MARCH
22-29
2026
Zipolite
Oaxaca
mexico
Actúa
Visionary Retreat
expressive arts
costume design
mask making
choreography
song writing
Dear Beloved,
You feel it too, don’t you?
The pulse of a vision
asking to move through you.
The time is now to Act It Out.
Humankind as we know it needs you in your
creative power.
Actúa is a 7-day retreat designed to feed your creative fire through various pathways of discovery… archetypal exploration, improvisation, songwriting, dance, mask-making, costume design….
all en route to the same destination:
creative reclamation.
Perhaps you've been hearing your Inner Artist cry for more.
More expression. More community. More feeling seen.
Good News. This is your sign.
Actúa is calling all the inner artists from all the lands to come play, be seen, and experiment with their expression.
And for the well seasoned artists who have already had great success...
Actúa is for you too.
This experimental playground will inspire a sense of limitlessness within your artistry, allowing you to stretch outside of the boxes that getting really good at your craft have put you in.
During the retreat, we will be guided through a full cycle of creation—
theme exploration & ideation
bringing vision to form
shaping it into a collaborative performance
& offering it to our wider community.
We will practice surrendering to how the vision wants to develop, because the biggest learning in collaboration is that no one owns the vision.
Rather, we are all in service to it.
There are leaders amongst us, but at the end of the day the Chief Executive CEO of our whole production is indeed... The Vision.
This retreat is designed to boost your confidence & fine-tune your unique creative essence so that you can be in your highest service to The Vision.
The Vision of Actúa & The Vision of your Life on Earth.
When your unique creative essence shines (your heart is oozing with passion), you become a clear vessel for the symbols, messages, & innovative solutions that humanity needs to grow through this delusional, tech-y and war-ridden blip in time.
upon a pristine oceanic landscape original to the
Zapotec & Mixtec peoples, presently known as
Playa Zipolite
Zipolite Beach has become globally recognized as a vibrant hub attracting queers & artist spirits. Rich in natural beauty by its gorgeous rocky coast lines & jungly inlands… Vast in its allowance of uninhibited self expression.
"At a southernmost promontory on Mexico's Costa Chica, Original People considered Zipolite
to be an underworld of sorts. Since 1970, when transformational travellers pioneered to the then deserted beach to meet a rare total solar eclipse, Zipolite emerged as a point of centripety for new culture." - CAMP website
Fun fact—it is Mexico’s only legal nude beach.
This ancient majestic land that holds such a freedom-loving & creatively charged community is the perfect place for Actúa to come alive.
introducing
our venue...
CAMP (Centro de Arte, Movimiento y Paz)
located in a barrio immediately adjacent to Zipolite called Arroyo Tres
aspires to be a welcoming & caring episodic home and cultural location to gather and connect residents with themselves, each other, the local context, and natural surroundings.
Inspired by vernacular structures of coastal Oaxaca, CAMP construction integrates clay, stone, bamboo, palm, and fast-growing sustained-yield guanacaste timber. More than 20 trees were locally
reforested for each tree harvested to construct the centre..
CAMP is water and energy efficient, with systems and devices to conserve both; and five-stage aerobic digesters that convert wastewater for irrigation and indirect potable water reuse. Twilight lumination reduces CAMP's contribution to light pollution
They have recently expanded to host larger groups, workshops. and residencies.
Their gathering spaces include ~
multiple studios
a large movement/dance floor
a black-box theatre
meditation hall
forum & fire gardens
a mineral pool
sauna
Playa Zipolite & Playa Camarón (a smaller tucked away beach cove) are both in short walking distance from our home.
The founders of CAMP emphasize thriving social architecture as a core mission--being a place of limitless possibilities, auspicious encounters, and potent connections. A place that encourages experimental social structures that invite magic into the space.
This is why it is the perfect place for Actúa which is also one big social experiment.
.
CAMP
from a Birds Eye
give yourself a chance to...
Explore & Expand Your Artistry
Actúa is an incubator for creative exploration — a space to practice diverse art forms and discover how they interact to create something of expansive magnitude. Mediums include, but are not limited to: mask-making, singing, songwriting, painting, dancing, acting, writing, set & costume design, and the embodiment of archetypes.
