Contact Improvisation Retreats Worldwide

A retreat is a multi-day gathering at a residential venue away from daily life, pairing Contact Improvisation with rest and reflection, and often set somewhere quiet. Expect a slower, less densely scheduled pace than a festival or intensive.

14 upcoming eventsin 11 countries

First multi-day event? What to pack, and how to pace yourself →

Retreat

Lummi Island Jam, ReHarmonizing Retreat

A special weekend retreat weaving movement, voice, and community, gently facilitated by Paul Millage at Aletheia, A Place to Remember, on Lummi Island, WA. The retreat blends Contact Improvisation with vocal improvisation and song circles under the theme "ReHarmonize Mind, Body & Spirit through Dance, Song, Sauna, Nature & Re-Villaging." For Contact Improv dancers, community singers, "ReVillagers," and curious humans; the only prerequisite is curiosity. Each day includes sauna and singing in the morning, a warm-up into a focused dance jam, and open time in the community Heartspace for emergent dance and music in the evening; Saturday adds a Community Song Circle. Thursday is arrival and settling in; Sunday closes with a group harvesting and sharing circle. The venue is a dance studio surrounded by forest and meadow with Salish Sea views, a 6-minute ferry ride from the mainland and about 25 minutes from Bellingham; exact address is sent after registration. Accommodation is rustic onsite camping or a communal stay in the dance space (a few cabins available for extra cost); meals are partly provided (rice, quinoa, salad, sauerkraut) with participants bringing their own protein. Limited to 15 participants; a few children welcome. Refunds available up to 7 days before the event.

Sep 3 - Sep 6, 2026

Lummi Island, United States

Retreat

Rosh - A CI & Partnering Event

Rosh is an intimate, in-depth Contact Improvisation and partnering event created for the CI community around Rosh Hashanah. One concept is explored through three teachers and perspectives (Olivia Court Mesa, Yaniv Mintzer, and Yochai Ginton), building a continuous, immersive process with time for practice, exploration, and embodiment. Alongside classes there are daily jams, a swimming pool, space to connect, and a shared Rosh Hashanah celebration. Primarily aimed at experienced dancers, though a limited number of spots for less experienced participants may be available following a conversation to align expectations. Limited to 60 participants.

Sep 10 - Sep 14, 2026

Even Sapir, Israel

Retreat

CI Workshop & Jam

A 12-day residential Contact Improvisation retreat at Leviathan Studio on Lasqueti Island, British Columbia, Canada (September 13–26, 2026), led by Mark Young and Lesley Greco. Two classes per day plus evening jams. The fee of $1,800 CAD includes all meals, tuition, accommodation, and transportation to and from the ferry. Mark Young's morning classes connect Tai Chi to Material for the Spine to Contact Improvisation through spiral movement. Starting from floor work, participants roll over each other, find the floor with safe landings, explore the fear reflex, and open new movement pathways. The Tai Chi lineage Mark studied extensively in the 1990s is grounded entirely in spiral organisation — the natural structure of life from DNA to galaxies. Spiralling accesses both strength and lightness: stability in lifting, buoyancy in flying. Lesley Greco's afternoon labs explore the dynamics of non-verbal dialogue in CI through anatomical and physiological perspectives on listening and responding. Participants investigate their own attentional and perceptual systems as they dance together, developing nuanced physical reciprocity in contact. Lesley works across rehabilitation, performance, and movement education, with backgrounds in osteopathy, movement, and voice. She has been practising CI since 2001 and teaching since 2009, and her essays appear in The Anthology of Essays on Deep Listening (2012) and Resistance and Support: Contact Improvisation @ 50 (Oxford University Press, 2024). Leviathan Studio, founded by Mark Young, is a dedicated CI research centre on Lasqueti Island — a small, car-free island accessible by ferry. Contact: via the website.

Sep 13 - Sep 26, 2026

Lasqueti Island, Canada

Retreat

Deep Contact Retreaton

A space of movement and mutual support — meeting in the simplicity of body and nature, to dance, sing, laugh and cry. Combines guided Contact Improvisation sessions with community-offered content (yoga, meditation, rap, massage, etc.). Collaborative cooking — participants bring ingredients. Lodging in studio or camping, bring your own gear. Facilitated by Sasha Chernivetsky and Sa'ar Osterreicher.

