Since 1992, the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts has produced and presented innovative arts experiences that foster curiosity and collaboration. Providing creative leadership and inspiring positive change in the Southern Colorado community and beyond.
Music and Movement Classes
Ignite the Dancer Within:
Stretching, Posture & Mudras, Zumba & Dances of India
with AuroTejas Hemsell and Shakti Dance School
Red Crags Arts
and Agriculture House
Wednesdays
5:00 - 6:00 pm
Immerse yourself in a cultural fitness adventure with a series of invigorating classes led by the globally acclaimed dance artist AuroTejas Hemsell — presented by the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts.
AuroTejas Hemsell is an international dance artist, born in India who has dedicated her life to the study of Indian Classical Dance.
Thursdays
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Discover the vibrant art of bellydance in this fun and inclusive class designed for all skill levels! Learn graceful movements, mesmerizing techniques, and expressive choreography while building strength, flexibility, and confidence.
Strengthen your core and awaken the deep intelligence of embodied movement through this time-honored art.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
African drumming is one of the most invigorating ways to feed your creativity and renew your spirit! Heidi’s classes are an upbeat, empowering, and FUN musical adventure into the power of African drumming. TWO intermediate sessions available weekly.
Develop rhythmic precision, increase stamina, and enjoy the energizing benefits of group drumming.
Sundays
9:00 - 10:15 am
Immerse yourself in a deeply meditative, heart-opening experience that creates spaciousness, an opportunity to slow down and reconnect with your true Self.
Rooted in the ancient tradition of Cha Dao, “The Way of Tea,” this ceremony honors Tea as a sacred guide. Each bowl invites a deepening of your inner journey, cultivating presence, curiosity, and awakened listening that reveals your inner wisdom.
Smokebrush Calendar
Upcoming Events and Workshops
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
SOUL SONGS & HEALING SOUND For Inner and Outer Peace
with Judith Piazza
Sunday, April 12, 2026
10:30 am – Noon
🎟️ $15-$30 sliding scale… Always less if you can’t.
Venmo Judith-Piazza-3, or exchange the day of our gathering.
RSVP appreciated. judypiazza@gmail.com / 720-982-8291
These days may be fraught with anxiety, confusion, paralysis, depression as prices rise, war is waged, and tension builds. We are all connected, and so we feel these tensions inside our body.
Through song, chant, mantra and healing sound, give your nervous system a rest and restore your soul’s voice in community with others. Be inspired by sacred chants and cultures around the world. Sing from your natural voice in simple call and response style to still our minds, open our hearts, and let our spirits soar. No experience necessary. Sing, sit, meditate, hum, dance, rest. Bring your favorite morning beverage. Mats, blankets, cushions and chairs are provided.
~Please come in good health … Stay tuned for any weather considerations~
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Beltaine Celebration: Rhythm & Drums — The Art of Accompaniment
with Judith Piazza
📆 Saturday, May 2nd 2026
⏰ 2:00 — 4:00 pm
🎟️ $45 per person
Drum, listen, and align with the living pulse beneath it all. A guided exploration of rhythm as devotion. Instruments available.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Beltaine Celebration: Heart Fire Beltaine Ball
with Saul David Raye, Judith Piazza, Kat Tudor & Tava Mountain Bellydancers
📆 Saturday, May 2nd 2026
⏰ 7:00 — 10:00 pm
🎟️ $45 per person/ $75 for two
Kirtan. Dance. Breath. Poetry. A gathering to tend the inner flame and celebrate the expansion of light. Light snacks, tea, and wild sodas from Smokebrush Farm.
513 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO
This project was funded in part by the Manitou Arts, Culture and Heritage Initiative and Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts.
