Welcome to the 2011/2012 Isle of Wight programme at The Grange.
Each of the boxes below represents a weekend course. Click on either the course title or the facilitator's name for more information.
Christmas Celebration Sat 24 - Tue 27 Dec 2011 IoW
This will be a four-day celebration with courses, coastline walking, singing, parties, games, fabulous food and the company of inspirational facilitators and soon-to-be new friends.
Release your singing and speaking voice. A course in how to sing and speak with ease in public.
“The voice is the mirror of the soul” so don’t hide you true light under a bushel !This pazazzy course is full of practical hints and fun insights as to how to get the best out of your voice . We learn easy singing techniques, breath control, rich tone production, sing in group harmony and get individual attention. Susie presents effective techniques to conquer nerves enabling people to enjoy public singing and speaking. The course includes a presentation of smooth classical music performed by Susie with cellist Michael Christie. No previous experience of singing or public speaking is needed for the course.
An Exciting & Magical life at Christmas and Beyond!
What happens when you decide to have more adventures and fun in your life?
We will explore where we place ourselves in the scheme of things and what needs to happen in order to have more fun, take more risks and laugh out loudly at life’s challenges.
Will also be exploring the world of comedy improvisation and seeing what happens when we just let go, enjoy making mistakes and start laughing and having fun
Everyone will leave with a clearer idea of how an Exciting and Magical life will look.
Christmas and New Year can't be booked online so please do call us instead on 01983 867 644 or email jenni@thegrangebythesea.com.
Susie Self, a singer/somgwriter, performs at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne and co-starred with Jasper Carrot in the West End. She leads voice and sound healing retreats. Her latest album is Seachanges.
Andrew Risner is a coach who utilises comedy improvisation and magic skills to quantum leap people’s confidence, creativity and sense of fun. He spent several years as a stand up comedian and improviser and brings a wealth of fun and insight to his workshops. Andrew has appeared several times on BBC TV Heaven & Earth show as well as radio.
An internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, performer, and recording artist, Sarah has had 3 number one dance hits in the UK, Europe and USA. An inspiring and innovative voice coach, she draws inspiration from Chris James and Chloe Goodchild. She creates a safe space to explore the power and beauty of the natural voice.
Malcolm Stern is a group and individual psychotherapist with twenty years of experience. Before training in Humanistic Psychology, his career ranged from estate agency to sailing on the Rainbow Warrior with Greenpeace. He was a co-founder of Alternatives, the highly acclaimed lecture series at St James’ Church, Piccadilly, and runs groups internationally, as well as ongoing facilitation skills trainings in the UK. His book on relationships Falling in Love/Staying in Love was published in 2004. He is also the co-presenter of Channel 4\'s reality TV series Made for Each Other.
Experiment and play with various writing forms under the guidance of renowned author, playwright, actor and director, Stephen Berkoff. It will be a ten hour, rather than a six hour course. Stephen has also published a variety of books on the theatre and his work has led him to traverse the globe. His love for travel is apparent in his book Shopping in the Santa Monica Mall: The Journals of a Strolling Player.
Fri 27 - Sun 29 Jan 2012 Stephen has published a variety of books on the theatre and his work has led him to traverse the globe. His love for travel is apparent in his book Shopping in the Santa Monica Mall: The Journals of a Strolling Player.
Valentine's Flirtshop Fri 10 - Sun 12 Feb 2012 IoW
Have more fun and less fear in communicating with others, especially those you fancy! Flirtshop is a crash course in self-awareness: a guide to coming out of your shell, suspending self-censorship, selling your assets and relating to others with ease and cheerfulness.
Games, exercises, role-play, coaching and discussion help you to 1) make the first move and 2) keep the confidence flowing. We’ll look at eye contact, body language, opening gambits, knowing what you want, and how men and women differ in approach and response. It won’t hurt a bit and you’ll meet a group of new, like-minded people.
