An embodied deep-dive into the exploration of Shadow through movement,
mask-making, & creative expression.
This is our full, in-depth, updated 2-day Shadow Tender curriculum,
something that hasn’t been offered since before the start of the pandemic.
DAY 1: Saturday, February 3th:
11:30am to 3:30pm (4 hours)
We will come together to move, play and create a mask.
DAY 2: Sunday, February 4th :
11:30am - 3:30pm (4 hours)
We will dive deeper into bringing our masks to life
and integrating the insights found within.
*I request that all participants commit to both days of the workshop.
Early bird registration $375 (until Jan 26th.) Regular price: $450
All materials and tools included in workshop price.
Seven spots total. Work-study, scholarships, and payment plans available upon request - please inquire.
*If this is your first time in a Shadow Tender workshop, please scroll down to read the full workshop details below.
As social media algorithms continue to blindly excavate the depths of our creativity and our Shadow kingdoms for profit, I dream of us seeing the beauty and power of those depths
and claiming it for ourselves.
As AI raises dizzying questions about the future, I envision a world so passionately in love with our own humanity - our grief, our tenderness, our rage - that that becomes the true compass of our path forward.
As we all feel the raw edges of our exhaustion and limitations, I strive to carve out spaces where we are nourished and supported, where we remember our innate capacity to weep, rejoice, and create together.
….Will you join me?
The past several years have confronted us with Shadow - both personal and collective - on an unprecedented scale. We have donned and shed masks over and over again amid conflict, polarization, and profound uncertainty.
As we enter a New Year, we continue to face things we could have never imagined and discover ways to face them back with aspects of self we never knew were there.
Shadow Tender workshops are a lovingly constructed container to
guide you as you build your own Shadow mask.
They are a structure within which you can make and un-make the courageous
face with which you confront the world.
They are space to encounter Shadow and step into relationship with
the wisdom, resilience, and joy contained within.
ABOUT SHADOW TENDER
Shadow Tender is a creative project and a school of thought that invites you to dance with your demons through mask-making and creative expression. Unlike a traditional therapeutic or coaching environment, which encourages verbal exchange, the focus of Shadow Tender workshops is on creative play, and embodied self-expression and discovery.
Borne of many years of collaboration, formal study, underground art experiments, old-growth wilderness, loss, grief, and joy, Shadow Tender is my path towards bone-deep knowledge that there are always ways to heal and re-member, and that our inner monsters can hold the keys to our brightest light.
I believe that shadow work is a living process, a wild process, a dance - an unfolding of the self that has power to repair the very foundations of our beings. I believe that shadow work is a physical, social, creative act - stitch by stitch, gesture by gesture, story by story…embodied poetry carving a path forward to deeper connection through and beyond the self.
In a world that profits from leading us further and further away from ourselves and each other, it is my greatest honor to continue to share this work with you.
You can read more about the story of Shadow Tender here.
“Shadow Tender was a game changer for me in how I approached shadow work on my healing journey. By engaging me intellectually, somatically, creatively, and emotionally - no aspect of self was neglected in what had been an historically painful process of “processing”. Natalya is a gifted artist, mystic, thinker, and community leader. This delicate work is in compassionate, master-level hands with the Shadow Tender Team. Post workshop, I had a dramatically more accurate view of myself, and a tenderness and love for my hidden aspects that is priceless. This workshop was a tipping point on my path.”
— Lindsey Bruno
THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU
IF YOU ARE…
Craving to move through things that cannot be explained or put into words
Curious to discover your Shadow’s face and dive deeper into the Shadow archetype
Wanting to learn more about mask-making and create your own Shadow mask
Hungry to to dance, play, and remember your inner strength and deep, unwavering light
Eager to expand your understanding of yourself and move past demon/victim binaries
Seeking to re-connect with your creativity and imagination
Motivated to gain greater self-awareness and skills for embodied leadership and communication
Searching for an intentional container in which your body and your breath can unwind in
community with others
WHAT YOU WILL GET
OUT OF THIS WORKSHOP
Tools and exercises for nervous system resilience, integration, and creative expression
Practical conceptual frameworks for understanding and navigating mechanisms of othering and polarization
A chance to slow down and reconnect with your body and your deeper self
A multidimensional understanding of the Shadow archetype on individual and collective levels
An opportunity to create and explore your own Shadow mask
A facilitated space to ask questions, dialogue, integrate and create in community with others
An much, much more.