FREE African Drumming at the MAC
with Heidi Alina & Guest Teacher Dethie “Pape” Sarr Diouf
📆 Sunday, May 3rd 2026
⏰ Kids’ Workshop (ages 9-14): 10:15 to 10:45 AM (30 minutes)
⏰ Teen & Adult Workshop: 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM (1.5 hours)
Limited drums available – please reserve in advance by emailing drumming@heidialina.life, or call 303-332-8816. Otherwise, please bring a djembe drum to play.
CMCW (Community Music for Connection & Wellbeing) presents guest artist Dethie “Pape” Sarr Diouf from Bargny, Senegal for a special morning of West African drumming at the Manitou Art Center.
Join us for this fun and uplifting community experience of rhythm, connection, and cultural learning through drumming.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Collage Art Class
with Lisa Murphy aka Midnight
📆 Wednesday, May 6th 2026
⏰ 1:30 — 4:00 pm
🎟️ $25 per guest, all materials included
Cut it up. Glue it down. Bring your personal pieces and tell your story! Collage artist Lisa Murphy leads an afternoon of hands-on exploration inside the historic sanctuary of Rockledge House at Smokebrush Farm.
Work with paper, color, pattern, and texture, layering your own memorabilia with curated materials to create something uniquely yours.
All ages. All skill levels. Get creative with the Smokebrush Art Club!
335 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO
Champagne, Chocolate & Chopin
with Dale Backus, piano • Heidi Alina, piano • Chef/Chocolatier Aimee Morrow
📆 Saturday, May 9th 2026
⏰ 3:00 — 5:00 pm
🎟️ $45 per guest
Join us early! There is a free reception before the show that includes one complimentary alcohol beverage, hand-crafted hors d’oeuvres, coffee/tea, and artisanally-crafted chocolates.
Together, Heidi and Dale offer a beautifully curated program born from a shared love of Chopin.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Mother's Day Plant Sale
📆 Sunday, May 10th 2026
⏰ 9:00 am — 3:00 pm
Reach out to smokebrushfarm@gmail.com for specific seedling requests!
Join us for a Mother's Day in Manitou with our favorite new seedlings all locally grown right here at Smokebrush Farm! Gear up for strawberries, fruit trees, veggies, flowers, medicinal and culinary herbs.
Enjoy a curated Mother’s Day Tea, and peruse our pickled goods, fresh produce, teas, and tinctures too.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Play, Joy, and Connection — Yoga Workshop
with Hannah Cefalo, MPH, RYT-200, Founder of Well Balanced
📆 Thursday, May 14th 2026
⏰ 4:00 — 6:00 pm
🎟️ $40 per student
For those craving restorative depth, nervous system reset, and intentional practice, set within the quiet sanctuary of Rockledge House at Smokebrush Farm.
Hannah Cefalo (MPH, RYT-200) leads a restorative-focused workshop rooted in breath, gentle heart-opening movement, and a 45-minute supported rest, inviting you to soften, open, and settle into deep, sustained relaxation.
For those ready to move with intention, and rest with purpose. Limited spots. Don’t wait.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Create Your Own Spring Tonic
with The Thymekeeper,
Mari Marques-Worden
mugsyspad@aol.com, 719-439-7303
📆 Sunday, May 17th 2026
⏰ 10:00 — 12:00 pm
🎟️ $40/person or $70/couples of the same household
Join local Colorado herbalist Mari Marques-Worden, The ThymeKeeper, as she teaches us how to harness the healing of Spring through this cycle’s power of rebirth, by understanding the return of upward energy in a leaf’s new growth.
We invite you to take a walk on the wild side and jump into folk medicine in action as we explore the health benefits of plants. From field to jar, participate in the process of making your very own foraged medicinal tonic.
6145 Shoup Road, Black Forest, CO
MeadowGrass Music Festival
with Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative www.facebook.com/RMHMC
📆 May 22–24, 2026
🎟️ $0 – $315.99
All Ages Welcome
Celebrate 3 unforgettable days of music, art, and community at the MeadowGrass Music Festival
Set in a stunning outdoor setting, this family-friendly weekend features live music, local food and craft brews, yoga, hikes, workshops, late-night shows, camping, and a dedicated kids zone — all designed to connect you with music and nature.