Flirtshop is fun, practical and enlightening, with a great teacher and a lovely environment. Why not put a wonderful weekend in your diary…
‘I haven’t laughed so much in ages……people were raring to get back into the real world and start flirting for England.’ Sally Shalam, Sunday Express
‘My confidence has improved so much….I feel much happier to walk into a room of strangers, and I’m flirting a lot more, face to face, and on the phone…’ Alice Burns, participant at The Grange.
Alison Goldie is a lively, compassionate workshop leader with a CV that encompasses theatre, stand-up comedy, television presenting, writing, singing and travelling all over the world. She has regularly appeared on radio and television as a performer and commentator, and presented a series on BBC Radio London as one of The Advice Girls, a problem-solving duo dealing in relationship issues. She teaches drama, comedy and improvisation to people of all ages and abilities in London and elsewhere, and has been leading groups in impro and flirting for Skyros Holistic Holidays for 12 years, and for The Grange for 5. Alison is currently performing her show, Lady in Bed at various theatres around the UK and Europe. She has a great sense of fun on a foundation of wisdom, and always seeks to apply the lessons she learns from life and love to her artistic work and to her teaching.
Have you lost your creative spark? Want to feel more alive? Does your creativity feel blocked or don’t believe you’re creative. You feel an urge to be creative but when you try to express it, you feel blocked and disappointed with your efforts. Maybe you were creative as a child and then when you got to adolescence, it was if a door got slammed shut.
In this experiential workshop discover keys to expressing your creativity - whatever stage or level you are. Learn how to access your creative right brain and your capacity for limitless creativity and be amazed what you are able achieve. Have fun playing and creating with others working through powerful creative tools, stretch out of your comfort zone in a very safe space, liberating you to new levels of self expression.
“I am still swimming in a sea of good feelings!!! I think I was brought back to life after a very long sleep....
Fri 17 - Sun 19 Feb 2012
Claire is a specialist in self expression and releasing creativity and has been offering workshops internationally as well as in the UK She developed myth-a-drama, inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell bringing together the healing power of mythology, drama and creativity which liberates participants to new levels of self-expression, freeing the creative spirit that lives within. She used these tools to transition from creatively blocked introvert to award winning playwright, performance artist, drama therapist and trainer of actors. She is editor of Ritual Theatre the power of dramatic ritual in personal development groups and clinical practice which was published by Jessica Kingsley in 2011.
The weekend will be spent making jewellery from beads. Participants will learn to make earrings, bracelets and some necklaces.
There will be tuition about different threads, finishing techniques, some basic knots and how to use some wire in jewellery making.
All tools will be provided by the tutor, but do bring any tools, beads or even broken bead jewellery that you have.
The weekend is suitable for complete beginners, or those with a little experience. You will need some dexterity and good eyesight, or glasses!
*There will be a cover charge of £10.00 for materials, but there will also be many more beads available for you to buy, if you choose to do so.
Fri 24 - Sun 26 Feb 2012
Sara has been designing and making jewellery for many years. Her work concentrates on the use of beads, selling her work at events such as Art in Action and the Country Living Show, and a selection of shops and galleries throughout Britain. She is the author of seven and a half books of bead jewellery projects! The most recent being ‘The Encyclopedia of Wire Jewellery Techniques’.
She teaches bead making and jewellery making in several arts centres amongst them West Dean College and the Oxford Summer School, and also at Skyros holidays. Another of her bead related interests is the Arkell bead collection in the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. In 2007 she was one of the speakers at the International Bead and Beadwork Conference in Istanbul.
The Power of Your Voice Fri 2 - Sun 4 Mar 2012 IoW
If you can talk, you can sing. Join this course, run by an exceptional singer with three number one dance hits in the UK, and experience the power of sound and song. Whether you are new to singing or have some experience, this course will be an exciting journey of vocal discoveries. Using breath, movement, dance, song, improvisation, harmony, toning and more, you will be given an opportunity to sing and create. Free your voice, increase your confidence, enjoy self-expression, ignite your creativity and stimulate healing on all levels. Have also some fun with it.
An internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, performer, and recording artist, Sarah has had 3 number one dance hits in the UK, Europe and USA. An inspiring and innovative voice coach Sarah draws inspiration from Chris James and Chloe Goodchild. She creates a safe space to explore the power and beauty of the natural voice.
So you've started to write a novel but now you're stuck. You're asking yourself - what is really the story of this book? What do I put in and what do I leave out? Should I tell the story chronologically or experiment with a non-linear time line? How do I find the right beginning for my book?
This course will provide you with some ideas and tools which might help you to answer this question. It will look at plot, structure, flash backs and character development. Together we will consider the different ways of tackling a longer piece of fiction. We'll also look at a sample synopsis and see what we can learn from it.
This course is aimed at writers with some experience who have some work in progress to share. However, it could also be interesting for beginners who want to know how to get started on a novel or memoir. All you need to bring is a pen, paper and an interest in books and how they work.
Alice Jolly believes that writing is like cooking. ‘Anyone, anywhere, can’, she says. She has published two novels - What the Eye Doesn't See (2003, Simon and Schuster) and If Only You Knew (2006, Simon and Schuster). Her prize-winning short stories and poems have been published in a wide range of anthologies and magazines. She has broadcast for Radio 4 and has written a prize-winning play. Alice teaches creative writing at Oxford University, leads writing workshops in schools and is currently working on a new novel.
Love Your Body & Life Fri 16 - Sun 18 Mar 2012 IoW
Would you like to experience more health, happiness or confidence in your life?
This interactive workshop will focus on learning how to listen and trust the language of your body to make food and life choices that are perfect for you. Including gentle yoga to connect with your body, alongside simple but transformative ways to work with your mind.
We will practice shifting our focus from the mind, to the heart to break through old patterns of limitation, fears, negativity and doubts and open the door for new and exciting possibilities to emerge.
Katrina's style of teaching is heart-based, and is grounded in compassion, gratitude and kindness. During the weekend you will move your understanding beyond your current challenges, and instead of seeing them as a problem, be able to use them as a doorway to step powerfully towards your dreams so that you can create a body and a life you love.
Fri 16 - Sun 18 Mar 2012
Katrina has lost over 60 pounds and has kept it off for over 10 years. She has also radically transformed every aspect of her life and is now a picture of vibrant health, energy and vitality. Yogini, teacher, author, and lover of food, travel & style today she spends all her time inspiring others to love their bodies so that they too can create a life that they love.
John has been teaching partner dances for 12 years and has a gift for teaching beginners how to Salsa and Tango. He has led numerous dance based holidays to Cuba and Argentina and has taught in Spain, Egypt, USA, UK, Ireland and New Zealand. His highly accessible instruction style and natural enthusiasm both inspires and empowers dancers and non-dancers alike.
John Harris teaches Yoga, Latin Dance and Systemic Life Coaching worldwide. He has been a student of Systemic approaches to working with both individual and Organisational issues since 2002. He furthered his studies at the Centre for the Study of Social and Intimate Systems (CSISS) in 2007/9 and continues to deepen his understanding of this approach in both the UK and USA. John is also a Hatha Yoga teacher and incorporates his skills as a life coach in his dance and Yoga classes.
Playing with Colour Fri 30 Mar - Sun 1 Apr 2012 IoW
A self discovery journey through your personal colours which are based on your date of birth; the energy we give out is full of colour messages! We shall capture this energy on canvas, creating a mixed media piece of art under the step by step guidance of your tutor. Colour harmony, composition and basic drawing will be your tools for stirring the artist within, who will elate you with creativity! Free your inner artist and let colour express your feelings and imagination in a memorable creation. No experience necessary. Please bring an old T- shirt to protect your clothes. Each of us is born under specific colours which define our personality and the way we act in life. By knowing our personal colours we have an understanding of our potential, the way we relate to other people and what we could strive for or avoid in our life’s journey. During the ‘Playing with Colour’ workshop, you will be taught how to find your personal colours and those of family and friends. You will also learn the different qualities of each colour and the effect they have on us. Understanding and mixing primary, secondary and tertiary colours will help you to work in colour harmony so that you can best express the essence of your colourful energy. ‘Playing with Colour' will bring to you a whole new insight of your personality, which so often is such a life changing experience. The creative part of the workshop will enrich your knowledge and ability on how to best use colour to communicate your feelings and ideas. Please bring with you an A2 watercolour pad, 300g.
