28 May -2 June 2024
Sold Out
Bring your relationships to the next level
OFFERINGS
In a span of six days we’ll be offering the space and frame to play and discover within the foundations of the Touch&Play Project.
We will be collectively cultivating the space to dance, discover and connect within the framework of the Touch&Play culture.
There will be a variety of facilitated classes around (the edges of) Contact Improvisation, Movement, Consent & Communication, Self-Exploration, Sensuality & Sexuality, BDSM, Nature&Wilderness, Community and Spirituality.
Also we’ll make sure there are free slots which allow time to breath, integrate, connect further or which might be space for some voluntary community offerings.
We like to keep a certain flexibility in structure for needs that arise out of the group process, such as discussions, rituals, singing circles, jams and additional creative content.
Our time together begins with an opening circle ritual and cultivating a community of care through our consent framework.
After starting together in a daily morning ritual, each morning we will have the opportunity to take one intensive and going deep with the same facilitator and group.
The afternoons will hold single classes, community offerings, ritual, and spaciousness to rest, play and integrate.
Evenings are full of dance, play and exploration.
INTENSIVES: an Intensive Class is taught most every morning of the retreat. You will work with the same smaller group every day, so you can evolve together and build on what you’ve created and learned beforehand. When you registered you will be asked your preferences. Intensive offerings run parallel so you will be part of only one group.
SINGLE CLASSES: different Single classes happen in the afternoon and you can spontaneously choose a class you would like to join.
Founded in 2009 the Touch&Play Project has a rich background in facilitating and creating different fusions/compositions of learning spaces around the exploration of the “Relational Body“. Through it’s structures (e.g. soothe&care, peace council) it offers a safer container to invite our emotions, sexualities, body politics and power dynamics into dance and relating. Core values are inclusivity, authenticity, physicality, embodied consent, sex-positivity, bdsm-friendliness and community building.
Intensives
Liquid Movement and Breath Play
with Trinidad Garcia Espinosa
Through contact improvisation we will connect to both, the fluids in our bodies and the air that flows through it. With elements from craneosacral we will sense into to the liquids of our body – water ,blood, synovial and cerebrospinal fluid and include somatic techniques in our dance flow.
Also we will connect our movement to breath, bringing in a play of Apnea *, moving slow, to be aware and authentic. There will be some feldenkrais introduction of reverse movements and fundamentals. Dancing Contact improvisation we will work from proposals such as:
– Not going to the limit or going to the limit
– paying attention to the focus of our attention
– changing the range of motion in relation to time and quality
– exploring influences and contagions
– we will recognize when and how we are breathing authentically
What possibilities do we have to move in Apnea (in space, in time, in the pause, in the waiting). What is our choice and what is a habitual pattern.
Permission to Play - the Antidote to Shame
with Haneen Khan
We’re in a culture of fear: fear of offending people, with trigger warnings plastered all over, constantly treading on eggshells, trying to perpetually heal ourselves….. Where did our joy and lightness go?
Play and laughter is a strong catalyst for learning (I believe 4 times stronger!). When you’re laughing, you’re not thinking. Your defences are down.
In this workshop, we are going to re-connect with the aliveness of our sexuality – to help us feel freer in our relationship to ourselves. This is the sex ed / drama class you never had at school – but wish you had 😉
I have found sexuality to be such a juicy playground to empower ourselves. It mirrors our relationship to desire, pleasure, presence, creativity……
We will start by playfully examining the pressurising scripts we experience in sex & dating, and all the ways we think we “should” act, which stifles our truest & freest self-expression! We will also play with the vulnerability of being imperfect, messing up, & finding our own truth through that.
This dynamic intensive will challenge our fear-based paradigms through a blend of circling, improv theatre, clowning, and embodiment practices to unlock our shame & welcome our deepest expression of play and sexuality!
Each session will focus on a different pillar of our sexuality
- Deconditioning from sex scripts
- Connecting to our desires
- Expressing our flirtatiousness, our silliness – through our bodies
- Exploring sexual fantasy
My Lovers, Human and More-Than-Human
with David Bloom
How can we expand the Desires that emerge between human beings to include a sensuous, multi-directional relationship to the space itself, and other non-human entities? In other words, how can we cultivate a consensual erotic relationship with the world at large?
What if the Earth is not (only) our “mother”, who gives unconditionally and can be taken for granted, but a LOVER with whom we co-create a mutually respectful erotic connection?
