Markus Hoft studierte Tanz bei MovingArts (Köln) und Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee. Tanzt mit Kompanien/auf Festivals in UK, PL und D. Unterrichtet von 3 J. bis 70 J. Nichttänzer, Semiprofessionelle und Profitrainings. Er glaubt an das Gute im Menschen und mag, wenn ein frischer Wind um seine Nase weht.
Markus Hoft studied dance at MovingArts (Köln) and Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee. Dancing with companies/at festivals in UK, PL, and D. Teaching from 3y to 70y old non dancers, semiprofessionals and profi trainings. He believes in the good sides in every person and likes the sound of a fresh breeze in his nose.
Heike Kuhlmann (sie/-) Tänzerin, Somatische Bewegungspädagogin mit den Schwerpunkten Body-Mind Centering® und Authentic Movement, Choreographin, Mutter, Aktivistin. Heike unterrichtet seit mehr als 30 Jahren Menschen verschiedenen Alters, hat die Phynixjam gehostet und viele verschiedene Tanzangebote und Formate für Fürsorgende und Kinder entwickelt. Als Dozentin unterrichtet sie an den Ausbildungsformaten der Somatischen Akademie und arbeitet zur Zeit auch als Wissenschafltiche Mitarbeiterin an der Uni Potsdam.
www.heikekuhlman.net, www.somatik-tanz-choreographie.de
Heike Kuhlmann (she/-) is a dancer, Master somatic Movement Educator with a focus on Body-Mind Centering® and Authentic Movement, choreographer, mother, activist. Heike has been teaching people of different ages for more than 30 years. She has hosted Phynixjam for more than a decade and has developed many different dance programs and formats for caregivers and children. As a lecturer, she teaches in the education formats of the Somatic Academy and works as academic researcher at the University Potsdam.
Jonas Marx
Jonas Marx is a dancer, poet and musician.
Originally trained as an architect, he came to dance and somatics first through Contact Improv. The love he developed to this form then expanded to Instant Composition. Besides these two forms he also practices Authentic Movement and Body-Mind-Centering on a regulary base. He trained – among many others – with Julyen Hamilton, Maya Carroll, Deborah Hay & Nita Little.
He is both a member of Berlin‘s vivid contact scene and a regular performer in dance pieces with his collegues from the Instant Composition realm, which are shown in theatres accros Europe.
Emka Makarow lebt in Leipzig und gibt regelmäßig CI-Unterricht, organisiert Festivals (z.B. CI Festival Leipzig) und Jams und tanzt auch sehr gerne selbst. Emka ist Teil des Studio Kollektivs CuMo und hat international CI Festivals bereist und an vielen Orten unterrichtet. Neben dem Tanzen widmet sich Emka dem Theater, der Akrobatik, der Poesie und der Care-Arbeit.
Dino Spiri
Dino has been teaching Contact Improvisation for over a decade internationally. His knowledge of the moving body and his teaching are strongly influenced by the Alexander Technique (Dino is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique), Klein Technique™, his meditation practice and BMC®, and by his intensive work and collaborations with many wonderful beings, such as Dan Armon, Eva Karczag, Friederike Tröscher, Hanna Hegenscheidt, Jens Johannsen, Joerg Hassmann, Susanne Middendorf and Yoyo van der Kooi.
Dino unterrichtet seit über einem Jahrzehnt Contact Improvisation in Deutschland und international. Sein Wissen über den sich bewegenden Körper und sein Unterricht sind stark von der Alexander-Technik (Dino ist zertifizierter Lehrer der Alexander-Technik), der Klein-Technik™, seiner Meditationspraxis und BMC® sowie von seiner intensiven Arbeit und Zusammenarbeit mit vielen wunderbaren Lehrer:innen und Weggefährt:innen wie Dan Armon, Eva Karczag, Friederike Tröscher, Hanna Hegenscheidt, Jens Johannsen, Jörg Hassmann, Susanne Middendorf und Yoyo van der Kooi beeinflusst.
Katja Bahini
Katja-Bahini hostet seit 2012 die wöchentliche CI Contact Jam in Witzenhausen, welche sie gemeinsam mit Marielle Gerke damals initierte.
Seit mehr als 10 Jahren unterrichtet sie Contact Improvisation in Klassen, Workshops und auf Festivals.
Ihre CI Praxis ist insbesondere inspiriert von ihrer Lehr- und Assistenzzeit bei Jörg Hassmann und Daniel Werner und durch die Blickwinkel des Axis Syllabus als Schülerin bei Kira Kirsch, Antoine Ragot und Frey Faust u.a.