Fri 30 Mar - Sun 1 Apr 2012
Theresa Sundt is a professional artist and art teacher focusing her work on the therapeutic qualities of colour. Her newly published book The Art of Colour Therapy has been translated in four languages.
Kate's workshop – Life is a Cabaret, encourages you to find your voice and to step out into spring with presence and impact. If you have ever dreamed of singing but felt too anxious to try – this is the course for you. If you ever feel you edit your life to make room for others - join up and learn how to take your space with style. Along with joyful harmony singing the course will use ideas from performance and motivational psychology to reduce self-consciousness and allow you to shine.
Together, Kate and Alison will facilitate other inspiring entertainments for your optional pleasure. And in your free time, there’s the lovely seafront and countryside to witness, fresh and budding and beautiful…don’t ignore it, Celebrate Spring!
Arrivals are from 4pm on Friday afternoon. Dinner, if requested, is at 7:30pm and this will be followed by an introduction of the course and a get together. Sessions will begin on Saturday morning from 10:30 to 12:30, Saturday afternoon from 5:00 to 7:00, Sunday morning from 10:30 to 12:30, Sunday afternoon from 5:00 to 7:00, and the final session will be on Monday morning from 10:30 to 12:30.
Fri 6 - Sun 9 Mar 2012
Alison Goldie’s CV that encompasses theatre, stand-up comedy, television presenting, writing and singing. She has regularly appeared on radio and television as a performer and commentator. She teaches drama, comedy and improvisation and she is currently performing her show, Lady in Bed at various theatres around the UK and Europe.
Kate divides her life happily between her career as a consultant systemic psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic, London and as a jazz singer. She has worked as an organisational consultant and trainer in the corporate field, and has a background in theatre. As a jazz singer Kate writes and performs her own material and has sung and recorded with distinguished musicians such as John Etheridge, Tony Coe and Alec Dankworth.
Andrew Risner is a leading trainer, facilitator and coach who utilises comedy improvisation and magic skills to quantum leap peoples confidence, creativity and sense of fun.
 He spent several years as a stand up comedian and improviser and brings a wealth of fun and insight to his workshops.
 Andrew has appeared several time on BBC TV Heaven & Earth show as well as radio.
One of the best routes into writing – both fiction and non-fiction – is through our personal experiences and memories, and some of our most interesting materials comes from our own lives. This course will explore the techniques of using that material to tell our stories as well as we can. Helena’s works of memoir, travel and biography include Looking for George (1995), Mother Tongues (2001) and Strangerland (2006). Her trilogy of children’s fiction will be published next year.
Arrivals are from 4pm on Friday afternoon. Dinner, if requested, is at 7:30pm and this will be followed by an introduction of the course and a get together. Sessions will begin on Saturday morning from 10:30 to 12:30, Saturday afternoon from 5:00 to 7:00 and the final session will be on Sunday morning from 10:30 to 12:30.
Fri 20- Sun 22 April 2012 Helena Drysdale’s books include Looking for George, shortlisted for the Esquire/Apple/ Waterstone’s Non-Fiction Award, and the PEN/ J.R. Ackerley Award for Autobiography. Her latest book is Strangerland, A Family at War (Picador 2007), and she is currently writing children’s fiction. She is an editor for the Writer’s Workshop, and tutors at the Arvon Foundation.
Her travel books include Alone through China and Tibet (1986), and Dancing with the Dead (1991). She also wrote and presented the TV documentary Dancing with the Dead for Granada/WNET.