STRUCTURE & DATES
Our world and our hearts have undergone tremendous change over the last few years, and my goal is to offer tools and experiences that not only support you during our time together, but also can serve you for the rest of your life. This work is deep, rich, and powerful; structured in such a way as to build on itself with every hour we spend together.
+ DAY 1: Saturday, February 3th: 11:30am to 3:30pm (4 hours)
We begin with a short opening circle, guidelines, an introduction to key concepts of Shadow work, and a series of physical and vocal warm-up exercises. We then work through a variety of modalities (movement, breathwork, play, guided meditation, journaling, crafting) to create a Shadow mask. We end with a gentle cool-down and a closing circle.
+ DAY 2: Sunday, February 4th: 11:30am - 3:30pm (4 hours)
We open with a physical and vocal warm-up, followed by a series of exercises to connect and explore our Shadow masks and the insights that they may bring to our lives. We conclude with a closing circle and reflection on how this work be most relevant for our communities in the present moment.
To make sure there is plenty of space and attention to go around, this workshop will be capped at 7 participants. For this reason, I am requesting that everybody who wants to attend commits in advance, and is able to participate in both days.
The primary language in this workshop will be English - with support in Russian available upon request. All crafting materials will be provided. Please wear garments you can comfortably move in and bring a journal, water bottle, and something to write with. All levels of makers, movers, and monsters are welcome.
Questions? Please check out our FAQ page or write to me directly.
“I can’t believe this Shadow Tender workshop exists in the world. It’s like alchemy, healing, performance all rolled up into one. During this workshop, I relearned that healing takes place on levels we don’t even realize. Maybe it takes place when we can take off just one mask, for a little while, and put on another one. Thanks to Natalya, I regained a sense of wonder - and realized that the greatest secret is to have one, and not know what it is.”
— Mazarine Treyz
COST
Early bird registration is $375 until January 26th, 2024
After January 26th, registration price goes up to $450
All materials, tools, and supplies included.
Space is limited to 7 people, so I recommend reserving your spot in advance.
I am requesting that everybody who wants to attend commits to attending both days.
My aim is to make this workshop as accessible as possible to all who wish to be a part of it. If you would like to participate in this workshop, but pricing is prohibitive for any reason, you can request work-study or scholarship accommodations by contacting me directly.
“My joy returned to me (mic drop). I loved every moment of how you structured our time...from opening, to the slowness of the exercises that helped me embody my body again, to identifying my grief and putting it into the mask. I don’t tend to be creative in that way and you gave me permission to create whatever wanted to come forth. You gave me options on how I want to express myself through movement and intimacy with the others. I appreciated your intentionality and care for details. I was amazed by the alchemy of acknowledging my grief as myself as a child and releasing a part of my bullshit programming that my child was carrying for so long so that I can feel joyful and free again in the present. I was frankly surprised by the return of joy and play thanks to the ceremony, mask making, and being in community. This work and play are vital for the world to heal right now. Please don’t ever stop teaching Natalya!”
— Sophia Treyger
COVID PRECATIONS
Masks are optional. I will be providing hand sanitizer and masks to all individuals who wish to use them. I also advise anybody who feels ill to stay at home and not participate in group activities to help keep everybody safe.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Natalya Kolosowsky (she/her) - artist, facilitator, and educator. She is the founder and director of Shadow Tender - an interdicsplinary project and school of thought that invites you to dance with your demons through mask-making and creative expression.
Natalya was born in Siberia but grew up in the Sonoran desert, which created a life-long interest in bridging worlds that normally remain invisible to each other and navigating realities polarized by a history of antagonism and fear. Drawing on the experiences of being suspended between languages and cultures, she is fascinated by the construction of social and individual “otherness.” She works across multiple media, focusing on visual and motion-based storytelling through costume, performance, and illustration.
Natalya received her classical ballet training under Kee-Juan Han from the School of Ballet Arizona and went on to study and perform in circus arts, butoh, physical theater and puppetry throughout the West Coast of the United States. In 2010, she founded the Anatomia Dance Collective - a performance project focused on the psychological transformation of space through movement and costume. Her consequent projects have included collaborations with San Francisco’s City Circus, Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater, the Salzburg State Theatre, Michael Curry Design, Degenerate Art Ensemble, and many others.
