The First Dance: A New Year Weekend of Movement and Joy

The First Dance is a New Year weekend yoga retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led by Jurian Hughes. It is built around free, unchoreographed movement, with music, breath, voice and stillness as guides. It suits anyone who wants to begin the year in the body rather than with a resolution, including people who have never danced, chanted or meditated.

What to Expect

The premise is simple: your body already knows the way. There is no choreography, no performance and no experience required. Whether you flow, shuffle, sway or sit and breathe, there is a place for you in the room.

The program sessions weave together several threads:

- Expressive movement and dance: freely guided sessions set to music chosen to open the heart and lift the spirit.
- Communal chanting: simple, accessible chants that need only a voice and a willingness to let sound move through you.
- Guided meditation: grounding practices to help you arrive and step into the new year with intention.
- Restorative relaxation: time to rest deeply and integrate, since renewal is as much about stillness as movement.
- Community: shared experience with a warm group of open-hearted people.

The weekend runs from a Thursday arrival to a Sunday departure. On the opening day, check-in begins at 2:00 pm, followed by a Kripalu Yoga class from 4:45 to 6:00, dinner, and an evening program session from 7:30 to 9:00.

Friday and Saturday share a rhythm. A Kripalu Yoga class runs from 6:30 to 7:45 am, followed by silent breakfast. A program session runs from 9:00 to 11:30, then lunch, then a second session from 1:30 to 4:00. Another yoga class comes at 4:45, and dinner follows.

On the closing day, there is morning yoga, silent breakfast, and a final program session from 9:00 to 11:00. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 1:30, and departure follows.

The hoped-for result is hard to name but easy to feel: a quiet aliveness, a loosening of whatever you carried in, and a sense that the year ahead has more room in it than you thought.

About Jurian Hughes

Jurian Hughes leads The First Dance as presenter in the Embodiment & Movement area of Kripalu's programming.

The Setting

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health sits in Stockbridge, in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Its accommodations are intentionally simple, designed to help you unplug and feel grounded. Options include private single-occupancy rooms for those seeking solitude, shared rooms with one or more guests, and larger community-style dorms that foster connection.

Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm. If you arrive earlier, you can store your bags in the Luggage Room. Meals are included, three a day, and breakfast is taken in silence. On the day of departure, room check-out is at 10:00 am, and you may remain on campus and take part in workshops until 2:00 pm.

Before You Go

This retreat is for all levels. No prior knowledge of dance, yoga, chanting or meditation is needed, and modifications and options are offered throughout. The program is taught in English.

Tuition covers all program sessions and guided practices, three nutritious meals a day, more than ten daily yoga and movement classes, and access to the Kripalu grounds and facilities. Accommodation is separate from tuition. Healing Arts sessions and items from the Kripalu Shop and Cafe are available for purchase.

Actual times may vary, so check the Guest Boards or the schedule provided at check-in for details and room locations.