Classes focus on developing body awareness, flexibility and strength through the practice of asana (posture work) and sun salutations with a particular focus on the breath. This will be followed by pranayama (breathing practice), relaxation and meditation. Some classes may have a special focus on chakras, mantra, yoga nidra (deep relaxation) or movement meditation. The overall aim of these classes will be to promote well-being and help participants incorporate yoga into everyday life.
Classes are suitable for everyone, all levels and abilities will be catered for.
Fri 27 - Sun 29 Mar 2012
Marina, a yoga teacher, is an accomplished theatre director, writer and performer who has worked internationally with theatres, galleries, festivals, prisons, health and mental health groups.
For anyone, beginner or more experienced, who wants to explore their creativity and develop a personal voice. We’ll look at finding ideas as well as writing style, including using memories, imagining characters, describing settings and using dialogue. The emphasis is on enjoyment and fun, and ideas are adaptable to any genre from poetry to novels.
Crysse Morrison is a published author and freelance writer based in Frome, England. She was hailed by The Times as a ‘superb storyteller’ for her debut novel Frozen Summer (Hodder & Stoughton) in 2000, followed the next year by Sleeping in Sand. She has published over forty short stories, contributes a regular column to Writing magazine, and is involved in the ‘spoken word’ scene of the southwest through both poetry and prose performances. Crysse runs workshops & residential courses in the UK and is currently Spoken Word Coordinator for the Merlin Theatre in Frome.
Annabelle works with the senses both as an actress (aka Monica in Shameless ), and as Rosen Method Bodywork Practioner and Workshop Teacher. This course is designed to be both fun as well as interesting, combining many different elements to create a weekend that will be both nurturing and creative. Touch can be physical, we can also touch with our voice, with our presence, with our intention. We can use touch for many different purposes. Take some time out by taking some time in, and reconnect with your self as well as others, with respect as well as 'love'.
Fri 11 - Sun 13 Mar 2012
Annabelle is best known for her role in the hit television series, Shameless as well as Soldier, Soldier, The Lakes, Midsommer Murders and Coronation Street. She has taught theatre, self-presentation and vocal work over the last 10 years, and is also co-founder and practitioner of Rosen Method Bodywork in the UK.
Walk Tall, Feel Fabulous Fri 18 - Sun 20 May 2012 IoW
How would you like to transform the quality of your life? To be able to walk into a room full of people and know that no matter what your shape or size, you feel great, walk well and have confidence in yourself and who you are? Here’s the place to start making that transformation. Kate combines a background in theatre and jazz singing with being a family therapist, consultant and teacher at the Tavistock Centre. She is the ideal person to help you find your authentic self and walk tall.
Kate combines a background in theatre and jazz singing with being a family therapist, consultant and teacher at the Tavistock Centre. She is the ideal person to help you find your authentic self and walk tall.
Ken has developed a fluid technique that taps into your individual needs, releases energy and works to heal injuries or chronic discomfort. Known as the Eyerman Technique, the workshop will introduce you to Ken’s unique take on
Yoga. Classes are suitable for all levels, including those who have injuries or are restricted in their movement. Experience how Ken integrates Yoga with Feldenkrais. His intuitive and spontaneous hands-on approach emphasises the benefits of using your breath and developing an awareness of your inner process. Participants will learn to use their bodies with intelligence, awareness and
efficiency. The Eyerman Technique will ease you into new postures while encouraging you to explore movement in a way that is both developmental and restorative. Ken seeks to work with you, by developing core movement, and helping you tune into the constant flow of life energy essential to maintaining health and clarity of mind.
An American based in London, Ken is the author of Massage and has been teaching Yoga, Bodywork and Movement for 30 years. He is an accredited teacher of The Feldenkrais Method which is the underlying link to all aspects of his work. He has directed his own training programme and now teaches 'Yoga with Awareness' internationally. He has taught at Skyros since 1989 and previously at Esalen in California and with the London Contemporary Dance School. The Ken Eyerman School of Bodywork & Movement is affiliated to The Institute of Complementary Medicine.