Natalya holds a BS in Psychology and a BFA in Visual Communication from the University of Arizona, as well as a MFA in Costume Design from the University of Oregon. She is also currently becoming a certified Buteyko breathwork instructor via Patrick McKeown’s Buteyko Clinic International in Ireland. Natalya’s work has been presented in universities, conferences, museums, and theaters around the world.
Natalya is fluent in English and Russian, and offers 1:1 work, teaching, and group facilitation in both languages.
You can learn more by visiting www.shadowtender.com or follow her on Instagram @natalya_chaos
Maria Thomas (she/her) is a multidisciplinary performer, stunt woman, martial arts instructor, and the co-founder of the Shadow Tender project.
Her passion for martial arts, a lifetime of asthma, and a chronically ill childhood have fueled a fascination with the way we use our bodies to communicate, navigate, and integrate with our surroundings. She has been practicing martial arts for over half of her life: training, teaching, choreographing, and performing. After graduating with a degree in graphic design and illustration, Maria accidentally co-founded a dance collective and has been telling stories physically as well as visually for the last several decades.
All these experiences have resulted in a pretty unique cross-section: She is a small woman who understands both the physics and psychology of self defense. She also loves the dichotomy of theatrical violence: that the most convincing fights scenes are actually the ones with the best non-verbal communication and cooperation. Falling into the dance world via Butoh fostered a strong grasp of improvisation and the ability to embody images upon direction.
Maria has performed internationally and throughout the west coast of the US in dance pieces that have since gained international acclaim. She is a 4th degree black belt with over 2 decades of training in Tang Soo Do, as well as exposure to Aikido, Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, and Tricking, and has experience with various weapons. Maria has choreographed and performed in internationally award-winning martial arts demonstrations, and has been performing stage-combat-style martial arts for over 20 years. Instructing all ages (and a variety of developmental abilities) in martial arts and self defense for over 17 years has lent her excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Maria holds a BFA in Visual Communication from the University of Arizona.
You can learn more by visiting https://mariathomas.online/ or follow her on Instagram @birdskullstudios
HONOR YOUR TEACHERS
RESPECT YOUR ANCESTORS
This work was developed across a variety of spaces - intellectually, temporally, and geographically - which is itself an enormous privilege.
No teacher, no ancestor is perfect or without flaw, yet a constellation of teachers can begin to weave clearer and clearer paths for inquiry shaped by integrity, curiosity, and greater self-awareness. As such - both here, and throughout my workshops - I openly credit and honor those whose work has become a foundation for this project and teaching methodology:
Shadow Tender collaborators and co-teachers: Maria Thomas, Magdalena Kaczmarska, and Adam Cooper-Terán
Eastern European folk dance traditions, especially from Russia, Poland, and Ukraine as taught by Nadia Zubkov and others
Eastern European and Central Asian folklore and fairytales as passed through oral and written traditions
The teaching methodology, academic guidance, and insights of La Donna Forsgren, Les Gray, Theresa May, and Alexandra Bonds
The research of Spee Kosloff, Jeff Greenberg, and other scholars of Terror Management Theory
The writings and scholarly research of Judika Illes
The breathing methodologies of Konstantin Buteyko as taught by Patrick McKeown
The teachings of butoh artists Diego Piñon, Hiroko & Koichi Tamano, Yumiko Yoshioka, and others
The communication strategies taught by Kasia Urbaniak and Ruben Flores Montenegro
The teachings & writings of Marshall Rosenberg and his theory of Nonviolent Communication
The psychodramatic approaches of Alejandro Jodorowsky
The research of Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing
The original writings and theories of Carl G. Jung
A percentage of all of our workshop proceeds will be donated to the Lelooska Foundation - a cultural fund to support the living ceremonial mask-carving traditions of the Kwakwaka’wakw tribe based in Southern Washington. The Shadow Tender project stands in deep reverence and solidarity with the occupied lands and its indigenous communities on which this teaching curriculum has been developed over the years: Chinook, Kalapuya, O’Odham, Pima, and Lenape.