Traces of the Living
A Site-Specific Movement Immersion
31.08 - 06.09.2025 // French Alps
Experiencing the Land
Quality time immersed in the stunning natural environment of the French Alps. We will explore the land, sense and stay with all there is.
Dance
Dance in the more general sense of "movement". Being moved and moving with the natural beings that will surround us.
Walking
Walking as a practice. This will be equivalent to the breath of the whole experience.
Connecting within
The practices that we will share will allow us to connect with a state of presence and alignment with our inner self.
About us
A Site-Specific Movement LAB immersed in the French Alps.
Traces of the Living is a laboratory that combines movement research, site-specific explorations, and walking. It is an invitation to cultivate an inner, intimate, and profound space from which to begin the movement.
We offer this experience within a unique natural setting: the French Alps, in the Hautes Alpes region, at the border with Italy, in the heart of the Ubaye Valley. Our base camp will be a tiny village, Combe Brémond, at 1900 meters above sea level, located in the commune of Saint Paul sur Ubaye, France. It is the last inhabited place before entering the high mountain valleys. In Combe Brémond, there are no cars, and the air is fresh and pure. There are springs that flow abundantly from the mountains, creating waterfalls and clear, cold streams. There are trees, green marble stones, the breath of the wind, and marmots.
BUTOH, ECOSOMATICS, AND AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT
We are two Italian artists and performers, Concetta and Alessia, coming from different disciplines and united to generate a common field of exchange and to forge a shared platform of creativity. During the walks, we will facilitate somatic experiences inspired by Butoh, ecosomatics, and authentic movement. We will be in dialogue with the natural environment that will welcome us. We will explore the sensation of being inhabited, of incarnating, of being moved by. We will value and create space for silence.
Throughout the days we will propose to explore how we are interconnected with all the rest of the living. Through somatic and movement practices we want to open dialogues with natural elements and their embodiment. To inhabit and to be inhabited, to move and to be moved. This experience is also an invitation to share inquiries, discoveries and insights, fostering a supportive and collaborative community. Through shared movement explorations, we invite participants to reflect on their contributions and aspirations for this collective endeavor.
You’ll also have ample leisure time to explore the mountain’s enchanting vistas, and serene landscapes at your own pace, enjoying the sparkling streams near by. Letting the Alps’ echoes guide our movements, we invite ourselves to slow down, listen, and truly feel the pulse of our shared experience.
There will also be free time to explore the mountains at your own pace and enjoy the sparkling streams and stunning landscapes. Note that during the workshop we will be mainly working outdoors, plus having one spacious hall to work indoors.
Additionally, there will be moments to cultivate your creative space. At the end of our journey, we will host ritual performances: a sharing and offering of our personal experiences with the group, as well as an offering to the mountains, the streams, and the land that hosted us.
Facilitators
Alessia Mallardo
born in Naples, Italy, is a performer, Butoh dancer, Noguchi Taiso facilitator, and dance therapist. Butoh dance, in her view, represents a profound exploration of the self, an instrument that translates into gesture all the vast material—both tangible and intangible—by which we are moved. She therefore seeks a dialogue between conscious and unconscious realms by questioning the meaning of body memory and the emotional unconscious. Butoh dance has allowed her to deepen certain aspects of movement, such as the way through which to achieve increasingly conscious states of presence. Alessia has thus developed kinesthetic and proprioceptive training, based on the importance given to that contact space—between the inner and outer world—where the foot touches the ground and a resonance wave is generated.
In alignment with her research trajectory, Alessia pursued a Master’s degree in Dance Anthropology at Paris V – Sorbonne and Nanterre Université (Paris, France), culminating in a thesis focused on the sensorial elements capable of inducing trance states, undertaken in collaboration with the Universidade Federal do Parà – UFPA (Belèm do Parà, Brazil).
Alessia also practices as a dance therapist, guiding individuals on journeys of self-discovery. Her interdisciplinary approach include the study of the I Ching, reflecting her fascination with Asian culture and philosophy. Through personalized readings, she offers insights gleaned from this ancient text.
Facilitators
Concetta Cariello
born in Bari, Italy, is a freelance dance artist, performer, contemporary dance educator, and holistic practitioner. Her creative interest falls on the body wisdom as the source of every creative process, organically drawing from within by tuning into the elements of breath, movement, vocalization, and stillness. In recent years, she has embraced a nomadic path that leads her to travel to different geographic and interior places, and that initiated her into a deeper exploration of the self, of personal development through the connection with nature, meditative and somatic practices, and Contact Improvisation.
Originally stemming from a ballet background, Concetta has realigned her focus training in contemporary dance and obtained a BA in Dance Studies at the School of Performing Arts, University of Malta, jointly with an Erasmus program at the BCDA – Budapest Contemporary Dance Academy. And now finalizing her Masters’ in Partnership Studies and Native Traditions, with a thesis in Ecosomatics and Shamanism.
Her previous background in Building Engineering-Architecture also enriches her approach to dance and space composition, and most of all her interest in site-specific movement practices. Drawing from this, in 2018, she started Archi-Humans Go Public, a research project that puts in conversation dance and public spaces, funded by Arts Council Malta. Being also a breathwork instructor and Thai Massage therapist, she values touch as a great companion for movement awareness and the best healing and nurturing element that humans have been given.
The Land That Will Host Us
Combe Brémond is a small village nestled in the mountains,
which you reach slowly, one step at a time.
Why Us
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This laboratory is open to anyone who loves to feel, move, and connect — whether you are a dancer, performer, visual artist, designer, therapist, researcher, scientist, musician, writer, or anyone with a creative background, with or without prior experience in dance. All you need is curiosity, openness, and a strong motivation to engage in this collective process. Everyone will be able to find inspiration in this journey. You are very welcome!
There are only 7 spots available! Do not hesitate to contact us if this experience resonates with you.
Our Projects
The venue
ACCOMMODATION & FOOD
We will be staying in two mountain cabins, at the rural refuge of Denise, Gite des Marmottes.
We will sleep in shared spaces. We will share the food (primarily vegetarian) and prepare together in a common kitchen in turns. We see cooking and savouring our meals together as a profound part of the communal experience. Food is included in the price (please let us know if you have any food preferences or intolerances).
How to get to Combe Brémond?
We can arrange a transfer from Cuneo (Italy) for those who wish. Please let us know where you are coming from, whether you are driving, and if you have the capacity to offer a ride to someone along the way.
Travel Note
The first and the last day are dedicated to arrival and departure. On the 31st you will have time to settle and in the afternoon/evening we have a welcome gathering and dinner together. We finish the workshop on the 5th, while the 6th of September is devoted to goodbyes and closing circle in the morning.
Address
Riverside Building, County Hall, South Bank, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
nomadic.dance.collective@gmail.com
Phone number
Alessia: +39 340 277 7030
There are only 7 spots available! Do not hesitate to get in touch: the time is NOW!
Contact us today at nomadic.dance.collective@gmail.com to learn more about our immersive LAB and how to register.