Fri 1 - Mon 4 Mar 2012
Alison Goldie’s CV that encompasses theatre, stand-up comedy, television presenting, writing and singing. She has regularly appeared on radio and television as a performer and commentator. She teaches drama, comedy and improvisation and she is currently performing her show, Lady in Bed at various theatres around the UK and Europe.
Andrew Risner is a leading trainer, facilitator and coach who utilises comedy improvisation and magic skills to quantum leap peoples confidence, creativity and sense of fun. He spent several years as a stand up comedian and improviser and brings a wealth of fun and insight to his workshops. Andrew has appeared several time on BBC TV Heaven & Earth show as well as radio.
Are you a reluctant/nervous/lonely potential novelist in need of a kick-start? Do you believe you have a novel in you, but have never had the knowledge or courage to begin? Have you made several attempts and then lost steam? In this course Shelley offers practical advice for writers in a warm, supportive and creative environment. The sessions will explore aspects of writing such as characterisation, plot and setting, as well as intensive focusing on individual work.
Participants are invited (but not compelled!) to bring along extracts of a novel in progress. Some writing experience is advisable.
Shelley is an acclaimed novelist, short-story writer and journalist who has, over the years, established a reputation as an inspirational creative writing tutor and nurturer of new talent. South African-born, she worked as a journalist, PR writer and editor in a publishing house before turning to fiction. Among her published novels is A Sisters' Tale and The Joker. Shelley is a Special Advisory Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and has lectured on the writing programme at Birkbeck College and Anglia Ruskin University. She has also taught for the Open University, the Taliesin Trust and Durham University Summer School. Scores of new fiction writers, several of them now published, have emerged from her.
The Path of Happiness Fri 21 - Sun 23 Sep 2012 IoW
Feeling good, but could feel better? What about those people who always seem to be happy in their lives? Wouldn’t it be great to be more like them more often? The key to happiness is to identify and build on our personal strengths, and not to waste too much time working on our weaknesses. However we also need to develop emotional intelligence and mindful awareness, so we do not dwell too much on the past or the uncertainties of the future, and can have more ‘here and now’ choice in our relationships and our life path.
Positive Psychology, based on the latest research, focuses on what makes some people happier and healthier than others, rather than just focussing on what makes us depressed or ill.
The course will focus on finding your sense of meaning and purpose, learning to live in the here and now, letting go into pleasure, developing emotional resilience and finding connection with others. All this and lots of fun too!
Fri 21 - Sun 23 Sep 2012
Michael has worked as a group facilitator for 22 years, and is one of the leading figures in Humanistic Psychology. He is co-author of The Personal Management Handbook, as well as a screenplay writer (with Anna Campion).
Stoney's course is designed to be fun, creative and practical. You'll learn the basic techniques, unchanged since medieval times, combined with a modern glass perspective and lots of handy tips. You'll be taken through all the processes step by step so that you have a good grounding if you want to continue with stained glass in the future. This stained glass course combines the creative and the practical in a most satisfying way so that you can make something that you can take home and be proud of, having learned a new skill and opened up new creative horizons for yourself.
Fri 28 - Sun 30 Sep 2012 Stoney Parsons is a professional stained glass artist of very long standing. She is also a painter. Her glass work and paintings are all about colour. She enjoys teaching and her courses are practical, creative and fun!
Our lives are full of stories; like buried treasure, it sometimes it takes a little digging inside ourselves to find them. Develop useful tools to unlock your creative writing life, while learning to mine your own experiences to produce meaningful works of fiction.
Amanda Smyth is Irish-Trinidadian and was educated in England. Her short stories and poetry have been published in New Writing, London Magazine, the TLS and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Her first novel, Black Rock, was chosen for the Waterstones New Voices 2009, and short-listed for McKitterick Prize 2010. The book was also selected for the Oprah Summer Read 2009 – one of 25 Books You Can’t Put Down and short-listed for NAACP Award 2010, Outstanding Literary work, debut author. Amanda, currently long-listed for Prix Femina in France, has just won the prestigious French award for first novel.