Passion, Play, and Pleasure: Dancing on the Beach

On day four of the Passion, Play, and Pleasure dance retreat in Portugal, our facilitators surprised us with an impromptu visit to a nearby beach, Praia dos Alteirinhos.

The drive’s about twenty minutes away from Monte da Orada via car. We passed through the coastal village of Zambujeira do Mar right before arriving. Be warned the entrance to the parking lot is easily overlooked! Once you’re there, you have to climb down a long, winding staircase that leads down to the beach.

I literally gasped out loud when I first glimpsed the beach from inside the car. I’m a natural water-lover, but I don’t get to bask on the beach very often in Toronto. Seeing those dramatic Portuguese cliff faces in person ignited a wonderful childishness and sense of abandon within me.

We made our way to a more secluded cove from there, a neighbouring beach called Praia das Costas do Lajão and set up camp. It was my first time at a nude beach, and already I saw people topless or completely naked, tanning under the sun. The most amazing thing about it was how normal it was; I didn’t even “see” the nakedness while I was there. Culturally I’ve never had a problem with nudity in appropriate contexts, owing to my vocation as a dance artist (quick changes, anyone?) and having grown up with public bathhouses. There’s no pressure to be nude yourself at a nude beach, either. You do you.

Our facilitators had brought along a huge speaker, and those hours spent bopping to the beat as well as in the water were absolutely inspiring. We had mini warm-up and meditation sessions too.

Sometime in the middle of all this, a helicopter passed by in the clear, blue sky. Whatever they were out to do, I hope they looked down and saw a little joyful crowd of dancing bodies. I hope we brought a smile to their face.

Near the end, we all fell into that blissful state of mind and body when you’ve had a wonderful, energetic day and now just want to lie back and soak up that sun. Time was of irrelevance.

The cover photo for this article is one of my favourites from the retreat because it captures the play, trust, and delight present in that moment.

SAFETY TIPS

I’d be shirking my duty if I didn’t warn you of some natural beach hazards. The first thing I was concerned about when I heard we’d be going to the beach was if there was a washroom (“toilet,” as the Europeans say).

Answer: no. The two beaches do not offer any toilet at the time of this writing.

The response I got to asking that question was, “There’s a cave.” And, indeed, there was a cave! It’s located in the far corner before the beach turns to the secluded cove. I confirmed my suspicions when I ran over later and saw multiple footprints all leading to the exact same spot in the very back of the dark cave. Unfortunately, there’s no one guarding the entrance, so if you go alone, you’ll have to cross your fingers and pray no one pops in at the same time as you for a wee.

The second big thing to note is that there are very sharp rock edges at the shoreline (or jagged shells or some form of ocean plant life — I’m not too sure)! They extend a couple meters into the water, and if you go barefoot — as I did — they will hurt! I understood then why the facilitators recommended we bring water shoes. They’re useful for swimming in Orada’s canal and biopool too, if you wish.

The beach was one major reason why I wanted to attend this retreat so much. It’s not every day you get to visit an out-of-the-way beach that’s not chock full of people, much less dance there!

My dreams are indeed made of sand and sun¹.

¹Note about the text in the cover photo: it’s borrowed from a bookmark that has the same words printed on it. I bought it years ago as a token of inspiration and hope for the future :)

For a closer look at our time at the beach, see the excerpt video below:

For the full retreat experience video, see:

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