The Winter Warmer
Our Winter event offers us the opportunity to meet and dance as the days get darker. Landed in the rolling hills of Somerset we will learn through classes with experienced and dedicated facilitators of CI and practice through abundant jams. Nourished by warming food, long countryside walks, sauna and community this event is the perfect remedy to start the winter in joy.
Who
Intensive Teachers:
Rosalind Holgate-Smith
Mark Rietema
Harriet Roberts
Laura Doehler
​
Afternoon Teachers:
Lewis Wilkins
Bryn Thomas
Lily Antonia
David Basak
​
Musicians:
Matthew Adams
Nirvan Murrel
Rowan Quarry
Matt Bailey
When & Where
Dates:
November 27th - December 1st
2025
​​
Venue:
Nestled in rolling country hills, we are surrounded by vast nature. You may enjoy the fields, forests and rivers between dances. The sea is also a short drive away if you need to gaze upon the horizon.
Nettlecombe Court, Taunton, Somerset
​
What
A residential event for the practice and education of Contact Improvisation. You will be supported in your practice by intensive classes and/or labs in CI and somatics.
​
You will have the chance to dance all day long, dip into the sauna, eat wonderful food and be in togetherness with the CI community in the UK.
Pick your Intensive
You will spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning with the same facilitator. You may select this once you purchase your tickets via the registration form. We endeavor to put you with your first choice of teacher, but you may just land with your second; each class has a unique number limit.
Information about each intensive is listed below, have a read and feel which will suit your mood the most.
Laura and Marks classes have more limited numbers and are recommended for experienced practitioners.
​
*For Laura's intensive you must apply due to subject matter and spatial requirements, this application will be on the registration form.
All Day Embodiment
There will be a yoga class before breakfast and singing with Anna Ling just after.
We will be blessed by Paul's big beautiful sauna, which will be hot all day long - soothing your dancing, wintery bodies.
​
With a selection of afternoon classes you can dip and dive into different approaches to CI. Click Here to read about our afternoon teachers.
​
Jams will take place every evening as well as Monday morning. We have three jam spaces so you can pass through and experience different vibes, we will have a mixture of live music, silence and recorded sound.
Sleeping & Eating
A local team of caring chefs will provide us with nutritious winter meals. From Thursday evening until Monday morning, your bellies will be looked after.
A somatic scout camp; Nettlecombe offers dorm rooms. Everyone will have their own cosy bed, you may choose to be in a gendered or mixed dorm on your registration form. We attempt to have as minimal people in each room as possible.
​
*There are no private rooms.
You may bring live-in vehicles, just let us know - there are no electric hook ups.
Choose your Intensive
In this Intensive, I will introduce a vocabulary of Listening, Light and Deep touch techniques, which we will explore in Contact Improvisation (CI), somatic bodywork, soft acrobatics and composition play. Returning to the roots of CI, we will revisit the early and principle practices of falling, rolling, spiralling, sharing weight, colliding, flying and standing. In these practices, we will work with the touch techniques, bringing into focus how touch is applied, experienced, and holsitically embodied. Moving through layers of skin, fascia, fat, muscle and bone we will investigate how we can safely place weight. We will work also slowly and progressively to incorporate a greater awareness space, so that we may enhance receptivity and empathy towards ourselves and others, in our interactions. We will also apply the listening, light and deep touch techniques to recognise and communicate our desires and boundaries, and to enhance agency, including emotional and energetic expression.
Rosalind Holgate-Smith
A Vocabulary of Touch
_JPG.jpg)
Tickets
We have three tiers of tickets for you to choose from:
​
Supporter £440
Standard £410
Supporter £380
​
We invite you to look here for guidelines which may support your tier selection when paying for your ticket.
You can pay a £150 deposit and the remainder of your ticket 6-weeks before the event via bank transfer. This ticket selection is on our dandelion page.
​
There are some helper positions avaliable on request.
How do I sign up?
You can purchase a ticket through our Dandelion site, you will be sent a registration form where you may select your teachers, let us know your dietary requirements etc.
​
We will send you all info closer to the event.
FAQ's
Can I have my own bedroom? No, sorry! our venue only has dorms. We will try to put as few people as possible and give you some earplugs!
​
Can children come? We are not yet able to host families and people under the age of 18
​
Can I come if I am a complete beginner? Yes! Maybe watch some CI videos or attend your local jam, but this event is for all interested in Contact Improvisation, there are classes for you.