Dance Leader Training and Development Programme 2025-2026

Guided by Christina Gulzar Lausevic and Jilani Cordelia Prescott

A two year course including four residential retreats in beautiful and comfortable venues

This programme is for everyone who is interested in the Dances of Universal Peace, including mentored leaders, and also those new to the path of Dance Leading. 

We invite you to embark on this deeply enriching and exciting journey with us, not only on your path as a Dance Leader, but also as an opportunity for profound personal development, spiritual growth and self-discovery. Jilani and Gulzar are currently the only mentors offering a Dance Leader training course in the UK. After running our highly successful course in 2017/18 and again in 2020/21 we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity for a third time in 2024. 

YOUR GUIDES

Jilani Cordelia Prescott trained as a classical musician, and has over 30 years of teaching experience. Her main focus is now leading the Dances. She has led Dance and Sufi retreats, teacher trainings, and camps across the world. She is also a Sufi guide, and acts as the Facilitator on the Board of Trustees for the Sufi Ruhaniat International. Her passion is to work with people, enabling them to shine more fully as themselves, and to share their gifts with others.

Christina Gulzar Lausevic is a highly experienced teacher, having been a teacher and teacher educator in her first career. She is engaged in Dance Leading and developing Dance Leaders in many countries.  Trained as a Facilitator in personal and collective transformation, she founded Emergent Space with her partner, with whom she runs Retreats. Gulzar is passionate about how the Dances help people heal and awaken to their highest potential.

ASPECTS OF DANCE-LEADING TO BE STUDIED

  • Breath Practices
  • Voice Work
  • The Sacred Phrase
  • Leadership Skills
  • Developing Magnetism
  • Spiritual Walks 
  • Dance Repertoire
  • Musicianship
  • Confidence
  • The Dances as a Healing Practice
  • Energetic Holding Skills 
  • History and Background of the Dances 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS TRAINING PROGRAMME?

We will guide and support you on this journey every step of the way. Included in this 2 year training are: 

Four residential training retreats, including 16 nights full board accommodation. The retreats are held in comfortable and beautiful venues with expansive grounds. We will have sole use of these country houses for our own group. 
Between these live trainings, you will be supported in your unfolding development with regular group video conference calls (16 calls, or 24 hours in total). 


As a Dance Leader, you will: 

  • Find and develop your unique voice as an expression of your heart and soul
  • Expand your Dance repertoire and deepen in the spiritual traditions and practices of the world
  • Develop an understanding of the power of sacred mantra and the energetic and healing effects of sound 
  • Develop your musicianship and learn how to embody a greater sense of rhythm
  • Explore how different Dances support our grounding and expansion in different ways
  • Understand group harmonisation and how you can use this to support healing and transformation
  • Expand your energetic range so that you can embody different qualities, elements and polarities at will
  • Develop your capacity to speak to peoples’ hearts and open them with your words
  • Allow your gift to flow through you from a place of empowered surrender and magnetic presence
  • Discover practical marketing tools to help you to take your transmission of the Dances out into the world 
  • Explore how to adapt the Dances for various situations and needs, to support a wide range of communities

Many Dance Leaders, even those who have already completed a training, still feel held back in their leading, or in putting themselves out there in their communities. In this particular training, with its added focus on supporting you with personal development as well as leadership ability, we aim to help you from the start to discover and overcome potential obstacles to being a successful and magnetic Dance Leader. 
Both Jilani and Gulzar are trained and very experienced teachers and guides, and a particular skill they share is to see your gifts and to let these unfold joyfully and with ease. 

We will help you to be the best Dance Leader you can possibly be. 

PRACTICAL DETAILS

Residential Retreats in two beautiful country house retreat centres, in Northumberland and Cheshire, both easily accessible by air, rail and road. 

  • 10th – 14th April 2025 Shepherds Dene, Northumberland (pictured above right)
  • 16th – 20th October 2025 Wistaston Hall
  • 1st – 5th May 2026 Shepherds Dene
  • 23-27 October 2026 Wistaston Hall, Crewe (pictured above left and centre)

16 conference calls with the whole group via Zoom or similar interface 

APPLYING FOR A PLACE

The first step is to fill in the form to apply for a place by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/LwJfHhN2vefzNZ5p8

Please also let us know when you have completed the form. If you are successful we will offer you a place and send you payment details.

Prices

Investment:  £3670

Reduced price for full payment received by 18th October 2024:  £3470

Supplement for a guaranteed single room on all retreats: please add £240

Subsidised price for people who have completed a training with us before: Deduct £200

Deposit to secure your place: £400 (non-refundable – this is less than what we need to pay the venues to book your place)

Absolute deadline for all bookings: 5th February 2025

We prefer people to pay in full if they are able to do so, due to the high non-refundable deposits we have to pay to the venues.  If you need to set up an instalment plan, please contact us as soon as you can.  We will work to find a suitable arrangement for you and for us, taking into account our fixed expenses and costs.

Bursaries:  We hope to be able to offer some generous bursaries to those who would really need one in order to attend. Please contact us to discuss your needs.  And if anyone would like to donate to our bursary fund, to support someone else attending, it would help immensely – please let us know.

For more information, click on the links to contact Jilani or Gulzar

TESTIMONIALS

I really value and honour the visible and invisible work you’ve been doing, inviting me in a very sensitive way to explore some paths where I wouldn’t have been by myself. I felt really safe and joyful about the way you’ve been holding the group and all the training.Thank you. (Solène Garrin – France)

Your capacity of listening and channelling all the situations was impeccable. Keep going please! Congratulations!  (Juan Nuraddin – Spain)

I grew up so much! Thank you!!!!!  I’m so grateful…(Paloma – Belgium)

Jilani and Gulzar know what they are doing. You can trust them. (Sarah McCulloch – UK)

“Wow! No words! It was amazing”

“A very sensitive way to explore some paths where I wouldn’t have been by myself.”

“I would highly recommend this pair of very gifted and experienced dance leaders. Thank you so much.” 

“Beautiful holding of a very diverse group.”

“I have attended two training courses before, and on this one my heart has felt safe enough to open fully to feel joy and pain, and to connect with the Divine within.”

“Gulzar and Jilani create a safe, warm, heart-centred, non-judgemental space in which to overcome fears about leading dances.”