What makes 280 participants from 33 countries and 5 continents come to such a festival? The main thing maybe is the need of dancing, the playful use of the body and energy. Another important element seems to be the awareness of touch and the pleasure of it. Also to meet (this kind of) people and to feel supported by the subculture. Nevertheless, it was astonishing how a mass of people like this from such different cultures and ages could live together easily and peacefully.

Why this festival did turned out so well and has such a remarkable growth?
There are a few open secrets:

• The Teachers Meeting as a preceding exchange of several days with skilled teachers (past and present ones), which works as a condensation and preparation.
• The idea of cooperation and to delegate the responsibility towards the people: The three main organisers (this year Barbara, Dani and Eckhard) include the teachers, helpers and the participants to pull up the organisation and appreciation of the gathering, like the image of a tree.
• The current event learns from the experience of last year and the past, to develop the new run further.
• The remarkable organisation and logistics, which consist of various, cooked up aspects and facets.
• The mixture to invite famous, international teachers as well as qualified, new teachers from the CI community.
• The low priced fee policy.
• The continuous cooperation of the CI teachers in Freiburg since 1982: “Schwarzmarkt”, “Bewegungs-Art”, „Moving Art Company“, New Dance programs, Blackforest Jam and since 2000 the Contactfestival.
• Also ECITE somehow has prepared the ground for it, and it seems that an indirect mutual inspiration have taken place between both gatherings.
• Last but not least: The West Coast Festival in the US has served as a suitable model.

One evening was reserved for celebrating 40 years of Contact Improvisation, which was attended by 50 additional guests. By that occasion, the videos of a competition were shown. We should also mention the documentation efforts: There exists a booklet with the essential notes of the past teacher meetings. A documentary was made by a video team, several photographers took pictures, and inspired by a workshop, people made drawings from the dances. I enjoyed the excellent prepared organic food, which was pretty tuned to the needs of dancers, by a likeable kitchen family. Supplemental to the festival, a pre-workshop and a research project were offered before and afterwards. - During the gathering we have also heard with emotion that Remy Charlip died.

How to float and circulate in a mass of people in such a festival? Everybody has to learn it for him or herself. In the beginning you are open and happy to meet all the wonderful people. After the euphoria, there comes maybe also an impulse to find at times some distance, to centre oneself or to find moments to be for you. But what remains is, you feel like floating and carried in this nice stream that happens, and it is okay that you are closer to ones and more far from others. I remember various funny and sincere encounters, social and dance wise and I enjoyed a careful assistance from the organisers through the whole trip, in a pleasant and mutually accepting atmosphere.

Many participants I have spoken were enthusiastic about the festival. Here are some voices and statements: “The festival is an opportunity for me to dance CI, because there are only few possibilities in my town.” – “In my ongoing workshop, there are many participants with no experience in CI who are a bit over challenged, and sometimes I feel a bit frustrated, when I work with them and I am missing the peak of the exercise.” – “There is a pleasant and safe atmosphere here with social opportunities. Nice arranged spaces, with which we can do something. It is easier to find a partner to dance, because of so many choices. The experiences of the class are flowing into the jams, and vice versa.” – “This festival is quite sportive and focused on pure Contact Improvisation; others are more mixed with other disciplines. But out of sheer seriousness and identification with CI, the fun and playfulness should not be lost.” – “It is difficult for the young nowadays, to find contact and relationships. Such festivals are maybe a response of existing deficits in society.” – “I am enjoying the festival. But I do not want to be a member of another church. Contact Improvisation has not yet been researched in its whole potential. The development is a little one-sided, narrow, from the point of view, what it could be as a dance form: plenty of sticking together - little counterbalancing, pauses and jumps. CI is also lying on certain axioms, which arose from a time that are no longer current: e.g. focus on centre of gravity; flow, etc.” (A choreographer of contemporary dance) – “The festival has changed in terms of participants. The teachers used to be more present in previous years, have putted themselves more into it.” (One of the two man who have participated in all the 13 editions of the Contactfestival Freiburg)

This remark brings us to another look to this year’s participants. According to the organisers, 60% of the people are here for the first time (instead of 40 to 50% in other years). This change is not irrelevant and could be questioned more. Another point is the fact that the festival is open to everybody, also without any experience in Contact Improvisation. Therefore, a suggestion could be, to offer to beginners specific basic skill workshops.

The Teachers Meeting was one of the highlights, before and as an initiation of the festival. It makes the thing running - starting from small, in order to expand to large. In between was a process of working, in terms of personal exchange, advanced dance and organising the coming event. We were 35 teachers. Some have been here several times already. It was about building a cooperating group. We danced a lot and used exercises, scores and themes. One score that impressed me was called “10 times 5 minutes”, in which each of 10 persons tells shortly in five minutes about a personal engagement or project. It was about opening the mind. Here a few issues I found inspiring that came out in other discussions among the teachers: Post colonial Contact tourism. - The tendency of consumerism. - The concern of transparency in the books and the economy of CI events. - Contact Improvisation as an infinite promotion project. - The interest in the origin of CI, to come back to the roots, to find clarification and redefinitions. - Guidance and participation in the CI community. - Precarity of many CI teachers in their work economy.