Women's Intercultural Peformance Training in Bali
A 6 month journey in performance and presence, starting with a 7 day retreat....
Led by Dr Ellie Chadwick (PhD) and Karma Tucker, experienced lecturers and performance practitioners, this retreat and mentorship programme offers a unique opportunity to explore Balinese performance traditions, intercultural training, and embodied storytelling within a holistic framework that integrates somatic and nervous system-informed practice.
This retreat is not simply a time away, it is a research-informed performance laboratory, a space to experiment with intercultural embodiment, voice, and identity. Through workshops, storytelling labs, and experiential engagement with Balinese ritual arts and somatic practice, you’ll interrogate inherited scripts, reconstruct your relationship with performance, and emerge with an expanded sense of creative agency, cultural understanding, and expressive authenticity.
Why Join?
This immersive experience is designed for performing arts students, actors, researchers, and creatives who wish to deepen their artistic practice through cross-cultural performance training and personal development.
Through a blend of Balinese and Western techniques, you’ll expand your expressive range, deepen your connection to the body and voice, and cultivate confidence and stage presence – both as an artist and as a human being.
What you'll experience:
🎭 Intercultural Performance Training
Train in Balinese Legong dance and the hypnotic Kecak vocal chant, taught by local masters. Explore how these sacred forms can enhance rhythm, precision, and ensemble awareness while cultivating embodied focus and emotional depth.
🎤 Vocal & Physical Technique
Develop vocal resonance, breath control, and grounded presence through techniques inspired by Grotowski’s physical theatre, ritual theatre practices, and Balinese performance forms.
🌀 Archetype & Storytelling Work
Explore global archetypes and performance personae — including The Actress, The Goddess, and The Heroine — to investigate the relationship between identity, character, and transformation.
🌿 Somatic & Nervous System Regulation
Learn trauma-informed, Polyvagal-based methods for grounding and performance readiness. Build resilience under pressure, manage stage nerves, and sustain creative flow through body-based awareness and regulation tools.
🛕 Cultural Immersion
Visit sacred temples and participate in traditional ceremonies, gaining insight into the spiritual and philosophical roots of Balinese theatre. These experiences inform a deeper appreciation of ritual, symbolism, and presence in performance.
💬 Research & Reflection
For students and researchers, this retreat provides valuable insight into intercultural performance practice, ritual and embodiment, and the meeting points between spirituality, art, and psychology — enriching both creative and academic work.
🧠 A Fusion of Science, Art & Spirit
Rooted in both scientific understanding and embodied performance, the Wanderess method integrates neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, archetypal psychology, and ritual arts. This retreat offers not only artistic growth but also an opportunity to reconnect to the deeper layers of creativity, confidence, and self-expression.
What you'll get from this retreat
Embodied Performance Techniques
Learn Balinese dance and Kecak chanting to enhance your performance skills, vocal range and body awareness, grounded in somatic research for deeper self-expression.
Archetypal Storytelling
Use research-backed techniques to explore powerful female archetypes, transforming limiting beliefs into embodied narratives of strength, wisdom, and creativity.
Polyvagal-Informed Nervous System Regulation
Practice body-based methods to regulate your nervous system, improving emotional resilience and performance confidence.
Somatic Healing for Emotional Release
Utilize trauma-informed somatic techniques to release emotional blockages, fostering creative flow and personal growth.
Confidence & “Stage” Presence
Build confidence using performance-based practices that help you own your voice, body, and story, supported by therapeutic tools for mental and emotional balance.
Creative & Personal Transformation
Integrate research-based practices from performance arts and somatic therapy to unleash your inner creative power and step into your true self with confidence.
Ongoing Support
Receive 6 months of virtual coaching to help you continue your growth and integrate the retreat experience into your daily life.
You will depart with:
💃 Advanced performance skills and tools for self-expression and magnetic presence
♥️ A deeper connection to your creative, empowered self
🌟 A new level of confidence, clarity, and emotional resilience
Your Hosts
Dr Ellie Chadwick (PhD)
Lead Facilitator
Dr. Ellie Chadwick is an internationally experienced theatre practitioner, creative facilitator, and scholar working at the intersection of performance, storytelling, ritual, and somatic healing. With over 15 years of experience creating theatre shows, immersive experiences, and installations, her work has been commissioned by institutions including Tate Modern, Barbican Guildhall, National Trust, Plymouth Theatre Royal, and Bristol City Council. Ellie has been interviewed for The Stage magazine and for BBC Radio 4 on the subject of creative education and immersive arts and has published a book on ritual theatre with Routledge.
Ellie holds a PhD and MFA in Theatre and is a published author with expertise in archetypes, collective memory, intercultural performance, and the role of the arts in collective wellbeing. Her academic work includes lecturing in performing arts and postdoctoral research in intercultural artistic practice, with creative collaborations across Europe, China, Indonesia, and the UK.
For nearly a decade, Ellie has led international retreats, workshops, and masterclasses, including recurring gatherings in Bali, blending ritual, art, and body-based practices. She is the creator of Historically-Responsive Theatre Practice – a method that integrates ancient and modern techniques, honouring the sacred roots of art-making across cultures.