Sep 17 - Sep 19, 2026

Bethlehem of Galilee, Israel

Recurring: 7 more upcoming dates on the event page

Retreat

Enramando — Jugar en Serio (XV edición)

15th edition of Enramando, a group process retreat held at the threshold of autumn around Contact Improvisation, voice and shared singing, play, presence, communal living, and ritual in nature. We live in times that push us to turn everything into productivity — even personal growth becomes another task. Against this, we want to reclaim play: not as distraction, but as a profound way of being alive — the capacity to explore without knowing, to improvise, to discover new possibilities in encounter with oneself, with others, and with the world. This edition gathers at the doorstep of the equinox, a threshold between summer's luminous expansion and autumn's more introspective quality — a time of ripening and harvest. Enramando is understood primarily as a group process: a ritualized cohabitation exploring what happens when a group agrees to meet from presence, availability, and care. The practices supporting this path include Contact Improvisation, vocal exploration, shared singing, rituals in nature, and somatic practices, facilitated through a Gestalt lens, group awareness, consent practices, and trust in collective wisdom. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Arrival: Thursday 17th at 17:00, beginning at 18:00. Departure: Sunday 20th around 16:00. Price: sliding scale €300–€360 depending on self-assessed financial means — includes shared-room accommodation and full board from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Homemade meals made with local, organic, seasonal ingredients where possible. Own van/tent camping also possible on-site. Open to arrangements/exchanges for fragile economies. Registration closes 7 September; places are limited and reserved by order of registration and payment. VENUE La Enramada, a home surrounded by forest in Garganta la Olla (La Vera, Cáceres, Extremadura), cared for by Carmen Alcalde since 2017.

Sep 17 - Sep 20, 2026

Garganta la Olla, Spain

Retreat

Hashmurot, Crete

A 10-day participatory creative laboratory in the wild landscape of Southern Crete (September 20–30, 2026), led by Iris Nais, where embodied practice, Contact Improvisation, and the living environment become material for collective, site-responsive creation. The practice weaves embodied movement, Contact Improvisation, field intelligence, spontaneous composition, site-responsive creation, and performance. Participants move between the wild landscape (water, stone, trees, wind, gravity, texture, temperature, sound) and the Half Moon Yurt studio, letting each environment shape how they listen, move, and create. Individual exploration meets collective improvisation, gradually moving toward a shared, site-responsive creation. Musician and sound artist Erez Ben Shimon accompanies the retreat with live music and sound, responding in real time to the movement and the place. Filmmaker and cinematographer Omer Messinger also documents the process; his ongoing collaboration with Iris Nais has produced three films from past HASHMUROT editions (Zichri, Aruga, Yemanja), and filming is expected to continue as part of this edition. Arrival 20 September with a welcome dinner; 8 full workshop days September 21–29; departure 30 September after a closing ceremony. Open to dancers, movement practitioners, artists, and people drawn to embodied exploration, with varied backgrounds and experience levels. Participation fee: 3,888 NIS, including facilitation and two meals per workshop day, plus the arrival dinner and departure breakfast. Accommodation is arranged separately: a nearby guesthouse (shared room €50–55/night, single €40–45/night), or on-site in the Half Moon Yurt on a mattress (€20/night) or in a simple tent (€17/night). Flights and car rental are not included.

Sep 20 - Sep 30, 2026

South Crete, Greece

Retreat

Diving Deep, Flying High

Diving Deep, Flying High a week-long retreat for Solo Dance, Contact Improvisation, and Somatic Research led by Šuka Horn at Ponderosa Stolzenhagen, (Near Berlin) September 20–26, 2026 Quick Overview Schedule Sunday · 20 September Arrival from 16:00 Welcome Dinner at 19:00 Monday–Friday · 21–25 September 6 hours of practice per day Saturday · 26 September Breakfast & Check-out until 11:00 For Whom? People with experience in both Solo Dancing and Contact Improvisation Where? You find Ponderosa in Lunow-Stolzenhagen, close to Berlin. With public transport, take a train from Berlin to Angermünde. From there we organize on-demand buses to Ponderosa. Pricing Retreat Fee Sliding scale from 360–620 € (depending on registration date) Accomodation 135–230 € for the full week (depending on room type) Food Optional organic catering: 265 € for the full week (Vegan and vegetarian options available) You can also cook for yourself and use the kitchen on site. The retreat is dedicated to the study of dancing — alone and with others. The focus is on the intrinsic joy of movement that emerges when dancing is approached as an infinite game. With a somatic emphasis on listening to the body's signals and becoming adaptive movers, the approach is not concerned with how the dance looks from the outside. Participants carefully study the mechanics of the body and the use of attention, aiming to move better and savour the experience of dancing more fully. The retreat is grounded in the premise that solo dance and Contact Improvisation can mutually enhance one another. Šuka Horn (Germany/Greece) trained at Codarts University Rotterdam and spent five years touring internationally with Dimitris Papaioannou's productions (Transverse Orientation, INK). His work integrates somatic inquiry, movement research with Frey Faust, and an ongoing meditation practice. He has taught in universities, dance companies, festivals, and studios in more than 20 countries.