Nourish Your Mind, Body & Spirit
Each day at Actúa begins with a guided morning practice of asana, breathwork, and meditation. We will be served three nourishing meals a day, supporting the balance of body & mind in our creative collaboration. Everything we do will be through the lens of expressive arts therapy…acknowledging the medicine of creativity, no matter the medium.
Co-Create a Performance
The retreat culminates in a collective performance at CAMP, where we share the fruits of our week-long journey with the wider community. Following the performance, there will be a panel for reflections and Q&A, and then a celebratory dance party with DJ Akira. This closing event completes the creative cycle. offering our work as a gift to the community and celebrating the shared magic we’ve brought to life.
All in the spirit of
Collaboration
You do not have to carry the vision on your own.
Collaboration is a core pillar of Actua.
When we combine our different areas of genius, have systems for decision making
& center peaceful and direct communication--
true magic happens.
We are the village.
Our collaboration goes far beyond our creative output. We are also tending the foundational roots that are our heart to heart connections. From sharing a ride from the airport, cooking a meal, helping each other learn new languages, to providing emotional support for each other... We are weaving together our unique tapestry of hearts.
Many hearts = many hands = lighter work = more time for neck massages.
The responsibility of the vision is shared,
just as the celebration of the vision coming to fruition is shared.
There is space to breathe.
On another level, Collaboration humbles us. checks our ego.
because when we are co-creating we are mirroring to each other all the strengths & blockages we have around our creative processes.
It's good medicine for our growth.. because you can apply what you learn here to any project out in the world.
this retreat is for
artists & creatives who...
see art as a way of life
desire more routine around their creative practices
want to expand their relationship with their creativity to be playful & explorative, while also deeply devotional
are multi-passionate & multi-talented
Have special gifts that would enhance the retreat container & final performance
Thrive in community & co-creative environments
see art & expression as important tools in weaving a new paradigm
want to explore archetypal expression through various mediums
See reverence, mindfulness & and embodiment as important tools in kindling the creative fire.
Enjoy the spark of inspiration that being in a breathtakingly beautiful and warm environment offers
Your Guides
Arulu Gallagher
Arulu is an interdisciplinary artist based in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She specializes in sculpting clay and paper-mache masks inspired by her elaborate dreams and the spiritual dimension of the natural world. Arulu’s interest in making masks originates in a reverence for the changing body, and the way masks articulate our own multiplicity. She is further inspired by the ancient ceremonial use of masks worldwide for healing, protection, and communication with spirits and ancestors. Her watercolor paintings and ink drawings expand upon the same world that her sculptures and masks inhabit, illustrating an evolving pantheon of therianthropic and hybrid creatures and spirits. Making art is Arulu’s way of tending to relationships with an intensely animate world and courting its wisdom. She dances with her masks in collaborative performances with musicians, hosts renegade art exhibitions, and teaches mask-making workshops. Arulu is also a performing musician, clothing designer, and photographer.
@houseofarulu
houseofarulu.com
Dass
Dass is a Mexican facilitator of consciousness and transformation, with Mayan, Olmec, and Afro-Latin roots. Her path unites the ancestral and the contemporary in a vibrant vision of art, conscious breathing, dance, yoga, sound, and the spoken word as portals for expansion, healing, and awakening of the soul.
Through her Universal Sovereignty movement, Dass dedicates her life to serving the Self, guiding experiences that reactivate inner wisdom and awaken the soul's memory. Her mission is to remind humanity of its creative nature, accompanying processes of self-mastery, abundance, and inner freedom.
Dass is a natural teacher and learner. Her presence, her voice, and her movement are frequencies of activation: her message is transmitted through both energy and words. From her classes and meditations to simple conversations, her energy acts as a living reminder that awakens and synchronizes others with their own truth.
A bridge between worlds, Dass represents the union of heaven and earth: the energy that moves, the voice that activates, the body that remembers. Her work invites us to inhabit this Earth sovereignly, recognizing that all wisdom already resides within.
@soberania_universal.ss
Monique
Renee
Monique Renee Wilson is a professionally trained vocalist and intuitive vocal empowerment guide with over 15 years of experience. Her work bridges the art of refined vocal technique with the heart of intuitive expression, creating spaces where voice becomes a pathway to healing, truth, and transformation.