Darüber hinaus befindet sie sich in der Anerkennungsphase als Continuum Teacher (CTA), einer sound-basiertes somatischen Bewegungspraxis.
Angela-Mara Florant (GER) had her first experience with CI during her performance arts studies in Besançon, France. Based in Hamburg, she teaches several regular contact classes, gives workshops and organizes jams and festivals (NORDTANZ Festival). Since 2015, she is co- director of the dance studio “Triade” in Hamburg. In 2022, she brought to life the Contact CompanI, a dance company performing CI.
For me CI is an art form. I love allowing my dance to be inspired by the composition of the room.
CI opens up space,
Space within me and outside of me,
Creative space unfolding.
I enjoy looking at movement from an anatomical perspective and at the same time love the playful unfolding of stories that can occur while dancing CI. Over and over again finding and reinventing myself while continuously rediscovering and uncovering new aspects of the form are my favorite subjects of my ongoing research.
Helene Düring Kjær (DK) is a contemporary dancer based in Scandinavia and Bremen.
Both a creator and performer, she is engaged in various artistic collaborations and as a dancer for choreographers. She first encountered contact improvisation through her BA in Dance (2018), and has since continued the journey through many workshops, her own practice and at CI-festivals. She has facilitated contact improvisation at festivals and in dance studios in Denmark, Norway and Germany.
“What excites me about contact improvisation is playing with gravity, moving into the unknown, connecting with others and myself. In my workshops I want to nurture the participants’ curiosity and trust in their solo dance as an integrated part of the shared dance. Through playful scores, I like to invite exploration of unconventional movement qualities and nuanced ways of relating within the practice of CI.”
Karthik Rajmohan
Karthik Rajmohan is a dancer, musician, and yoga practitioner whose work bridges tradition and innovation. He holds a Diploma in Movement Arts from the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts (Bangalore, India), where he trained in Contemporary Dance, Kalaripayattu, Bharatanatyam, Ballet, body conditioning, art history, and anatomy.His artistic journey took a defining turn when he discovered Contact Improvisation (CI) and Instant Composition, which he encountered during his formal dance education and has since made central to his artistic and teaching practice. As part of the first generation of CI practitioners in India, he has played a key role in introducing and expanding the form beyond conventional dance spaces.Over the years, Karthik has collaborated with dance companies, art collectives, and social organizations across India and Europe. Alongside performance, he has developed a distinct teaching practice that integrates movement, presence, and community. His commitment to accessibility and inclusivity has led him to share CI in diverse contexts, making movement a tool for connection and transformation.
Mireia Aragonès
Mireia Aragonès. I’ve been practicing contact improvisation for 21 years and teaching for the past 15. Besides that I’m an Alexander Technique teacher, Pilates instructor, and educator.
What I love about dance improvisation and CI is when dance emerges from simply being present, tuning into the aliveness of each moment. It’s also a rich space for discovering ourselves and how we communicate and co-create.
Mireia Aragonès. Ich praktiziere Contact Improvisation seit 21 und unterrichte seit 15 Jahren. Außerdem bin ich Alexander-Technik-Lehrerin, Pilates-Trainerin und Pädagogin.
Was ich an Tanzimprovisation und CI liebe, ist, wenn Tanz aus der reinen Präsenz entsteht, aus dem Einstimmen in die Lebendigkeit jedes Moments. Im Tanz steht auch ein reichhaltiger Raum, um uns selbst zu entdecken und zu erforschen, wie wir kommunizieren und gemeinsam gestalten.
Heidi Käfer
Heidi Käfer (Berlin/Cologne) works with movement and ceramics, as a DJ and is involved in activism. She has a big passion for contact improvisation, somatics, and the creative power of community. She has a background in Social Anthropology (MA, University of Cologne) and Contemporary Dance (Autonomous University of Pachuca de Soto, Mexico). Her interests include site specifics, the poetry of movement, and the social dimensions of embodiment.
In 2024, Heidi completed the Somatic Year at the Somatic Academy Berlin, and is currently participating in the Movement Artisans training program “Dance as a Research Practice” in Berlin. Heidi has opened spaces for CI and other dance formats in New Zealand, Germany, Vietnam, and Portugal.
Elske Seidel (Berlin)
ist eine global vernetzte und international engagierte Contact Lehrerin, Tänzerin und Bewegungsforscherin. Sie unterrichtet seit drei Jahrzehnten kontinuierlich und von ganzem Herzen Tanz und Improvisation, Contact seit 2004.
Einige ihrer Projekte sind: Contact Jahresgruppe Berlin, CI Basis Fortbildung Hamburg, Contactjahr Hamburg, sowie CI in der Natur und im Wasser