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About Us

Who are we? How did this Collective started? What do we do? What are the principles that guide us within the organization of the group itself? 

Nomadic Dance Collective was originally founded by three movement artists — Kiori Kawai, Concetta Cariello and Adam Koan — each rooted in distinct but complementary disciplines: Contact Improvisation, Contemporary Dance, and Butoh. What began as a shared exploration between the founders soon evolved into a wider platform for immersive movement research, collaborative creation, and embodied dialogue.

Our early gatherings took the form of intensive retreats, where we explored the margins between our disciplines through guided practices, improvisational jams, and live performances. These early experiments laid the foundation for what has since grown into an ever-expanding network of artists, movers, and researchers.

Today, the Collective includes a rotating constellation of movement guides and collaborators who contribute to month-long retreats, workshops, and research-based residencies. Together, we continue to investigate the edges of movement practice—fostering spaces for curiosity, embodiment, and the radical act of co-creation.

Movement as a living landscape.

At its core, the Collective operates on an “open-source” philosophy—one that welcomes collaboration, experimentation, and the continual expansion of perspectives. Rather than adhering to a fixed methodology, we are committed to cultivating a non-codified practice that evolves through shared inquiry and diverse contributions. This ethos invites participants and facilitators alike to explore movement as a living, shifting landscape.

Our Open Framework

The Collective embraces a fluid and inclusive approach to participation. Rather than operating as a fixed institution, we function as a living, evolving ecosystem — one that thrives on exchange, experimentation, and co-creation. This model invites both long-term and short-term involvement, allowing the work to continuously transform through new voices and perspectives.

Within this open-structure model, we recognize two levels of engagement: members and collaborators.
Members form the more consistent, core group. They are actively involved in shaping the vision, direction, and ongoing offerings of the Collective. Their presence provides continuity and a grounding thread throughout the evolving work.
Collaborators, on the other hand, are invited for specific retreats, projects, or research phases. Their involvement is more fluid — joining for a time, contributing their voice, and often moving on. This flexible participation allows for fresh input and the continual regeneration of ideas. Collaborators may return, shift roles, or eventually become members, depending on the organic flow of connection and commitment.

From our earliest gatherings — intimate retreats grounded in mutual inquiry and shared performance— we’ve continued to expand the boundaries of our practice. Today, the Collective hosts month-long immersive programs, research-based residencies, and interdisciplinary laboratories that delve into the liminal spaces between forms. Our aim is not to codify movement, but to continually ask how it can be reimagined, embodied, and shared.

At its heart, the Collective is a space for embodied curiosity, radical presence, and the cultivation of a movement language that is ever-evolving and deeply human.

Members

After the foundation of the Collective by Kiori Kawai, Concetta Cariello and Adam Koan, Alessia has first joined as collaborator and then decided to become more and more involved in the project.

While members form the more consistent core of the Collective, this is not a rigid or hierarchical structure. 

This model is built on mutual trust, shared values, and open communication. It allows each member to bring their own vision, timing, and creative impulses to the work, while still contributing to a larger shared field. Some initiatives are co-created by multiple members; others are developed solo or in smaller constellations. The result is a richly layered, multi-voiced practice that remains rooted in collaboration while honoring individual agency.

By embracing this fluid approach, the Collective fosters both unity and multiplicity — encouraging personal expression within a shared container, and allowing the work to unfold in diverse, often unexpected, directions.

Past Collaborators

The following collaborators have contributed to the development of our work, supporting the organization and facilitation of selected retreats, workshops, and research laboratories.

Coming from diverse backgrounds — including voice work, theatre, contemporary dance, yoga, sound healing, and other embodied disciplines — they brought with them a wide spectrum of knowledge and sensibilities. Their contributions enriched the Collective’s ongoing exploration of the body in motion, expanding the scope of our experimentation and steadily broadening the boundaries of our shared practice.

Evgy
Evgeniya Melkonyan (Ukraine)

Collaborator / Voice Work

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Loukiani Papadaki (Greece)

Collaborator / Contemporary

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Vanessa Isbert (Germany)

Collaborator / Yoga and Sound

Imre bn
Imre van den Bosch (Netherlands)

Collaborator / Theatre

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