The Contact Festival Dartington takes place at the fourteenth century Dartington Hall Estate, surrounded by exceptional gardens and beautiful Devonshire countryside.
Contact improvisation first landed in the UK in the 1970s and 80s when Steve Paxton began researching and teaching at Dartington College of Arts, in the theatre program under the direction of Mary O’Donnell Fulkerson, European pioneer of release technique. In collaboration with other artists of the New Dance movement, Fulkerson and Paxton began a series of spring festivals of dance and improvisation at Dartington. In the spirit of these gatherings and following a very successful National Contact Jam hosted at Dartington in 2010 which garnered a huge response from participants to continue, we now present the first annual Contact Festival Dartington.
The festival features a series of one and two-day workshops with world-renowned teachers, showings of work, and jams with live music. All moving takes place in dance studios with fully sprung wooden floors, under floor heating and views onto the countryside. Outstanding vegetarian food is provided by the talented team at Fairfoods who prepare three meals daily plus in-between-meal snacks. Hot beverages are available throughout the day. All food is included in the festival price, and special diets can be catered for on request.
Free camping in the grounds of the estate is also included in the festival price. For those who prefer B&B accommodation, there are many options in the Dartington and Totnes area.
Dartington Hall Estate is easily accessible by rail or road. Follow the link for travel advice.