In this intensive, we will begin by a washing of the feet, tuning in our collective nervous system by tapping into a ritual practiced for millennia. We will work somatically, with processes such as the digestive system, fundamentally connected to both desires and boundaries, in order to support the emergence of complex, intersubjective desire. We will draw from conscious sexuality practices such as tantra or BDSM, looking for that deep state of consent that is not only an act of saying “yes” or “no”, but a continually unfolding “con-sentire”, feeling together.*.
We will then bring our awareness to our relationship as dancers with the space itself, asking not only, “what do i desire of the space?”, but also “what does it desire of me?”
We will encounter the other in a way that invites them to inhabit their own subjectivity, whether that other is human or not.
*(thanks to choreographer and consent researcher Joy Mariama Smith for bringing my attention to that etymology)
Single classes
Tea & Ropes - attentive practice
with Julia (Jukka) Slukina
Tea&Ropes is a guided practice that combines Chinese tea culture with ropes. During this experience, participants explore themselves and connect with their partners using touch, taste, smell, and sound.
We begin by sharing a tea-drinking ritual. As we sip tea, we focus on our bodies, noticing any changes, we ground and connect with ourselves. In the next part, we build connections with our partners through exercises that help us feel and understand each other’s reactions as well as the resonance in our own bodies.
The third segment introduces the ropes. Before we start, we share practical tips on moving the body and creating tension with the ropes, as well as think about the intention that we tie with. Using just one rope, we connect with our partners – slowly and with thorough attention within ourselves and toward the other party.
After the guided part, we have an opportunity for exploration on our own. It is an open space that can be filled in by what comes up within the group: sensual rope interactions or dances, or even a collective rope practice intertwining everyone.
We are going to finalize the practice by another tea circle and sharing of our experiences.
Importantly, no prior rope skills are needed to enjoy this experience — you and your presence in the moment are enough.
Waxplay
with Julia (Jukka) Slukina
Waxplay is a practice where warm or hot wax gently drapes over the body, offering a spectrum of sensations from calming warmth to more intense heat, whether shared with a partner or experienced solo.
The workshop begins with an introduction to safety measures, discussing different temperatures and types of wax, and exploring various approaches to waxplay. We’ll unravel ideas and address misconceptions about candles while diving into the technical aspects of this practice.
We will wrap up the teaching part with a small try-out time providing participants with the opportunity to experience the feel of wax on their bodies, practice the learned techniques, and ask all the remaining questions. Every participant will receive one lower- and one higher-temperature candle, body-safe and vegan.
Finally, we’ll carve out time for a little waxplay session with ourselves or our partners. With the knowledge and skills gained during the workshop, we can fully immerse ourselves in the moment, engaging in the practice under the careful supervision of the teacher. It’s a time to play and discover what waxplay can uniquely mean for each participant.
ContacTango - Motion - Emotion
with Gabriele Koch
The fusion of the two dance forms Contact Improvisation and Tango Argentino offers a multi-layered range of play forms.
Elements from Tango can be explored with the flow of Contact Impro. We can dive deep into fine details, as well as enjoy the freedom in the playful resolution of the elements.
The richness of variations of Contact Improvisation in its movement through all levels, is spiced by the very music of Tango. The frontal encounter, the deep connection in embrace gives a deep touch.
Sense and sensation
with Gabriele Koch
Contact Improvisation and composition – a journey to myself sensing my dance – the space – the group – a deep wisdom of life experience in a safe contained space
Energetic Sex: Connecting Body, Mind, and Soul
with Shay Clark
Join us for a transformative journey into the heart of Tantra, where you’ll learn to embrace the power of giving and sending your own energy and also opening yourself up even more to receive from others.
Explore the depth and power of tantric connection through intentional and aware exchange of emotions, intentions, and desires tantric through this “Energetic Sex: Connecting Body, Mind, and Soul” workshop. This enriching session delves into the ancient wisdom of Tantra, offering a modern approach to opening ourselves up via vulnerability and flowing into one another’s worlds through meditative awareness rituals. Designed for individuals and couples alike, this workshop provides a unique opportunity to explore the transformative power of mindful communication in intimate settings.
Through guided practices, you’ll discover the art of using eye contact, touch, and synchronicity to enhance your communicative experience. This workshop is not only about expressing desires but also about listening and receiving with an open heart, creating a balanced exchange of energy and intention.
In this immersive experience, you will learn how to harness the subtle energies of your body and mind to communicate your desires and boundaries more effectively and consciously. We blend theory with interactive exercises, including non-verbal communication techniques and partner practices, to create a deeper understanding of how energy flows between individuals. These exercises are designed to foster trust, empathy, and a profound connection with your partner, allowing for a richer, more fulfilling interaction.
Bold Proposals
with Inge Veidscholten
In this workshop we will work towards a clarity in feeling what we desire. We will then expand this awareness to our physical reality by communicating and hopefully manifesting it all. The aim is to overcome our usual inhibition to spontaneously share bold ideas and desires of any kind.
In the first part we use exercises from different embodied practices to become aware of all the things we feel and perceive. We will open the channel of sensing in the present and communicating what is going on inside without shame or the usual editing. The middle of this class will consist of a practice of authentic movement where we allow the body to act out whatever it feels in the moment. This practice will be developed to a special Touch & Play improvised round of bold proposals.
Proposals can be made with words or gestures but they can also just develop in the heat of the moment. In our circle some will hold the space while others listen and react on each others proposals – finding our way to the delight of feeling and expressing freely, we might find that the willingness of others to go our way isn’t the most important anymore.
Music proposals
Musician
with Dirk Weuster “Sacred Fool”
Sensual Transformation Dance
In a live-set we are dancing into polarities through ecstatic and sensual realms of your physical body to meet these points where you meet yourself. This dance just gives small verbal input and allows you to feel your emotions, to dance away what doesn‘t serve you and to connect to yourself in a wide range of music. You can be in complete connection just with yourself or with the beautiful beings around you. Everything that serves you is welcome to find expression. Just breathe and let the body flow freely into the natural movement.
Raumschiff ins Ich
A poetic journey to express what words are often unable to express. As introspective as expressive, as funny as transformative, as individual as collective. Take the spaceshuttle into the self to discover inner universes and outer realms in their natural synchronicity. Be prepared to zoom in and out in an immersive poetic storytelling.
Musician
with Malika Weyers
Free Your Voice – Voice Activation and Liberation Workshop
Are you ready to unleash and explore the diverse potential of your voice?
In this workshop we create a safe container together to deeply connect with our wonderful and unique gifts-our voices.
It’s an invitation to listen, feel and discover our inner voices. To connect with it, explore its diversity, express and release freely what needs to be heard in the present moment. Feel the healing vibration of your first instrument and listen to the symphony of the voices in the room becoming ONE.
Through mindful, joyful and playful exercises and techniques and of course -singing!!!
Feel invited on a harmonious journey together and shine your Voice!
All voices are welcome. No LEVELS!
>Come as you are<
Magical Soundjourney Carpet
Jihuuu. So looking forward to this workshop!
I believe, that we naturally all are all musicians, we have all the tools within.
Our voice-our 1rst instrument, is always with us.
Sometimes we just have lost connection with our possibilities.
In this safe space we come together to rediscover our musical landscape and unleash our musical expression.
This workshop is about giving and receiving, the art of listening and the sound of silence. Its about trusting the present moment and daring to shine our light guided by the magic of the NOW.
In smaller groups we will create diverse sound journeys for each other and fly on the magical carpet.
So curious to see where it takes us this time!!!
>>Please bring your instruments, if you have and whatever you need to feel comfortable.<<
Artistic proposals
Art project: Fluid to Solid
Artist in Residence with Sandra (Sanni) Klümpen “Viva la Vulvina”
BODY-casting-ART-project
Fluid material will land on a selective part of the body, after some magic is happening, it gets solid and a unique piece of body-art is created.
It’s FUN, it’s CONFRONTING, its SACRED, it´s NATURAL, it’s HUMAN BODY ART…
What part of your body is your favourite? What you don’t like that much? Where you feel resistance and where acceptance? From your toe, to your nose, your vulva, up to your nipple or your lips. The body cast is your own intimate way to loose shame, to accept, to love yourself.
This body casting art project wants to brake social taboos and body shaming. It will help to bring visibility in hidden or unseen body parts. The intention is to enable self-perception and representation, to maintain body positivity and show the beauty of diversity.
How does it work?
In a warmth, mindful and safe space the body cast will be made with dental materials like alginate and plaster. It will take up to 24hours to dry out and get ready to elaborate and paint with colours, glitter or whatever your beautiful soul wishes.
In addition, the Art-Project room will also be a kind of a Body-Art-Museum, where all body casts will be exhibited and can be appreciated and admired by all of us.
If you like, you can of course keep your body cast and take it home with you for a small donation after the festival or give it to a loved one or decorate the city with it. As you wish.. 😉
Come as you are, bring an open mindset and some curiosity.
Photographer
Natalia looks forward to supporting connection, evolution, and discovery through her photography on this Touch&Play journey.