Through her Soul Voice Revival singing circles and Voice of the Soul workshops, Monique invites participants to reconnect with the innate power and wisdom of their voices. Her trauma-informed, heart-centered approach nurtures both safety and expansion—guiding individuals to release blocks, reclaim confidence, and experience the joy of authentic sound.
At the Actúa Retreat, Monique will weave this vocal alchemy into the creative process, helping participants access the voice not only as an instrument of music, but as a portal of emotion, story, and spirit. Her facilitation supports a deeper embodiment of presence and connection, awakening the voice as a tool for both personal liberation and collective harmony.
@the.monique.renee
Elisa Perez
Elisa Pérez is a Mexican artist devoted to exploring the language of the soul through painting and symbolism. Having studied with visionary masters such as Alex and Allyson Grey, her artistic journey bridges realism, abstraction, and the realms of art therapy and psychedelic integration. From an early age, Elisa has lived in deep relationship with color, form, and the unseen, using art as both a healing practice and a mirror of the inner world.
As our Resident Art Oracle, Elisa will guide participants in discovering the archetypes and motifs that wish to emerge through our collective creation. After introducing archetypal symbolism, she will lead a process of playful exploration through collage, writing, and image-making to birth a set of personal and collective oracle cards. These cards will serve as creative guides throughout the retreat, illuminating themes, relationships, and directions for the final presentation.
@vasalisart
Cat Hood
Cat Hood is a multi-disciplinary artist & experience designer devoted to creating living, breathing art through the bodies, voices, and spirits of those around her. Her artistry spans many realms & mediums from painting, to body painting, to jewelry making & clothing design, to music & dance
Her Journey of Art & Collaboration began nearly 5 years ago on the very shores of Oaxaca, as the Art Director on the team that brought us Ecstatic Sunday, Full Moon Dance & La Presencia Festival. After 6 years of experimenting in all kinds of creative collaborations between Colombia, Mexico, and North Carolina, Cat is called to design experiences that centers Art as the bridge into spirituality, as well as the bridge that connects us cross culture, & the catalyzer of change in a corrupted world. As artists, it is our duty to the collective to follow through with our creative hunches.
This has led to the foundation of Foreverence Gathering in North Carolina-- a festival devoted to coming in reciprocity with creator through our pursuing our passions
As well as the seed that is Actúa. She is thrilled to design a container that weaves her most beloved kin from Mexico & North Carolina who all happen be incredible multi-talented Artists & Space Holders.
@love.cat.alyst
When we are in a steady flow of this, we feel excellent because we are living in our expression...
Sadly we live amongst a society that diminishes creative acts to leisure-- only for if & when you have free time.
The titles “artist’ “musician” or “actor” are only deserved by those who have had significant tracklable success. This leaves the rest of us with doubt around our ability to create & the relevence of our creations.
This Retreat is designed to remedy those feelings of artistic inadequacy through daily flow state activation, exploring new exciting mediums of art making, and the co-creation of a production to share with the community at the end of the retreat.
We are here to practice embodiment of our visions… with immediacy. Not letting them linger too long in the purgatory of forgotten creative dreams. With the support of our rock solid facilitation team, as well as each other, I think we will all be genuinely amazed with what is possible.
At its core, this
retreat is about the pure act of
bringing vision to form.
Activities
Exploring the Oracle through Archetypes & Improvisation
The whole retreat will we will be exploring contemporary expressions of ancient archetypes. After our opening, Elisa Perez will bring her Designing the Oracle workshop where we will craft our own oracle cards. using collage, drawing, and painting to communicate personal and collective experiences & symbols. This station will be available to work at throughout the retreat.
We will also explore archetypes in the beginning through personal reflection, developing characters through writing & improv games.
These explorations will help inform us on what themes, motifs, and characters we wish to bring to the performance individually and collectively.
Mask Making
Arulu will lead us in creating paper-mache masks. This will be a three day process. The first day we will sculpt clay molds of the beings we wish to bring to life, the second day we will paper mache over the molds, and the third day we will remove the paper mache from the molds and adorn the masks with colors and or objects.
Arulu’s interest in making masks originates in a reverence for the changing body, and the way masks articulate our own multiplicity. She is further inspired by the ancient ceremonial use of masks worldwide for healing, protection, and communication with spirits and ancestors.
