ABOUT FESTIVAL
Falling with grace, landing into the unknown…
This year, we invite you to explore how Contact Improvisation deepens our capacity for listening, strengthens community, and fosters ease in change. In CI, every fall is not the end of a thread, but the beginning of a new one – a step into the unknown, where trust, adaptability, and mutual support emerge through movement.
We begin with listening – tuning into sensation, space, and each other, refining our ability to be present with what unfolds. Through shared weight and shifting dynamics, we discover how to offer and receive support, meeting the moment with care.
From this foundation, resilience grows—not as rigid strength or control but as the ability to move fluidly with change. In falling, we find grace; in landing, we expand our horizons. CI teaches us that navigating the unexpected is not only possible but deeply nourishing.
Join us in this exploration of movement, trust, and the art of landing into the unknown.
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S EDITION
The 16th edition of the festival features new teachers, morning warm-ups for bodies and minds, and new jam-packed formats. It also has familiar formats such as afternoon labs, open classes, and community time. There will be plenty of moments for reflection and discussion. Join us for four days of celebrating being together in dance!
Adrian Russi is inviting us to an intensive dedicated to listening – to the body, space and encounters – as a key skill for Contact Improvisation. By exploring perception, dynamics and strength, we will develop freedom of movement, moving from attentive encounters to wild, technically challenging dances. Same time, free jamming will allow us to follow the moment and find a dance that is full of grace and vitality.
Thomas Kampe is offering a somatic intensive. Integrating the Feldenkrais® method with contact improvisation, we will focus on body awareness, gravity, and touch. Through duet explorations of movement, we will develop coordination, lightness, and spontaneity in dance. This is an invitation to somatically listen to yourself, deepen your relationship with gravity, and discover new movement possibilities.
Finally, Inna Falkova is leading a labbing intensive about the experience of war and peace, life and death, their polarisation, and transformation. We will explore how conscious experiencing of these experiences can become a space for growth, strength, and maturity instead of unconsciously reproducing destructive patterns. This is an invitation to explore together through movement in search of the potential inherent not only in the individual but also in the community and collective intelligence.
This year, the festival accompanies a meeting of contact teachers at the European Contact Improvisation Teachers Exchange, which takes place the following week (14-19th July). You can find more about it here: ECITE’2025.
PROGRAM INCLUDES:
Intensive Workshop
Intensive, 4-day morning workshops, some open to all levels, and others intended for advanced practitioners – to choose from while registering.
Labs and classes
Single labs and classes exploring different facets of CI and other practices supporting CI dancing. Open to all participants, you can just come as you are.
Jams
Evening jams with various flavours, including focus jam, live music evenings, blind jam. Primarily, it is a time to celebrate the diversity and resilience of the CI community. Time to meet in dance.
Conversations, discussions
We will place our practice within the theoretical context; we will discuss the topics relevant to our practice and questions about what bothers us. People involved in teaching, theory and practice will share their research on CI.
CI kids & families
Space and time for children and their parents to co-create and collaborate through movement. Based on spontaneous play, improvisation, elements of CI and developmental movement methods. Supporting independence and self-confidence of both youngsters and oldies.
CI library
A space where you can find books, publications and magazines related to CI. Do you have interesting materials, books or articles, or maybe you write about CI yourself and want to share your work with others? Please send us a copy or bring it with you to the festival.