ITALY CONTACT FESTIVAL (Somatics into Contact) (June 3-9, 2026)

The term “somatic” comes from the Greek “soma,” meaning body. Somatic practices invite us to rediscover bodily intelligence: it is not only about moving the body, but about listening to it, perceiving it, and understanding the more subtle languages that emerge through movement.
The intensive proposes an exploration of the somatic dimension of Contact Improvisation, recognizing it as a fully-fledged somatic practice.
We will investigate somatic aspects through its language, its vision, and its unique way of generating embodied knowledge.
The founders of Contact Improvisation intentionally left the discipline open, without rigid boundaries, encouraging freedom of expression. Within this space of possibility, each person is invited to define their own personal framework for exploration and research inside a broader container.
In Contact Improvisation, “Somatics and Research coincide,” and the reason lies in that intricate process called improvisation. The body’s responses are at once a somatic process and a continuous discovery that fuels the dance.

Within this perspective, physiological and behavioral processes of the Nervous System, the Fascia, pattern dynamics, the body/mind state, touch, and how all these systems intertwine to generate a creative and truly improvised dance will be explored in depth.

Info and registration: https://www.italycontactfest.com/it/