Sustain at The Marsh Studio 2027

May 19 - 25 in Darien, Gerogia, USA

Welcome to Sage Movement Arts' third installment of SUSTAIN: an aerial arts retreat hosted by founder Constance (CircusEcho) Palmer!  This year we are staying close to home and visiting the iconic Marsh Studio, home to Susan Murphy and Don Carson.  The Marsh Studio is nestled in Darien, Georgia, a coastal town along the Altamaha River and the state's second oldest planned city.  Darien is home to vast swaths of wetland and nature preserve land home to rich wildlife and a beautiful place to watch migratory birds!  

This year's space is a bit more intimate, so slots for this retreat will be super limited.
The first round of registration is by invitation only to artists that attended 2025 or 2026. 
If you are new to SUSTAIN but would like to join the circle Click here to join the waitlist!

The SUSTAIN aerial retreat is focused on sustainable practices for aerial arts and the theme for this year is Sustaining an Artistic Practice in Challenging Times.

My aim for this retreat is to be just that; a retreat.  A rest.  A reset, and if it leads to creation because you gave your body and soul what it needed that would be incredible too.  I will of course still be teaching some skill and technique based workshops during the week on fabric and sling, and Susan Murphy will be teaching a two hour Laban movement based class one morning of the retreat.  We will take the time here to refocus our practice on finding the joy in movement and the pleasure in process rather than rushing towards an imaginary finish line we've set for ourselves.  Come reignite your curiosity and learn how to be at home in your body and practice.

The full hour by hour schedule will be released to attendees but the bullet of the week is:

  • Morning Movements (aerial and grounded yoga and mobility)
  • education on alignment and embodies structures for injury prevention
  • advice on organizing your training for longevity
  • skills and technique on silks and sling
  • open (training) time for skills, creation, mentorship, skill share, or REST
  • ferry trip and bird watching on Sapelo Island
  • full moon kayak/canou trip
  • overall sustainable practices for training, teaching, and supporting circus culture for longevity with guided discussions
  • 3 home cooked meals every day following coffee 

Studio and Rigging:

The studio is inside Susan and Don's private home on the Marsh directly next to the guest house.  There are 9 adjustable points that are 20+ feet tall with panel mats and crash mats available.  Fabric and Slings will be rigged and used for all of the guided classes.  You can request other equipment during the open training blocks or bring your own (Constance will inspect and approve).  

Accommodations:

The accommodations this year will be in two separate houses but they are next to each other on the same little road/drive way and the studio is also on the same drive way.  Our chef will be cooking our meals every day in the Blue Heron house but neither house will fit us all so we will be split.  Susan's guest house has a hot tub on the deck and is closer to the studio.  The Blue Heron rooms each have a private balcony and bathroom.  So there are some options there!  The accommodations are a bit different and the beds are different sizes in the rooms, so this year I will be listing registration and accommodations separately.  The pricing will be per room and they will be first come, first serve by choice to people that have paid in full.  When you book the retreat the accommodation will be paid at the same time but the dollar amount will be individualized.  Rooms can be rented and shared if there is a king bed or multiple beds in the room; the price listed is for the room and can be split.  Prices are for the entire stay, not per night.

Blue Heron House:
Room 1: 2 double beds with attached bathroom - $500/room or $250/bed
Room 2 (x3): king sized bed with private bathroom - $650/room
Room 3: king sized bed with private bathroom and jacuzzi tub $700/room
Room 4: king sized bed and 1 pair of bunk beds with attached bathroom - $1050/room or $650/king and $200/bed

Susan's House: 
Room 5: king sized bed with shared bath - $500/room
Room 6: queen sized bed with shared bath - $350/room
Room 7: futon in an office with shared bath - $160/room

Once you are ready to pay your balance I will ask you what your room preference is and assign the best I can.  You can email or text/message me when you are ready to make your final payment.

Flights and Transportation:

There are a variety of options for travel.  You are welcome to drive to The Marsh but if you are flying in Brunswick airport is the closest.  Savannah, GA and Jacksonville, FL are other options that are each about an hour away.  As we get closer we can coordinate airport pick ups in a group chat because I will pick up from one of the airports that we can decide on. 

Registration: $2200 USD (early bird $2000 if paid by 15 February 2027)

Included in your experience is a variety of carefully crafted classes to help build, develop, and maintain a sustainable practice.  Classes will be taught on fabric and sling but ground based movements for warm up and alignment will be sprinkled through the week.  Susan Murphy will also be teaching one 2-hour Laban class which is included for everyone.  Open training time will also be offered during which you can use other equipment, some custom shaped apparatus I will bring, or bring your own and I will inspect and rig it for you.  We are taking this retreat over the full moon so we will walk down to the marsh and paddle around after dinner on Thursday. Our wonderful chef Lesley will be prepping coffee for the early risers and providing us with 3 home cooked meals a day including a dinner on our arrival day May 19th.  Finally, hopefully on Friday weather depending, we will take a short ferry to Sapelo Island to visit the beach and go bird watching.  A picnic will be provided on this excursion!  

Payment Options:

Please feel free to reach out to me (Constance) directly with any questions or to check availability of space!

look@circusecho.com 
or
sagemovementarts@gmail.com

 

Important Dates and Registration Information:

  • Today - apply to join the waitlist
    • $500 (non-refundable) deposit due to secure your slot
  • 1 December - second deposit $500
  • 1 February - early bird deadline ($2000 + accommodation)
  • 1 March - $1000 (non-refundable) second payment due
  • 1 May - remaining balance due ($2200 total + accommodation)
  • 19 May - join us at The Marsh!