Train
Training VIVA-style means working techniques from a variety of AcroYoga and Acro lineages and practices. It means preparing the body, drilling skills, using smart progressions, hitting peak skills with confidence, and cooling and caring for the body.
That’s just the physical…
Training VIVA-style also means communicating clearly and honestly with your partners, creating and upholding a safe practice environment, and challenging yourself to simply be a better human. That’s a lot. This is big. Come try.
Connect
This is a boutique event, which means we have a limited number of participants. That means you get time with people, real time, to talk, practice, giggle and develop REALationships.
Each class and workshop has a humanities theme, a concept to be explored that helps us be better acroyogis above and beyond our physical skills. Inclusive languaging, consent and reciprocity are some examples of past skills woven into classes.
Communal eating spaces and a cozy venue, as well as Acrochats at lunch breaks help bring us closer.
Play
We encourage our teachers to give tons of time for participants to practice skills and have fun. Giggles are encouraged, experimentation and creative process too, and of course… all the jamming. Montreal’s jams are some of the best in the world.
Come experience nightly jams in public parks throughout the festival. There will also be a space for jamming on lunch breaks on the main festival days.
The Saturday Night VIVAFlow talent show and dance party is another way we play. Last year’s show was beyond incredible and everyone was involved!
VIVAcroyoga 2024 Daylong Teachers
Millissa & Devon - VANCOUVER
Flow State
Millissa and Devon have been working and creating together for the past 6 years. It is the love of Acro and the connection it brings that keeps them engaged. Their love for the practice is rooted in the self expression and the creativity it fosters, from beginner to advanced. For Millissa & Devon, the cherry on top is the strength and delicacy required to flourish in this beautiful and creative practice.
Heidi and Matt - MONTREAL/AUSTRALIA
Standing Acrobatics & Group Games
Matt Berno and Heidi Blais are dynamic figures in partner acrobatics, each bringing unique flair and expertise to the global acro community. Matt, a former academic turned circus devotee, captivates audiences with his passion for hand-to-hand and group acrobatics, while Heidi, a California native based in Montreal, shines in partner acrobatics and hands-free acroyoga. Both are dedicated teachers, sharing their expertise worldwide at festivals, intensives, and training programs. With boundless creativity and unwavering dedication, Matt and Heidi inspire and uplift the global acro community.
Jessie and Eugene, Jill and Heidi - MONTREAL
Acroyoga Montreal Style
This year’s Wednesday Daylong will be led by the four integral members of Acroyoga Montreal. Jessie and Eugene are the visionary founders who coined the term “AcroYoga” in 1999 and founded Acroyoga Montreal. With a journey spanning back to 1982, they transitioned from professional dancers to studio owners at Ashtanga Yoga Montreal before dedicating themselves fully to AcroYoga. They are celebrated for their emphasis on creative process, breath-based movement, and using the practice as a tool for social awareness and personal growth. Jill Campbell and Heidi Blais work alongside Jessie and Eugene as co-teachers of the annual AYMTL teacher trainings since 2011 and 2012 respectively. They bring grounded practicality, humor, and technical precision to their teachings. Jill & Heidi guide practitioners into experiences of alignment, ease, balance, and creativity, emphasizing human connection for a lifelong practice fostered by the profound teachings of Jessie and Eugene.
Courtney and Devin - ASHEVILLE
Standing partner Acrobatics
Courtney and Devin are a dynamic duo of acrobats based in Asheville, North Carolina, with a passion for Icarian and Popping styles of acrobatics, as well as Free Balancing. Committed to inclusivity and accessibility, they offer progressive, concept-based classes for individuals of all skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, Courtney and Devin’s classes promise to challenge and inspire you while fostering a supportive community of fellow enthusiasts.
Ahna Ma - SANTA FE
Healing Space / Therapeutic Recovery Daylong
Ahna Ma (Adam Mednick) is a professional Thai massage therapist and teacher in Santa Fe, New Mexico. www.mettabody.works Author, program director, and lead teacher of 200-hour Professional Thai Massage Training, New Mexico School of Massage www.mudlot.us. Author of MBLExplained, comprehensive Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam courses. www.mblexplained.com. AcroYogi, forever and always, since 2010 Art, in its initial stage, is Science… Science, in its highest form, is Art.
Become part of our community
Come experience how we push our physical abilities in safe, conscious ways. Come lift each other up and support a communal evolution that uses skills and drills as a medium for personal elevation. Come for the festival, stay for the friends.
VIVAcroyoga is more than a festival, it is an experience in human connection and play. You are part of it!
Every time I come back from VIVA, I'm inspired not only in my practice but in my whole being. The vibe of the Montreal community is so warm, beautiful and contagious! The people are warm, versatile, humble and welcoming! You can feel the true values of Acroyoga embedded in their practice, and it's refreshing to play and share with them!
A well-organized festival, with quality workshops and renowned teachers, that will undoubtedly take your practice further. I'm privileged to be part of this wonderful team!
If you like Acroyoga festivals, VIVAcroyoga has to be on your list!
VIVAcroyoga is a week-long gathering of Acroyogis from across Canada and around the world. This event gives you a great view of the different communities and styles of AcroYoga.
Creativity, expression, conviviality and expertise are the words that define for us the quality of the workshops and speakers at the festival. In addition to the quality of the speakers, the organizing team does a great job of focusing on the values of communication, consent and safety in practice. You can also join the team and contribute your energy, as they have some volunteer places available.
So when you come from abroad, you can meet and make great connections with great practitioners with a diverse and fun practice. It's with inclusion, affection and sensitivity that you'll be welcomed into the festival and the community in Montreal.
VIVA is a really interesting festival environment. It feels small and intimate because of the studio where most of the festival activities take place. Yet it feels big and expansive because the beautiful city of Montreal is the backdrop with some incredible classes and jams taking place in the park near the studio.
As for the classes, there are fun and challenging classes for all levels and it seems that the most amazing acroyoga teachers are all at this festival, teaching and taking classes. And I don't mean the most amazing in terms of skill, I mean they're the best kind of human - kind, encouraging, supportive and badass. And the students are just as incredible!
In 2019, I had the pleasure of teaching a class to beginners and it was such a great teaching experience that I'd love to teach again as often as they'll let me....haha. Come to VIVA and see for yourself! I'll see you there.
VIVA is Montreal's annual acroyoga event, attracting talent from around the world and offering a variety of inspiring workshops at all skill levels.
The community's values are oriented towards consent, inclusion and play, which helps create an uplifting and heartwarming experience.
I love this event and am grateful to be a part of it!
Our Mission
VIVAcroyoga strives to be a safer, supportive, and welcoming community. The festival is built by and for a cohesive and diverse group of people. Our VIVAvalues help remind us of the kind of community we work to be everyday, every practice, every interaction. This is who we are: