Ka Rustler has been researching and analyzing somatic practices and their embodiment in movement, choreography and therapy for over 35 years. She is a Body-Mind Centering® Practitioner and Teacher, co-chairwoman of the BMC and the Glia Association and second-generation pioneer of Contact Improvisation. Ka is a pivotal member of the early collective Tanzfabrik Berlin, co-founder of the Authentic Movement Research Group Unwinding the Body and C.A.R.E. a transformative program dedicated to therapists, educators and anyone supporting neurodiverse individuals, including babies, children and adults with special needs, as well as allies seeking deeper understanding and empowerment.
As co-author of multifaceted productions, she performs with numerous artists and creates social and ecological contexts that are situated within a feminist understanding of embodied subjectivity. She is part of Cranky Bodies a/company which explores cross-generational, gender fluidity and non-hierarchical collaboration. Ka teaches internationally, designs training curricula at private and state institutions and in her work combines methods and systems whose application and relevance interface performance, neuroscience and somatics in natural and urban environments. Living with her family next to a forest, she tends a permaculture garden, embodying her vision of ecological care, creativity and interconnected action for collective impact.
Somatic into Contact Improvisation - Intensive
Dancing Pathways_ Connecting Body, Mind & Space
From our very beginning, our cells and our nervous system are in constant communication, forming the foundation of how we move and respond to the world.
This workshop invites you to explore and deepen your understanding of the nervous pathways, their connection to our neurotransmitters and the continuous dialogue between perception and sensation.
Through the lens of Contact Improvisation, we will explore our neural pathways, fostering a state of readiness for movement and choice-making. We will delve into the interplay between internal and external environments, shaping and being shaped through movement and spatial dynamics. This practice sharpens reflexes and senses, cultivating an attuned awareness essential to the improvisational process. We will focus on quietening ourselves through specific tissues and somatic networks listening deeply to the dance that arises within ourselves, our partners and the group creating a safe, nurturing space where each participant feels truly seen, heard, and supported.
Drawing from my personal research and distinctive, practical methods of developing material, I integrate principles of Body-Mind Centering® and other somatic methods with Contact Improvisation. This approach connects creative and structural practices, hands –on work, solo and reflection time inviting new physical terrains. Together, we will expand our dynamic imagery and uncover the beauty of expression in our emotional and physical states.
Dancing along these evolving pathways nurtures creativity, clarity and intuition, enriching the interplay between body, mind and space. Here, the body becomes minded and the mind embodied.