Solo & CI Tirol Festival

About this event

The Solo & CI Tirol Festival is a week-long Contact Improvisation festival at Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen in Innsbruck, Austria (August 21–28, 2026), now in its 8th edition. The venue sits on a wooded hillside above the city with studios, outdoor terraces, and — uniquely — rock faces with belay systems for vertical dance exploration. The festival is non-residential; accommodation is arranged independently in Innsbruck, with optional communal meals on site prepared by a resident cook-dancer. The 2026 theme is 'Grounding and Off Ground: Different Perspectives to CI.' The programme runs four intensive workshop tracks alongside daily open jams with live music, performances, screenings, lectures, and open talks. Charlie Morrissey (UK) returns to fundamentals in 'The Apple Returns to the Tree': rolling, falling, the body as mass in relation to physical forces, drawing on materials developed with Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson. Pedro Penuela (BR/GR) investigates wu wei — action without action — as a root for CI listening and openness, and leads a shared lecture-discussion on sexuality in CI. Sarah Sea Clarke explores CI's somatic lineages in 'Cultivating a Sense of/for CI': grounding work, embodied meditation, and deep listening, plus an open talk on CI's somatics family tree. Maitane Sarralde (ES) leads 'Vertical Dance in Nature' — CI principles on rope and harness on a 10–14m wall, working with the pendulum, anti-gravity, and the dialogue between body and vertical terrain. Tamara Maksymenko (UA/AT), the festival founder and artistic director, organises the week and contributes to the programme. Main musician: Michael Schrotter (Graz). Price covers the full programme; accommodation and meals not included. Contact: soloandcityrolfest@gmail.com