Contact Improv + SOTAI Ancestral Body
Facilitated by: Ryuta Iwashita
April 23-26
Hello. This is our second CI+SOTAI retreat at WildHeart.
I am deeply honored to hold space for contradicting the world’s normalization of disembodiment and distress through remembering, embodying and resting our SOTAI (human and non-human ancestral body).
As a Japanese person, I will emphasize on taking time and being spacious. Let the time have their turn to speak. Let the space have their turn to speak. Touch is powerful. Touch is a portal. Sometimes I don’t want to be touched because it’s so nostalgic. Can I cry with you?
I am so blessed to be alive with you all.
(The sun and the moon are both there.)
Given that you can always simplify, Contact Improvisation is a complicated tool for me to bring the vivid reality to our bodies. The form is so alive that I have to remind myself that I am constantly taking risks upon practicing it.
Again, touch is powerful. Touch is a portal.
The praxis is to include bacteria, fish, chordata, Mother Earth, great great grandma and maybe more in our “individual” bodies so that we can leave our individual life and say hello to the totality of life. We will dance, be still, journal, make jokes, get confused, get cellular and probably teary together until the outdoor cat goes home.
4 days of living together in nature is not the same as going to a dance festival in the city. Our bodies are nature, and with WildHeart’s blissful meals and environment, this retreat is there for you to feel at home.
So please come.
LOVE 愛情,
Ryuta
This Contact Improvisation* retreat is infused with Ryuta’s life research, SOTAI(祖体) “Ancestral Body” where you will be guided through embodiment practices of sensing, moving and resting your body as well as journaling, drawing, and vocalization.
SOTAI is a state of being that illuminates and honors “us” instead of “me”. “Us” may represent our human ancestors in our lineages and/or non-human ancestors such as fish, bacteria or nature. It is a liminal state that welcomes magic and the unknown which can decentralize our over-scrutinizing, analytical minds and radically reorient us into an experiential state.
SOTAI values deep rest. Flavored with subtle Japanese nuances and cultural concepts, this retreat will center resting to say goodbye to the western approach of “the more, the merrier”. Ryuta grew up in Japan, surrounded by the concept of MA(間) which is “pauses or the in-between spaces” in Japanese. From pauses between conversations to spaces created for nature to exist and speak, Ryuta’s facilitation will incorporate MA to counter our productivity-driven society.
Each day, we will have “integration time” which is designed for you to integrate your learning from our collective practices with your personal practice. What is it like to bring this awareness and sensibility into walking in the forest? How do you integrate remembering your non-human ancestors with your yoga practice? Can you rest as if you were an ancient rock that has been resting for millions of years? WildHeart is located on 45-acres of land including forest, fields, and a private lake. You are welcome to enjoy this abundance of the natural environment for your integration time as well as the rest of the retreat.
This offering is not limited to movers/dancers. Anyone can benefit from ancestral deep rest, which prepares you to show up to the world with more YOYUU(余裕), a Japanese word for “ease and spaciousness of the self”.
* “Contact Improvisation is an open-ended exploration of the kinaesthetic possibilities of bodies moving through contact. Sometimes wild and athletic, sometimes quiet and meditative, it is a form open to all bodies and enquiring minds.”
– definition by Ray Chung from Contactquarterly.com
Who is this Retreat for?
Those who are looking for…
Embodiment and resting of SOTAI (ancestral body)
Contact Improvisation and BEYOND!
A break from your hustling lifestyle (NATURE!)
A facilitation by a non-american, queer immigrant artist who centers ease and spaciousness rather than a Western, capitalist model of “retreat”
A rebirth
Schedule:
DIY Breakfast
Morning session 10-11:45am
Lunch prep 11:45 – 1pm
Lunch 1-2pm
Lunch clean 2-3pm
Afternoon session 3-5:45pm
Dinner prep 5:45 – 7pm
Dinner 7-8pm
Dinner clean 8-9pm
Jam, rest, etc – 9pm
About Ryuta
Ryuta Iwashita (they/them) currently lives and improvises in Bulbancha (also colonially known as New Orleans) in the USA as a movement-based performance artist and educator after living in Japan for 25 years. Their artistic lexicons are rooted in social justice, somatics, martial arts, child education, and ancestral work including 祖体 (SOTAI) of which Ryuta is its conceiver.
Their work and teaching move and respond to mundane and mystical juxtapositions, — the one between their Japanese heritage and their westernized life in the Southern US, between a day of organic farming and a night of MSG-heavy instant noodles, between their lover’s indulge in watching reality TV and their grandfather’s indulge in eating raw chicken gizzards, and between their internal organs and their ancestors moving and pausing for their well-being.
Their work and teaching have been accepted by internationally renowned organizations such as The Phanom Temple (THAILAND), Inch Dance (CHINA), Jacob’s Pillow (MA), University of Colorado (CO), Art Omi (NY), and New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center (LA).
As part of re:FRAME Collective, Ryuta has been awarded the National Performance Network Creation Fund Award in 2022 as well as the National Performance Network Development Fund Award in 2024.
Retreat Location
WildHeart is located on 46+ beautiful acres in the Hudson Valley. Retreatants will have the option to stay in a single room, double room, dorm, or camping in either our main retreat center or in private two-bedroom cabins. All options have access to shared kitchens and bathrooms. Daily events will take place in the studio, shared common spaces, and outdoors. Retreatants are welcome to enjoy the lawns, walk in the forest, and swim and boat in the lake during their stay! More info about directions and transportation options HERE.
If you have any questions, concerns about pricing, or need assistance attending, please do not hesitate to reach out personally.
A Note on Food
We pour a lot of love into every aspect of our food system, and pride ourselves on being able to accommodate a wide range of dietary needs. We serve meat and dairy daily, and always have vegan and gluten-free options available. If you send us your dietary preferences in advance, we will do our best to make sure there is good food for you at each meal! All living accommodations have access to a full kitchen (separate from the main/commercial kitchen). We will provide breakfast groceries for you to prepare and eat on your own. Lunches and dinners are communal shared meals with participants helping 1 hour per day either with meal prep or clean. Drinks include: coffee and tea, dairy and non-dairy milk, lemon and lime juice for water, red and white wine.
Registration
These prices are all inclusive! You receive all retreat content and facilitation, housing, food and drinks, and access to the land, lake, and studio spaces.
$725 Dorm
$605 Double
$555 Single
$510 Camping
$420 Commuter (with meals)
$360 Commuter (with meals)
Support Price:
This price directly supports us to welcome folx who might not otherwise be able to attend, to come at a lower price.
$999
Early Bird:
$50 off before March 23rd
BIPOC spots
We are offering 4 50% reduced price spots for BIPOC folx. Please follow the registration process and select BIPOC spot from the drop down. If you do not see this option it means the spots have been filled. To get on the BIPOC spot waitlist, please email [email protected]
Refund policy
- In advance of 2 weeks – full refund (less processing fee)
- Within 2 weeks – no refund
(This policy stands even in case of sickness so we encourage participants to plan accordingly.)
Illness policy
To protect the group, please don’t come if you have any symptoms of any kind of illness.
