From Dancing to Holding Space: 12-Day Dance Alchemy Retreat & Facilitator Training in Slovenia (11th Edition)

I’m Goran Bogdanovski — dance teacher, choreographer, embodiment coach, and founder of Ficho Institute. I’ve lived and breathed dance professionally since 1990 — from the Slovene National Ballet to an international career as a contemporary dancer, performer, creator, and teacher. Over the years, my work has expanded beyond performing. I’ve created and toured performances with my dance company, Fičo Balet, and contributed to the development of the dance field by co-creating platforms, festivals, and networks such as Nomad Dance Academy, Kino Šiška, CoFestival, Gibanica, and the Centre for Contemporary Dance Arts Slovenia. Looking back, I can see that much of my work has been about building spaces and communities where people can meet, move, and grow together. In 2000, I shifted my focus toward dance improvisation and embodied practice — searching for a more authentic and direct way of moving, creating, and living. This led to years of exploration across different disciplines, including dance improvisation, contact improvisation, martial arts, somatics, meditation, spirituality, and embodied practices. Since 2006, I’ve been teaching, coaching, and mentoring internationally — working with over 3,000 people in 23 countries. Through this process, I developed a body of work that brings together more than 100 practical tools, exercises, and principles — accessible to anyone, regardless of background or experience. This work became what is now known as The Art of Dance Alchemy. A structured, yet open practice that allows people to: reconnect with themselves understand how they function and learn how to work with it through movement Today, my focus is on teaching, developing this practice further, and creating spaces — from weekly trainings to retreats and facilitator programs — where people can explore, grow, and apply this work in their lives and work. Part of this vision is taking shape in Bali, where I’m working toward creating a place to live, work, and host transformative experiences — a space that brings together practice, community, and environment. This is not just something I teach. It’s a practice I live. https://www.fichoinstitute.com