supports solitary reflection within a living ecosystem, an opportunity to sense the forest not as scenery, but as presence.

The mountain becomes the studio.
 

Fire Gatherings & Ecstatic Dance

Throughout the residency, we can host evening fire gatherings on the land of Sachaqa and by the River Cumbaza.

Around the fire, we invite our local music and dance community to join us for an ecstatic dance gathering under the stars. These evenings are spaces of freedom and connection, where movement is intuitive, music is alive, and the forest becomes part of the rhythm.
The fire becomes the center., The night sky becomes the ceiling., The earth becomes the dance floor.

Artists are invited to create workshops, experiment with playlists and curated music.  

 

Energise with some local Cacao 

San Roque de Cumbaza is abundant with organic, energetically vibrant cacao. For those who wish, we can ask Segunda to make us some energetic cacao before our fire gatherings. Cost around S/.30.

We can connect with the cacao plant by:

• Setting a collective intention

• Preparing and drinking pure cacao in silence or prayer

• Guided meditation or breath awareness

• Gentle music, singing, or drumming

• Transition into movement or ecstatic dance

Cacao is known to gently stimulate the body, increase circulation, and support emotional openness. Rather than a psychedelic experience, it is often described as grounding, heart-centered, and connective.

In the context of our eco-somatic and panpsychic orientation, cacao is approached not as a product, but as a plant intelligence — a being with which we enter into respectful relationship.

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indigenous Ceramics Class

• One– to two-hour hike to the Native community of Chunchiwi

• Cermics class rolls of clay method with a Kechwa potter

• Learn to create a basic ceramic bowl and paint your pot using colored clay

• Participate in a traditional Shuntu firing process

• Cost: 35 soles per class, paid directly to the artisan

• Collect natural pigments along the way

Sachaqa is located near Indigenous Kechwa villages, where traditional knowledge is still practiced, though it is sadly becoming rare. Trina shares these traditions with care and respect, helping participants reconnect with the natural world through art.

Traditionally, the clay is kneaded by foot and mixed with a powder called grog (Shaño). Once the clay has dried, the pots are fired in a traditional open-fire process known as Shuntu.

The walk back from the community offers stunning views, and along the way we can collect natural pigments—forming a palette of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and browns inspired directly by the surrounding landscape.

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