Sep 20 - Sep 26, 2026

Stolzenhagen, Germany

Retreat

In Silence Contemplative CI meeting

A 5-day contemplative Contact Improvisation meeting in silence at the International Theosophical Centre (ITC) in Naarden, Netherlands (September 22–26, 2026). ITC is a quiet retreat estate 20km east of Amsterdam, close to the old fortified city of Naarden, known for its calm atmosphere and natural outdoor areas. The meeting takes place in Crystal Hall — a 110m² studio with wooden floor and large windows. Accommodation is in duo or single rooms, all with private shower and toilet. The gardens and walking areas support meditation and reflection between sessions. Alessandro Rivellino guides the practice from a profound sense of silence and his signature somatic approach, offering contemplative practices and classes to help participants dive into their contemplative potential and direct it into the embodied openness of Contact Improvisation. Lana Korotkova co-facilitates. Some experience with CI and/or partly silent retreats is recommended. 20 spots total. Donations welcome to help participants without means to pay in full.

Sep 22 - Sep 27, 2026

Naarden, Netherlands

Retreat

GLACIER (Great Lakes Area Contact Improvisation Enthusiasts Retreat)

Since 2002, GLACIER has provided a community of support for contact improvisers throughout the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. The annual retreat offers a 5-day session (Friday 4pm through Wednesday 1pm) or weekend-only attendance (Friday 4pm through Sunday 5:30pm, including the full Underscore on Sunday afternoon), with housing choices from modern facilities to rustic lodging or camping, all with full meal plans. The gathering centers on contact improvisation practice with instruction, community jams, an Underscore, and opportunities for musical performances during evening sessions. Participants are expected to have some experience with Contact Improvisation, including weight-sharing, landing technique, and spatial awareness. Registration is currently full; a waitlist is available via the registrar.

Oct 2 - Oct 7, 2026

Willard, United States

Retreat

Cuerpodesierto - CI Gathering in the Atacama Desert

Cuerpodesierto is a Contact Improvisation gathering held in San Pedro de Atacama, born from a desire to expand CI practice in dialogue with different landscapes. This is the second edition, inviting participants back to the world's most arid desert to study, share, and explore CI in a setting that invites presence and internal/external contemplation. Registration is via a pre-registration form; pricing and further details are not yet published.

Oct 8 - Oct 12, 2026

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Retreat

The Invisible Weave – 2nd Silent Immersion

A silent, 3-day immersion in Contact Improvisation rooted in silence, meditation, the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine, and Intuitive Movement, at La Bartra mountain retreat in the Prades mountains near Tarragona. Verbal silence is kept throughout except when needed during workshops; no phones or cameras. Includes daily jams, meditation sessions, and workshops, guided in Spanish with occasional translation to English. Only 35 places offered, with two 50% scholarships available.

Oct 16 - Oct 18, 2026

Farena, Spain

Retreat

ReWoven — a residential retreat

A 4-day residential Contact Improvisation retreat on Awabakal Worimi Country at Glenrock, facilitated by Emily Bowman with hosts Joanna Lin and Jonathan Lin. Not a retreat to learn CI, but to expand an existing practice — sessions move between studio, sea, and bush, exploring movement, composition, attention, and ecological relation. Includes catered lunches and dinners for 3 days (BYO breakfast); pay-what-you-can places available for financial hardship.

Nov 5 - Nov 8, 2026

Whitebridge, Australia

Retreat

Embodied Ecologies: 13th Annual Contact Improv Retreat in Costa Rica

A Contact Improvisation retreat exploring movement, relationship, and belonging, combining CI with somatic practice and ecological awareness. Participants dance in studios, rainforest, and beach settings, with daily classes and jams, evening jams with live music, and a Cahuita National Park excursion. Includes 7 nights accommodation, 3 meals daily, and transportation between San Jose and the retreat venue. An optional pre-retreat gathering runs in San Jose beforehand. Scholarships are available for Costa Rican and Central American residents.

Feb 20 - Feb 27, 2027

Cahuita, Costa Rica

Retreat

Sicily Contact Impro Retreat

Third edition of the Sicily Contact Improvisation Retreat: five days of intensive shared study of Contact Improvisation and somatic practices, guided by three international teachers with diverse artistic and pedagogical backgrounds. Held at Femminamorta, featuring a luminous 180m² dance studio with views of the Sicilian landscape, between Mount Etna and the sea.

Apr 28 - May 2, 2027

Riposto, Italy