302 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Nature Connection Group
with Our Wild Origin: Land-Based Education
facebook.com/Ourwildorigin
📆 Saturday May 30th ⏰ 9 am to 12 pm
📆 Saturday June 27th ⏰ 9 am to 12 pm
📆 Saturday July 25th ⏰ 9 am to 12 pm
📆 Saturday August 29th ⏰ 9 am to 12 pm
🎟️ $15 minimum donation strongly suggested, those who can give more are encouraged to pay an upwards of $30. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
This year, we are switching things around and hosting our FREE friends hike before the class at Red Crags. Join our community space as we awaken our wild minds and reignite our land bodies. Together we will remember that attuning to the cycles and rhythms of the Land is within reach, if we can reclaim our ability to listen.
Participate in group conversations that redefine our intentions and impacts on the planet by recognizing humankind’s role as a keystone species. Through practices that engage our sensory awareness we will grow our capacity to relate with each other and non-human kin. You might just find that the lines between observer and the observed will soon begin to blur, as we realize we are an extension of nature, not an exception.
Together we will adventure the land, retell stories through animal tracking, observe the silence of sit spots, explore bird communication, play with animal mimicry, practice species identification, create land art, learn practical skills, and so much more. Let’s gather & enliven our relationship with the natural world!
Click HERE to sign up
302 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Wool Felting Classes
with Our Wild Origin: Land-Based Education
facebook.com/Ourwildorigin
📆 Sunday, June 14th, 2026 ⏰ 10 am to 2 pm
📆 Sunday, July 12th, 2026 ⏰ 10 am to 2 pm
📆 Sunday, August 9th, 2026 ⏰ 10 am to 2 pm
🎟️ $30, minimum donation to make a small pouch, those who can give more are encouraged to share up to $50
Sliding Scale for larger projects like bags, large pouches, hats etc! Conversation will be continued on text message, rates are based off wool used, if wool is pre prepped, and time spent learning in the classroom.
This dynamic fiber class caters to both returning students and newcomers interested in exploring the art of felting.
New students are required to felt a woolen base by making a simple hot pad or small pouch. Together we will nurture foundational skills that will enable us earthkeepers the ability to thrive with our handcrafted woolen materials in the same manner of embodiment that our many ancestors have practiced.
We also offer the opportunity to adorn your new woolen treasures with different colors of wool using nature as an inspiration to create your own unique needle felting pattern.
Click HERE to sign up
ROCKLEDGE HOUSE • RED CRAGS ARTS and AGRICULTURE HOUSE • ONALEDGE HOUSE
Historic mountain estates thoughtfully transformed into an expansive retreat and urban farm destination — a haven for wellness, creativity, and connection.
Nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountain foothills near the natural healing mineral waters of Manitou Springs, this serene environment is designed to be a peaceful space for deepening your practice.
Rockledge House
Guest Check-in, Commercial Kitchen, and Retreat Rental Office
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Onaledge House
Retreats, Private Events and Whole House Rentals
336 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Smokebrush Farm Headquarters
Agricultural Center, Community Farm Stand and Gift Shop
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Red Crags Arts and
Agriculture House
Main Foundation Office, Studios and Artist Residences
302 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Chakra Resonance:
A Seven Month Sound Journey
Seven gatherings. Seven chakras. One journey inward.
with Matthew Langford
⏰ 7:00-8:30pm | Sliding scale of $20–40 per session | Seven Class Pack for $300
Rockledge House, 328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
Root Chakra - Mon. October 20
Sacral Chakra - Mon. November 10
Solar Plexus Chakra - Mon. December 8
Heart Chakra - Mon. January 12
Throat Chakra - Mon. February 9
Third Eye Chakra - Mon. March 2
Crown Chakra - Mon. April 13