As a trainee trauma-informed integrative somatic therapist, Ellie’s work draws on polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation, and archetypal exploration to guide transformational experiences rooted in story, embodiment, and emotional healing. Whether on stage, in retreat, or within coaching spaces, Ellie is devoted to helping others reclaim their voice, rewrite their story, and remember the body as a source of truth, power, and creative possibility.
Cok Indrayuni Baruna
Local Facilitator
Cok Indrayuni is a world famous Legong dancer of the classical Peliatan Style and runs the Oka Kartini Arts Centre with other members of her family.
Oka Kartini Arts Centre is a centre of excellence for Balinese arts in Ubud, particularly their world-famous Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) show, which has been documented by National Geographic and CNN.
Karma Tucker
Co-Facilitator
With over 25 years of international performance experience, Karma brings a unique blend of creative artistry and holistic expertise to the wellbeing space. Her diverse career includes performing Shakespeare in New York, musical theatre tours across the UK, tribute shows in Oman, and music performances in Belgium. Her work has received great reviews from The Stage magazine.
Karma holds multiple degree-level qualifications in the performing arts and education, including a Distinction in Performance and Events Management and a PGCE in Higher Education. For over 15 years, she has lectured in colleges, academies, and universities, specialising in acting, movement, and vocal performance. Her creative leadership has guided full-scale productions at renowned venues such as London’s West End (His Majesty’s and The Shaftesbury), Disneyland Paris, Berlin, and beyond. She has also vocal-coached youth performers featured with G4. One of her collaborative productions was attended by Prince Edward.
Karma qualified as a yoga instructor in 2014 and has since trained new teachers herself. She is also a certified Reiki Master and Yoga Life Coach, continually expanding her knowledge in holistic and therapeutic practices. A seasoned workshop facilitator, Karma excels at creating safe, empowering spaces for growth and transformation, drawing on both her artistic and healing modalities. Her sessions are infused with creativity, energy, and compassion.
A passionate traveler and lifelong learner, Karma has explored over 35 countries, delving into ancient civilisations and traditional dance practices throughout Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Europe, Japan, Egypt, and California. This global perspective informs her approach to wellness, embodiment, and creativity.
Our Retreat Venue
Our serene retreat venue located in the countryside a short drive from Ubud offers rustic yet luxurious accommodation in traditional wooden structures inspired by Balinese rice barns. Made with local traditional materials, the air-conditioned garden villas come with a fan, mosquito nets, and ensuite bathrooms. Private balconies are located on the first floor, and offer views of the beautiful surroundings.
Featuring a stunning outdoor pool with a spacious deck, a large open dining area, and a raised workshop space with inspiring views of the grounds, the venue is perfect for relaxation, rejuvination, and creativity.
Additional facilities include a library, a 24-hour front desk, and 3 kitchens throughout the property, all providing room service.
Words of a Wanderess!
“I had a truly inspiring time in Bali, which has left me with memories I will carry with me forever. If you want a break from the day-to-day and time to nourish your creative side, join one of Ellie’s retreats.”
Morven Macewan, 2016 Retreat Participant
Pricing
The full price of this retreat is £4,800. We have scholarships available (application required) of up to £2,000 towards the price of the retreat, as well as affordable payment plan options.
What this includes:
✔️ 6 nights accommodation, twin rooms (single room upgrade available)
✔️ Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
✔️ All workshops and teaching
✔️ All excursions/trips
✔️ Holistic treatments & meditations
✔️ Airport pick-up/drop-off & island transport
🌟 Plus! Our Special Retreats Bonus! 🌟
✔️ Ongoing mentorship in your performance practice/research
✔️ + a 6-month complimentary membership to our online Wanderess Circle:
extending your journey of growth and connection long after the retreat ends.
Developed by Dr Ellie Chadwick (PhD) – a researcher, lecturer, and specialist in performance, archetypes, and collective memory – the Wanderess Performance Method integrates embodied storytelling, intercultural performance, and somatic psychology to bridge artistic practice and personal transformation.
This approach invites performers and researchers alike to investigate how body, voice, and narrative intersect in the creation of presence and meaning. Drawing from cutting-edge research in trauma-informed performance studies and embodied cognition, participants explore the ways performance can act as both a creative and healing process.
At the heart of this retreat is the Archetype of the Actress or Leading Lady – a study in presence, emotional truth, and self-possession. Through physical and vocal training grounded in Balinese performance forms, Grotowskian techniques, and somatic awareness, you’ll develop the capacity to command space with confidence, authenticity, and nuance.
We’ll also engage with a constellation of archetypes as case studies in embodied identity and performance practice:
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Maa Saraswati, as a cross-cultural symbol of creativity, eloquence, and artistic order – a framework for understanding performance as both spiritual and structural expression.
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The Diva/Primadonna, explored through the lens of gendered perception and emotional expressivity – analysing how societal judgments shape performance of “too muchness.”
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The Wallflower, representing emotional depth and introverted strength – an archetype of observation, subtlety, and quiet presence.
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Other figures, including The Heroine, The Enchantress, The Rebeless, and The Authoress – each offering an embodied route into transformation through artistic and cultural storytelling traditions.