Eric Alessi
Contact Improvisation · Koh Phangan, Thailand

Eric Alessi

My curiosity lives at the intersection of Contact Improvisation and Zen, right where no-mind meets gravity.

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Curiosilab

Curiosilab is Eric's five-hour private group lab, held weekly on Koh Phangan for committed practitioners: one small group, one garden studio. Eric comes with material, and the group only explores what it truly needs:

Every lab opens with two questions: what do you think you really need, and what would you like to become when dancing Contact? From there the group assesses body constitution, sizes, movement backgrounds and current limitations, and makes it all play in favor of more graceful dances. The tools: exercises, sharings, written notes, a jam in the middle of the lab rather than only at the end, and real breaks. Five hours is enough time for something to actually change.

The lab runs from four dancers and caps at eight, so everyone gets direct attention and feedback. The deeper format is the four-week program, one lab a week for a month. That is the ideal vision: to truly transform from the inside out. To join the next lab, write to Eric.

From the students

"I feel like this was a treasure of a workshop. There is a true professional spirit and knowledge in his teaching, as though he has been doing this for many, many years. This is very clear."

~ Ido, Israel

"I loved the format of having a small group and enough time to really explore. It allowed for personal attention from Eric and a focus on what was actually present in the moment. I especially loved how much of the learning happened through play and curiosity. I never felt like I was trying to get something right or learn a specific technique. It felt more like being invited to explore, notice, play and discover things through my own body.

Eric's way of teaching feels very caring, humble and attentive. I felt welcomed and taken care of throughout the whole experience. The space, the progression of the class and the material all felt thoughtfully curated, and I felt safe to explore, experiment and be playful. It was quite beautiful to feel how much connection and trust could develop in just a few hours of practicing together.

Overall it felt like a rich, playful and nourishing way of learning Contact Improvisation, and I left feeling inspired and wanting to explore more."

~ Elena, Italy

"The most educating workshop I've ever attended. I never thought about the ground like that: I'm supporting it and it's supporting me. It was like, wow. It opened the whole space and many possibilities."

~ Gaia, Italy

From the archive

Two dancers in white lean into each other on a dark stage, suspended white rings on either side.
Two dancers in white stand apart on a dark stage, each looking up into a cluster of suspended white rings.
Two dancers reach toward each other, hands almost touching, against a black background.
Two dancers in white share weight through their heads on a dark stage, suspended white rings hanging on either side.
Four dancers in black rehearse among hanging ring sculptures in a bright industrial hall.

From The Beauty of Pain in Motion, Shanghai World Expo Museum, November 2017 · choreography Marceau Chenault & Eric Alessi · Zero Angle archive

Fuel for the curious dancer

One short email a week. One minute to read and be inspired.

A taste from a recent edition:

A statement I can't stop returning to:

We treat stability like a virtue. Emma Bigé maintains: equilibrium is where the dance ends, and your partner's real job is to help you lose your vertical. Every time I stop protecting my balance, the dance gets more honest.

Fuel my curiosity