Through this workshop immersion, we will bring our exploration of the archetypes from the etherial realm to the physical realm by creating an object that transforms us into whatever we desire.
Movement & Choreography
Each morning, Dass will lead us through a practice of meditation, asana & breathwork designed to assist with the process of awaking our creative fire. She is a skilled practitioner of kundalini yoga, as well as a seasoned teacher of contemporary dance & hip hop
Every morning after our bodies are awakened through our morning wellness practice, we will develop a few pieces of choreography to weave into the final show. This choreography will be how we weave in the archetypes into the final piece through movement.
Singing / Song Writing
Throughout the week, Monique will lead our soul choir. Through organic exploration and vocal improvisation, we will be guided into the voice of our hearts.
With this voice that is individual just as it is collective, we will develop somewhat of a sound track for not only the performance, but the whole week. These mantras from the collective heart will encompass the entire experience and be songs you carry forever on your path.
We are calling in instrumental artists to join us to support these songs. If this is how you would desire to show up for the final performance, you will be able to specify in the intake form.
Costume Design
Cat will introduce the group the the basics of creative clothing design emphasizing elegance and simplicity.
The available fabric will be an assortment of recycled clothing, as well as traditional Mexican textiles to be collected by cat and Arulu on the pilgramage to Oaxaca. will be a limited amount of fabric that we will all be using to create pieces that communicate a cohesion of us as a group.
This could be loin clothes, chest pieces, tunics, arm & Leg Cuffs, etc. Things that are quick to make and can enhance any outfit
This is a good time to mention that it is good to bring nuetral colored under clothing-
bra, tank, shorts that are in white, creme, brown, and black. this is a way to frame and bring more attention to the pieces that we create together.
Book Your Spot
The cost of this retreat reflects a humble pay for all facilitators involved, as well as crafting materials, the space, food, and accommodation provided by CAMP.
Your investment in your artistry has a rippling effect of creating more abundance for all, and fuels the mission of empowering visionaries to play their part in the curation of a new paradigm.
Each tier will fill up after 6 spots, then that tier will sell out. The earlier you choose to commit the less you will likely have to pay.
Thank you <3
Loading days...
From 595 US dollars
Loading days...
From 695 US dollars
Loading days...
From 795 US dollars
In each tier, there is the option to book a private room, a shared room, or the retreat with no lodging. Below are some photos of the lodging at CAMP
Belonging Scholarship
ACTÚA is built on weaving many voices, textures, bodies, and frequencies into a unified creation.
With the collaboration & support of our venue, CAMP, The Belonging Scholarship is designed to support underrepresented artists who feel deeply called to participate in the retreat & bring their gifts, imagination, & craft into the realm of Actúa.
This is our way of diversifying our group to include
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Mexican Nationals
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individuals of the global majority-indigenous to the Americas, People of Color, etc
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people with societally defined disabilities (That being said, the venue and area are not wheel chair friendly)
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SOGIESC community (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identities, gender Expressions, and Sex Characteristics)
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people who other wise wouldn't be able to come because of finances
Artists of all flavors are welcome to apply — musicians, dancers, storytellers, costumers, visual artists, movement practitioners, installation artists, photographers, etc...
The Exchange
If it calls you, we gently encourage artists who receive this scholarship to practice artistic leadership, so we will ask in the application how you imagine that for yourself so that we can make space for that within the container.
What you receive with the Belonging Scholarship:
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A reduced retreat rate: $250
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The possibility of additional scholarship flexibility depending on your unique identity. financial situation, and the skill set you bring.
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Full access to the 7-day retreat, all crafting materials, 3 meals / day & Shared lodging. You can pay an extra $150 for your own room.
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A role in co-shaping the final performance through your artistic medium
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a potential opportunity to extend your time at CAMP Zipolite under their artist residency
How to Apply
Fill out the application before January 15, we will review the applications and choose the right fit. Expect to hear back before January 30th about if you received the scholarship
Travel &
Transportation
The closest airports to Zipolite are the Huatulco Airport, and the Puerto Escondido Airport.
Both are about the same distance.
You can compare flights between the two to find the best deal from wherever it is you are located.
The most comfortable way to arrive to Zipolite would be by taxi (expect to pay around $60),
and the most economical way would be by bus & Collectivo ($7-15).
Upon registration you will receive a more in depth arrival guide