Contact Dance - Body Medicine
Contact Dance - Body Medicine
Up to 12 in group
Dec 5 - 7, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- Beginner-friendly – no dance or contact improvisation experience needed
- Guided by Howard Sonenklar, a pioneer of Contact Improvisation in Portugal with 40+ years of experience
- Movement exploration, Contact improvisation, solo and partner exploration, and group improvisation
- Daily meditation and mindful movement
- Levada walk and nature immersion
- Evening music and movement jams
- Closing sharing circle and integration
- Healthy meals and shared accommodation included
- Sliding scale pricing, no one turned away for financial reasons
About this Retreat
Your Guides
One of the pioneers of Contact Improvisation in Portugal, with more than forty years devoted to movement studies, contemporary dance, theatre and somatic integration. He has taught and performed across Europe and the Americas since the 1980s, and is known for movement research that weaves together perception, touch and alignment.
For many years a professor at Lisbon's National Conservatory of Theatre, he has helped shape gatherings such as Arrábida Dance Labs since their earliest editions.
Details of this retreat
We invite you to spend three days in the mountains of Madeira, moving, listening and creating together.
Through contact improvisation, embodiment practice and nature immersion, we'll slow down, rediscover the intelligence of the body, and become part of a temporary community rooted in the living world.
Contact improvisation is a way of moving with another person through touch, weight and shared momentum. There are no steps to learn and no experience required. Movement emerges in the moment, sometimes slow and gentle, sometimes playful, like a conversation without words.
Guided by Howard Sonenklar, one of the pioneers of Contact Improvisation in Portugal, the group moves through simple, well-paced exercises that gently dissolve the shame and cultural conditioning we carry around touch. With clear boundaries, curiosity over performance, and everyone moving at their own pace, trust grows naturally.
Through contact improvisation, embodiment practice and nature immersion, we'll slow down, rediscover the intelligence of the body, and become part of a temporary community rooted in the living world.
Contact improvisation is a way of moving with another person through touch, weight and shared momentum. There are no steps to learn and no experience required. Movement emerges in the moment, sometimes slow and gentle, sometimes playful, like a conversation without words.
Guided by Howard Sonenklar, one of the pioneers of Contact Improvisation in Portugal, the group moves through simple, well-paced exercises that gently dissolve the shame and cultural conditioning we carry around touch. With clear boundaries, curiosity over performance, and everyone moving at their own pace, trust grows naturally.
Schedule
Dec 5 · SAT - Return to the body
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Contact Improvisation fundamentals
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Time for rest, reflection and simply being
16:00 - 18:00 Solo and partner exploration
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
Dec 6 · SUN - Return to relationship
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Contact Improvisation and group dynamics
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Levada walk and nature immersion
16:00 - 18:00 Voice, touch and movement exploration
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
Dec 7 · MON - Return to community
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Group improvisation and collective body work
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Time for rest, reflection and simply being
16:00 - 18:00 Integration: Bringing it all together
18:00 - 19:00 Dinner
19:00 - 20:00 Closing Sharing Circle
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Contact Improvisation fundamentals
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Time for rest, reflection and simply being
16:00 - 18:00 Solo and partner exploration
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
Dec 6 · SUN - Return to relationship
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Contact Improvisation and group dynamics
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Levada walk and nature immersion
16:00 - 18:00 Voice, touch and movement exploration
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
Dec 7 · MON - Return to community
9:00 - 10:00 Meditation & mindful movement
10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
11:30 - 13:30 Group improvisation and collective body work
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch
14:30 - 16:00 Time for rest, reflection and simply being
16:00 - 18:00 Integration: Bringing it all together
18:00 - 19:00 Dinner
19:00 - 20:00 Closing Sharing Circle
20:00 - 22:00 Music & movement JAM
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Directions
You fly to Madeira International airport and the retreat space is 20 minutes away by car.
Accommodation
We have three 2-bedroom houses that can fit up to 5 people and 1 apartment that can fit 2 people. Each house has a full kitchen and a shared bathroom.
3 Days - all inclusive with accommodation
3 Days - without accommodation
1 Day - without accommodation
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Our 4 acres retreat is located about 750 meters above the sea level, nested in a valley of eucalyptus trees on a dead end road. We have 4 houses, tipi, yurt and professional kitchen with 20 people seating capacity. The retreat has direct access to the Madeira trail network.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- Contact Dance / Somatic Practice Workshops
- Mindful movement & stretching
- Accommodations
- Healthy meals
What's Not Included
- Airfare
- Shuttle
- Additional Activities
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